Just a little piece of advice for BP pitchers.....

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!

Been there and done that. What is the magical age? I always tell my players that it is 105 years old. By that time you won't remember it!

My sons college head coach was tossing BP to his 6 year old with no screen and half paying attention.

He is recovering nicely from the surgery to repair his fractured cheekbone from 2 weeks ago.

I have photo of my abdominal bruise version from last year. Son has a good laugh everytime it shows up on our Picasa slideshow screensaver.

That is a pretty funny story 1BDad and painful

My son is now 21 and the last time I pitched batting practice was 10 years ago. I was pithing to him and his friend who were taking turns. I was pitching from a mound and there was no L-Screen. His friend hit a liner off my front shin bone and immediately sent me to the ground. I almost needed a cane to get off the field. I had a goose egg on my leg for almost a year after that. I can still feel a lump there if I rub it. Never would have thunk that an 11 year old could do that much damage

I stop pitchiung batting practice (without an L-Screen)when I coached my son's 10 year old LL team...Was standing in front of the 46 foot mound and took a line shot off my shin....ever since then behind the screen

However as 1Bdad points out if you are not careful and stay behind the screen you can get drilled...speaking from experience....

Lastly, I almost resorted to wearing a batting helmet when throwing BP inside the net cage...have taken few off the head from the ball hitting above me then coming down ....just can't bring myself to do that so I might just give it up all together

when i threw bp to my kids. i alway's took a few cut's. good exercise. we were in the cage and a hit a ricochet ball that finally poped my son in the head. not very hard either. whenever he threw to me he wore a helmet. he looked foolish, and i let him know it. quite often too. well he hit me in the side like 1bdad said. knocked the wind out of me ,i'm on one knee trying to catch some air. it really is very difficult not to inflick damage on your son. looking back on it.........i looked way more stupid than he did. but i'd never tell him that.

Yeah I got another bp wound last week during front soft toss behind the screen. Left my arm out just a half second to long and it just grazed my elbow. Took the hide right off. Even had a long sleeve shirt on.

Took one off the hip when my oldest was 10. Last time I threw without a screen.

Even with a screen I inform players throwing from behind one to "Chuck and Duck"

I say this: I am not too proud to wear a helmet while pitching BP. In youth ball, the cage we used was cyclone fence sides, top and bottom. I didn't feel safe at all in that thing unless I had a helmet. It got REAL hot pitching in a batting helmet on a hot summer day.

When my son was 10, I was pitching to him from about 45 feet at the schoolyard, with my dog running around the field. Sure enough, the dog takes a hard line drive right in the eye from 35 feet or so. It was awful. He does fine with one eye.

My son tell me "sorry dad" when he drills me.I'm telling him "Don't be sorry,I want you to hit it hard up the middle".On the inside I'm thinking to myself "I hope it's not fractured".

What kills me is when it hits bone.

Two other minor pieces of advice -

1) check the L-screen net for holes - learned that the hard way.

2) make sure the L-screen has a stable base - buddy had a line drive hit the L-screen frame, foot wasn't all the way out, tipped over on his head (major scape on his cheek)...

Hilarious story. I always wear a glove even behind the screen...just in case.

I was throwing BP once and the ball was hit perfectly where the cross bar and up bar meet. I don't see how it didn't hit either one. It hit me in the forearm and my whole arm from the elbow down went numb.

I tried to finish throwing BP but I could barely hold the ball. I got one of my guys to finish it and we did a few other things for practice while I had an ice bag on my arm.

My JV coach kept telling me it was broke and even got our principal to look at it. He thought it was broke too. I finally gave in and went to the hospital and luckily I was right. But a nerve was bruised and my hand was numb for a little over a week. There are still times when my thums goes numb.

Son's coach at BP just last Thursday- was peeking around the screen to give check a new kids swing. The kid connected - coach failed react in time. 7 stitches to the eyebrow & a very serious looking black eye. ouch

quote:

However as 1Bdad points out if you are not careful and stay behind the screen you can get drilled...speaking from experience....

A couple of years ago in 14U I made the mistake of reacting like a pitcher instead of like a BP pitcher behind an L screen. Instead of ducking down, I leaned back. I took a shot right over the eye. Fortunately I was wearing a baseball hat. The hat was blown off by the ball. The bill was tweaked like it slightly deflected the ball.

I was laying on the ground wondering why it didn't hurt. Then I felt my face. It was all liquid. I figured I was bleeding like crazy. When I put my hand in front of my face I was shocked it was nothing but sweat. No cuts, no bruises, very slight swelling.

I stopped pitching without a screen with LL all-stars. When coaches wouldn't drag out the net I told them they were crazy. Every one of them who didn't use the screen got drilled.

quote:

when i threw bp to my kids. i alway's took a few cut's. good exercise. we were in the cage and a hit a ricochet ball that finally poped my son in the head.

This past summer at the batting cages, a kid ripped one into the support pole at the end of the divider fence. The ball came right back at him and broke his cheekbone.

yep, it happens. I've taken shots to the ribs which felt like being shot. There's no classy way to roll on the floor at a commercial facility while mumbling obscenities through tight lips.

One of the first things I've learned to do when I enter a cage is look where supporting poles are located. A couple years ago, he hit a shot which hit a pole, then took a 90 degree turn. It came off the pole and nailed me in the nose. To this day, my nose has a nice baseball curve to it. Fortunately, I've never needed to get by on my looks.

Let's see a show of hands from anyone who has ever thrown BP and NOT been hit........

NOBODY!!!!

The fact is if you coach baseball (or thow BP) sooner or later you will get hit. There are many stories, bruises, scars, etc to prove it!

You know, after reading this thread I feel SO much better now!

I too was tossing BP for my son's 12U All Star team and was really enjoying it. I had never done it and was awe struck how hard the kids hit it.

Not paying attention at how much I was tucked away behind the screen after throwing one of the hardest hitting kids on the team drove one at me waste high!

WHAM! Right on the right hip! Do you know how hard it is to "act" unfazed and cool while walking(hobbling) off the field about to cry like a 5yr old in the most excruciating pain imaginable?

After reading this post it sounds like there are quite a few who do! LOL

I honestly don't think I've ever to this day seen that particular shade of purple!!

I got one: Other coach is throwing short toss behind a net before practice. I'm out putting the bases down, in this case at second base. I'm not even looking since the net is set up close to the hitters and I'm directly behind it. Somehow, a ball gets around the net as I'm scrunched down placing the base.

The hard ground ball, hit by a strong 13U on an all dirt infield that was slightly harder than concrete scores a direct hit on the spot only a man can appreciate (the left one to be exact).

When I walked into the emergency room, I was still limping badly, very stiff and the pain was incredible. They took my BP and it was 185/110. With the limp, stiffness and BP, they thought I was having a stroke. Actually it was just pain causing the high BP. It took me a moment to explain (with politcal correctness) exactly what happened to the all female staff.

Several hours later, I made another mistake when I said to the ultra sound technician, "I bet your mom is real proud". Never say this in a dark room, naked from the waist down, with another man holding an implement over your very tender 'manness' about to perform a very extensive 'scan'. I never figured out why they have to do both of them either.

No permanent damage or linger effects but the boys still talk about that night...

My son is 14, pitching a bull pen. I am sitting on the bucket and catching behind home plate. He bounces one in and all the parts are not tucked away. Yes, squashed between the bucket and baseball, or between a rock and a hard place. My son was laughing so hard as I crawled on the ground towards the mound to kill him for my stupidity. I do not catch any more after that. It hurts just thinking about it.