When thinking of baseball it’s a commonality to think of a kid’s first game; the way his head doesn’t quite fill out the baseball hat, the way he looks at the baseball players as if they’re Gods, his first hot dog. The experience brings a smile to your face. You rarely, if ever, think about the dark sides to America’s Favorite Pastime.
And no, I am not referring to performance enhancing drugs, steroids, or anything of that matter. I’m talking about injuries. Injuries that silence a ballpark. Injuries that remind you these baseball players are human. Unlike many sports, these athletes do not have protective gear. We can debate all damn day the comparisons and contrasts of a football player with pads, and a baseball player who has a piece of leather that is supposed to be considered a shield from a blazing fastball, but there is just not enough time.
Consider this: you have a van coming at you at 35 mph, all you have to protect yourself with is a trashcan lid. That’s about what these guys deal with on a daily basis. Call me an exaggerator all you want, but that’s pretty accurate.
Just yesterday Aroldis Chapman had a 99 mph fastball off the bat zoom right back to him, striking him in the face.
We all remember the Brandon McCarthy scare, J.A. Happ, Bryce Florie, Doug Fister, etc. The fact that there is a list starting to form is scary in and of itself.
Now there is apparently a way to prevent injury, via Bleacher Report.
EvoShield is working on its own protective device, as is another company with advanced materials called Unequal Technologies. EvoShield has a proprietary gel that hardens, making a custom hard shell.
I did some research on this so-called gel, and it was quite interesting. According to Unequal Technologies, this gel is fortified with Kevlar. Kevlar is defined as
A patented fiber used in law enforcement and the military that, when woven into a sheet, is five-times stronger than steel. Delivers virtually unmatched strength and flexibility.
Just a few inches to the left of this quote referring to the Kevlar once again is this:
While the picture is small in size, the message in yellow is anything but. Kevlar, which is sandwiched between Accelleron and Impacshield, has a message under it saying “Not Bulletproof Not Bullet Resistant.” So, does this even work? Is it worth the monetary, physical and emotional stress for a pitcher?
The money aspect shouldn’t be a problem. This being said, the physical aspect is probably the most difficult to endure.
The scenario is similar to getting a new mitt or a new pair of cleats. One of the biggest pains in the ass is to break them in. The baseball player is used to his routine, season after season, year after year. In this case, a completely different type of hat? Seems absurd. It’s not just a pink hat to celebrate Mother’s Day, or a camouflage hat saluting those in the military. No. This hat seems uncomfortable. With extra weight on your head, in front of your head, to the side of your head, the pitcher may not perform to his best ability.
Let’s also take into account, Chapman was hit in the face. So in all fairness, a football helmet should be implemented. Am I right?
It’s not going to happen. I don’t think any baseball player, fan, or official sees anything of this nature happening in the future.
With or without extra protection, an athlete in any sport knows the risks that are involved in his or her job. This isn’t their first rodeo. We need to remember that. You can wrap someone in every layer of mattress pad you can find, put a bubble around them, and they still have the exact same chance of getting hurt as the guy who has nothing but a glove protecting him.
Not related to this article, but I just put this gif in here because it’s awesome.
When injuries occur to any athlete, in any sport, it is devastating. It’s also inevitable. It’s a physical job. With physicality, comes injuries. I think it’s foolish for people to be blinded by this fact. These things will happen. It will take a definite miracle for one of these ball players to be completely safe.
According to Will Carroll, sports injuries lead writer at Bleacher Report…
Until there’s a technology that is both effective and comfortable, the adoption rate is going to be extremely low. Even pitchers who have been hit, like McCarthy, are not wearing the new hats and have actually been vocal against any rule requiring a pitcher to wear a protective device.
Photo:Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports