Whether I agree with it or not, I’m sure this whole helmet thing started as an idea with its heart in the right place. Kids’ noggins are protected, if not their/our constitutional rights, but that’s only where it starts. It ends, or at least continues, with little leaguers being forced to wear a helmet while playing certain positions other than catcher. I can’t image seeing a catcher squatting behind the plate without all the gear that they normally wear. Taking a 90 mph fastball to the cranium or the sternum would really ruin your day. While no eight year old is going to be throwing 90 any time soon, proportionally the catcher would be just as hurt.
On to the boy playing first base. It may or may not be state or country wide, but there are leagues that now mandate that the first baseman wear a helmet, and sometimes a helmet with a face mask as well. Isn’t that just fantastic? I get the urge go back to my bike riding plate armor. We actually ask that a kid wear protective gear because we’re scared he might get hit with a thrown ball. Are you kidding me?!? I have a radical idea. Teach the kids to catch before they actually take the field and there will be no need for them to use their teeth instead of a glove. Oh, here’s another brilliant thought…if there is a kid on the team that is so bad with a glove that they need Kevlar to take the field…then maybe that child is NOT ready to play. I know that violates every tenet of the current sporting atmosphere, but it’s the truth. Little Johnny might just suck, and you’re going to have to deal with it. He might need another year or two before he’s ready to get into sports, or at least this sport, or at least that position.
By the way, this happened to also apply to the pitcher on my younger son’s team. Thankfully it was just the coach’s decision, not a league mandate. However, he came to the conclusion that his pitchers should also wear a helmet. One day he was throwing batting practice to the team. One of the better hitters came up and smacked a line drive that narrowly missed him. “Him” being the coach. It was that near miss…NEAR MISS…that prompted the thought, “Geez, the boys better wear a helmet when they pitch. Someone could get hurt if they get hit by a ball.” Just stop it.
While coaching first base this past season, I got hit in the left eye with a ball when a throw went wildly errant. I actually spent an hour in the ER because of that little fiasco. Should I wear a catcher’s mask before going near the field? Actually, some of the other dad’s joked about me doing just that. But if I had shown up like that, for any reason other than comic relief, I would have been a laughing stock. And not because it’s funny to protect yourself from injury, but rather because it is a ridiculous extreme. I wouldn’t do it, no adult would. So why do we feel the urge to force the kids to do it when they are participating in the exact same activity at their own speed and skill level?
I can hear it now. “But what if Johnny gets hurt? What if he does take one to the skull and it drops him like a rock?” My answer is simple. So what. Let’s face it; there is a chance that a real injury could occur. There is that very small chance that something significant could get broken while playing these games. But there is no real way around that at any level. Where do we draw the line? In a baseball game, someone rounding second base trips on the bag and breaks an ankle. Should we get rid of the bases and just draw them in the sand? A soccer goalie takes a shot to the face and breaks his nose or loses a tooth. Do we make him wear a helmet, too? That would really improve his game. A little girl clunks her head on a balance beam when she tries a flip for the first time and winds up with stitches across her forehead. Time to eradicate that as well. Better to just have them walk back and forth on some duct tape laid down on a soft mat. Wow, that will really do wonders for their confidence and development.
While I’m on baseball…my older son also plays ball in the spring. Thankfully, at his age, they’ve done away with helmet rules. However, there is something that does make me cringe…of course. Like all fields that I know of, his home field has an on deck circle. Unlike all fields that I know of, his home field has an on deck circle that is at the end of the dugout and located inside a cage. Stunning. God forbid they stand near to the coach, who is always outside the dugout, and take a few cuts. They may actually have to pay attention in order to not get hit with a foul ball. That might actually help a bit to keep their heads in the game a little more. That might actually let them get a better feel for the pitcher they are about to face. That might actually warm up properly with a few full swings. Nah, forget all that. It’s clearly much better to make them stand in a small chain link cage, leaning on their bat, and watching from a distance. Phew. I'd continue, but rational thought is being sucked away by my ranting. In need to go lay down for a while. See you next week....
We should take a survey: How many people have been hit by balls and lived. My son got hit in warm-ups before his first game, ever, pretty hard. He went 3-3 in the game. I'm no hammer of a dad, either. He wanted to play. I think kids have more natural courage than we give them credit for.
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