Coaches Wearing Helmets

It is an over-reaction to the tragic death of the minor league coach last year. I understand the argument that if you save one life it is worth it, but there are a lot of hot days and long innings. I coached in San Antomio in a tournament once. Our team scored a lot of runs that inning and the first base acoach and I both almost passed out. I can't imagine what it would have been like in a helmut. More people may die of heat stroke than are saved by the helmuts. JMHO.

Coaches barely stay in the coach's box now, so I cant see a mandate for helmets, or at least one that anyone would follow.

It is a minor inconvenience. I don't know if a helmet would have saved Mike Coolbaugh's life but nobody can say it wouldn't have. If it can prevent one person from going through a similar tragedy or prevent one person from witnessing such a tragedy, it is a worthwhile rule.

Coolbaugh got hit in the temple. I think it is safe to say a helmet would have saved him. In Illinois High School spring ball, it is indeed a minor inconvenience. It is not minor in many places and many games played all over the nation. Cost-benefit analysis is made all the time with saftey rules. Look at the metal vs wood bat controversy. In little league and high school, kid coaches are made to wear helmets. OK. It doesn't mean all adults should, nor would it save more lives if helmets were worn vs not being worn.

First of all Mike Coolbaugh did not get hit in the temple. He got hit behind the ear where the skull meets the neck.

What cost is associated with this rule? You grab a helmet out of the dugout and wear it.

But where does it stop? Coaches have to have them in the coaching boxes this year; players on the field wearing them next year?

What about in the dugouts? I've seen some shots go into the dugout. Just ask CoachB25 about one when he was BEHIND the batter even!

What about the fans along the foul lines? Are they going to need one too?

I'd rather first see it in softball where the 3rd baseman is right on top of the batter! They're nuts! But that's the way the game's played.

He was hit in a spot where a normal helmet is not going to protect.

I looked at 4 articles. Two said he was hit in the temple, the last one said in the neck. I seem to remember it was a ruptured artery, so that supports the hit in the neck. Therefore, a helmet would probably not helped in that case. Name a case that would cause the rule to be put in effect then. If there isn't, what is the purpose of the rule?

He was hit in the neck, no helmet could have saved his life. It was also hit so hard that he had no chance to react (it was a left handed hitter).

Again I ask where is the harm in wearing a helmet in the coaches box? What is detrimental to the game the coach or the team about wearing a helmet? What is the added cost? Every dugout has more helmets than are in use. Ego, male pride, vanity, performance inhibitor, government interference, not sure what the objection is to. You wear your seatbelt while in a car. I have driven 30 years never needed that seat belt one time. Government makes me do it or else I can get a ticket. Will probably be thankful the day I need it. It is just a helmet, you already have a hat on.

I was in the stadium that night, sitting down the first base line, probably no less than 30 feet from where the coach was standing when he had gotten hit. You should wear the helmet if not for yourself then for the player who hit the ball that hit Mike Coolbaugh. I have never witnessed a sadness like the one that came over that poor kid. His horror striken face as he ran from the batter's box to the coach and his wail upon learning of the death were bone-chilling.

You may not care about your safety but other people will be affected if by the rarest of chances this tragedy would repeat itself.

Deldad, I can appreciate your position, certainly it has a greater meaning when you witness something so tragic. At this point the IHSA has not mandated that coaches wear any type of head protection.

Don't look for the IHSA to require coaches to wear helmets until the National Federation makes it a rule. The IHSA rules committee does not meet again until next August so possibly next season.

deldad, i too can appreciate your position. our son was hit in the face with a foul tip off his own bat - almost lost his vision in one eye as a result. luckily he was OK and still playing today. if i had my druthers, he would have been wearing his face shield that day - wore one all through LL, until his travel coach convinced him it obstructed his vision (ironic choice of words, I know) and he stopped. After that there was no choice - it was wear it or not play.

I often wished wearing a shield were mandatory, just so my son wouldn't have had to feel like the odd man out, but the fact of the matter is it was a freak accident - one I've never seen repeated in hundreds of games before or since. I think the best you can do is educate people - players, parents and coaches - and allow them to make their own choice. As others have said, there are near misses in the dugout, in the stands, in the on-deck circle (where the helmet won't help you if you're hit square in the face). It's a risk you take anytime you show up for a game. How about the H.S. pitcher who was killed in Texas while throwing batting practice - the ball came from the opposite cage and managed to get through two layers of netting to hit him in the back of the (helmeted) head. He died the next day. There's just no way of preventing every accident. If I were a coach, I'd wear the helmet. Players coaching a base - no question, they wear a helmet. But adult coaches - much tougher sell. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

mythreesons, I have seen a player get hit in the face off the bat. I believe he lost a couple teeth in the process. He was bunting and the ball went straight up off the bat.

Also, I've been hit in the face twice. Both times while batting, but they were both pitched balls. Once in 4th grade; once sophomore year of high school. The interesting thing about the incident in 4th grade was we had the facemasks on the helmets until THAT DAY. As you can guess, the facemasks went right back on the helmets for my team.

Bulldog... now that you mention it, we saw an accident similar to our son's during the CWS - I must have blocked it! But for all the at-bats you see in your baseball lifetime it's still a remarkably rare occurrence, thankfully. We also had a player a few years ago who had a habit of leaning over the plate - breaking ball got away from the pitcher and broke right into his nose. Not pretty. Face mask would have prevented that one, too. But I doubt much will change in that area either - coaches seem prejudiced against it and players feel it makes them look like they're afraid of the ball. Personally I think it's a sign of intelligence to be afraid to get a ball in the face, but that's just me!

That's kinda what happened my sophomore year.. curve ball didn't break and hit me right in the jaw. Loosened a tooth, caused my upper lip to balloon up, and 4-5 stitches inside the lip. Played the next day (or at least was able to; Coach wouldn't let me)

I see the benefits of the facemasks, but I'm still not a huge fan. I did away with it when I quit the team from 4th grade.

And yea, I think it's natural to be afraid of getting hit in the face to an extent, but it's something you just gotta get over.