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FPC Bulletin, Voume 13, Number 31 5/6/13

05/06/2013, 10:00pm CDT
By Bob Tomlinson

Fastpitch Bulletin

If you go to the ball yard often enough, you are bound to witness something for the first time.

In all my years of going to the ball yards as a player, coach, fan, publisher etc. I had never seen a pitcher get hit in the face with a batted ball.

I can't say that anymore! I saw it happen today!

I'd seen pictures and read and heard stories of pitchers hit in the face and suffering serious facial trauma.

Today, my senior pitcher took a hard, one hop shot to the face!

The hard smash hit a little in front of her and bounced right up, ticked her glove just a little and hit squarely ---- on her face mask!

Yes, it hit her face mask and knocked it right off her head.

She was unfazed though. She was actually smiling afterwards.

About two weeks ago, Matt Bellerive sent me a link to an article on the Minnesota Fast Sports site. There were some gruesome pictures of a young college player who had taken a shot in the face and she was not wearing a mask. That article, written by her mother, complete with those pictures moved me to requiring my pitchers and corners to wear the masks. I've left the middle infielders with making the decision on their own (they and their parents). The other three are now required by me to wear the defensive masks.

Today we saved a kid from what would have been a serious injury. It would not have been a good way for her to end her senior softball season. I felt very good about the new requirement.

After reading the article on Fast Sports I realized that a reasonable and prudent coach would require the use of the defensive masks because they are available. They are proven safety features. I'm retired (other than coaching softball) and the last thing I need from coaching softball is to be questioned by somebody's legal counsel asking me why I didn't require such a mask knowing that they provide protection from balls hit by high tech bats. That night very night we started wearing them. There are no exceptions! The masks cost about 45 bucks. Alexa's facial issues had she not been wearing hers would have been thousands of dollars more than 45 bucks.

I asked for time to go out and talk to her. She had a huge, toothy grin on her face as I approached. I said, "I guess old Mr. T's new requirement just paid off." She grinned even bigger and said, "Yes, Thanks!" A very happy mother thanked me after the game as well.

Our players, every one of them regardless of position is required to wear a mouthguard in the field and at bat. It's tough to understand what they are saying when they talk but the added protection that mouthguard offers is well worth it. In 2007 our third sacker nearly bit her lower lip off with her upper teeth when she slid awkwardly into second base. Seriously, her lip was nearly bitten clean off. That's what started the Poynette Softball mouthguard requirement.

As long as I am typing about safety I have another example. Prior to the NFHS finally allowing metal cleats to be worn in high school softball there were many knee and ankle injuries (primarily knee) caused by plastic and rubber cleats slipping on rock hard, wet bases and home plates. Those who know me well will remember that for nearly 28 years I asked for metal to be legalized. Some would still argue with me but this I know. We have not had a serious knee injury since the metal ones were made legal. Last week one of our freshman players did injure her ankle when she slipped on home plate. However, she was wearing plastic cleats and not metal.

My prediction is that in 2014 defensive face masks will be required for infielders and pitchers.

Here is another safety issue that needs to be addressed.

The softball must be cork center balls. Polycore balls, no matter what C.O.R. or compression numbers are stamped on them are dangerous. They are harder. Just take a cork center ball such as the Dudley SB12LNDFP ball that is used by most high schools in this state and by the WIAA in the tournament series and bounce it on some concrete. Then take a Dudley Thunder Heat and do the same thing. Listen to the difference and notice the difference in how much higher the Thunder Heat bounces. Now think about some of the missles that are hit with Rocketech bats, Demarini, Easton, TPS and on and on. If just one person's safety is jeopardized while playing this game we need to take a close look at what is causing it. A combination of high tech bats and polycore balls is a serious injury waiting to happen, defensive face masks or not.

A number of years ago our team played a road game at a conference foe's field. The coach was using polycore balls. They were being hit pretty hard. I warned the other coach about using those missles but it fell upon deaf ears. About two games later I learned that the shortstop from that team had been hit in the face by one of those polycore balls while playing a home game. Jeopardizing the safety of anyone is not a cool thing.

If you don't think this is true stuff, just get some Thunder Heat balls and some 12LND FP balls and take some batting practice. You'll not only see for yourself but if you hit them you will feel for yourself.

At next year's Poynette Jamboree all the balls used in the games will be Dudley 12LND FP optic yellow balls. We'll raise the entry fee enough to cover the balls and we'll provide them for every game and all of our umpires will be inserviced in what to look for.

In the next day or so I'll be switching all of the information on the website over to www.fastpitchchronicle.net and will be partnered with wissports.net softball. The content will remain the same, only the look will have changed.

That's it for tonight!
Keep it Rising!
Bob

Tag(s): Bulletins