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Originally posted by 1baseballdad:
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Consider yourself grilled again. Haven't you been reading all the posts about the new bats and how much less distance the ball is going off the bat? That means the ball is going slower off the bat. That means a bit more chance to react and a little less potential damage on any given ball hit back at the pitcher.
Well your post just goes to prove that once again, you never really read or listened to a word I said.
I said over and over and over again that we should wait for the new BBCOR bats before flying off the handle and getting the legislature involved.
I do appreciate you helping me once again clear that up and I appreciate you putting the dot on that I for me and validating exactly what I said at least a 100 times.
Now...about that helmet that the legislature is now trying to mandate...AFTER the fact of BBCOR bats and as a compromise to drop legislation mandating wood bats.
I guess some people just slow to learn.
Man, it must be tough to always be right. How long can an arm be to pat yourself on the back so many times. And how many times does one poster need to paint himself as the "victim?"
Let's look at a few items:
1.) The bat manufacturers could have done this long ago and didn't.
2.) The legislation and the potential impact on their $$$$ in CA caused an acceleration of the process.
3.) Head gear is recommended, not a requirement and no where is there legislation to make it a requirement.
4.) A rational approach for headgear issues and concerns of the type mentioned exists.
For those who choose not to wear it, if they are 18 or over they can sign a release. If they are 18 and under, their parents can sign the release. As we discussed before, an appropriate release is recognized in CA and can release liability for injury from future acts.
BTW the headgear is discussed in the article HR04 posted(did you read the article..the headgear is coming together as a result of combined efforts that include a pitcher recovering from 2 very severe head injuries).
Baseball is not the only sport dealing with head trauma issues. Concussions are not the only issue, as the recent discussion on head trauma and ALS type conditions recognized.
Football has a huge future issue, risk and liability dealing with head trauma and the residuals which include the ALS type potentials.
Whether we like it or not, science is understanding more and more and more about brain function and brain dysfunction.
Science is understanding more and more and more about impact of head trauma over the longer term.
As more is known and more risks are identified, there are some who will say I don't care, I accept the risk. As long as they know the risks as they are currently understood, then they can sign the release of all liability and have their son stand on that mound.
Others who either don't understand or accept the risk, can explore wearing the protection.
As more risks are identified, the decision making process can adjust.
Just as you don't want government interfering with "your" rights, I don't feel I need to accept your views and woe is me tactics as impacting a broader spectrum of players and parents and discussion of these issues.
The young man in Ohio who was discussed in an earlier thread will have medical bills into the many millions of dollars. Taxpayers are going to fund the vast majority, in all likelihood.
These are some of the broader implications to baseball/sports and head injury. More than a few are just beginning to be understood.
This site can be a great place for the discussions to occur from many different perspectives.
I respect your views about bats, manufacturers and the like, even though I continue to disagree with most of them.
I don't agree with stifling discussion out of "fear of change" or what comes next.
Just 2 or so years ago the NFL took the position of no risk and no responsibility for head injuries or concussion effects. It literally took slicing open the brains of deceased players and examining the entire spinal cord/column of another to convince the NFL that its medical director was out of touch and they needed to change.
Bat manufacturers may need to change again. The game may need to be changed, as new information becomes available. Science on head injury residuals is anything but static.
It seems fascinating that a hitter can wear an elbow pad and shin guard, but the idea of a helmet to protect a pitcher's head and brain function creates such a dialogue of resistance.