Please say a prayer

Geez that sounds horrible.

My prayers are with that first base coach, Mike Coolbaugh.

That's very unfortunate..

My prayers are with Mike Coolbaugh as well as the players and families.

By Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

The first base coach of the Tulsa Drillers died after being struck by a foul ball during a game at Dickey-Stephens Park on Sunday night, officials confirmed.

Mike Coolbaugh was hit in the side of the head during in the top of ninth inning with Drillers player Tino Sanchez at bat. Coolbaugh collapsed to the ground and lay there motionless as medical personnel and team members came to his side. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed on the field.

Coolbaugh, 35, then was transported to Baptist Health Medical Center in North Little Rock. He was pronounced dead a short time later, according to Sgt. Terry Kuykendall, spokesman for the North Little Rock Police Department.

According to the Tulsa Drillers Web site, Coolbaugh joined the team on July 3.

The game was suspended with the Arkansas Travelers leading 7-3 with no outs in the ninth inning.

Thank you for coming to the Web site of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. We're working to keep you informed with the latest breaking news.

This article was published Sunday, July 22, 2007.

Just this morning my son was first base coach for his team. My wife wanted to know why he wasn't wearing a helmet. "Do you see any coaches on T.V. wearing a helmet?" I said.

And now this reminder. Wow. I pray, coach, that you get well soon.

Right after I posted this I see the coach has died. This is a sad day for baseball. I'm so very sorry.

Prayers going out to the Coolbaugh family and the Tulsa Driller organization. What a horrible thing to have to see. Special prayers for the player that was up to bat when this happened.

Well said BBfam.

What a sad event!

Prayers going out to the Coolbaugh family.

How horrible. Prayers for the coach and his family, as well as all the players. How this must affect them. And poor Sanchez, that's unimaginable how he must feel.

Sincerest sympathy and condolances to the coach's family, his fellow coaches, and his team. Extra prayers going up for Tino Sanchez as he deals with this ... may God give him peace of mind.

This is sooooo sad.

My prayers for the coach and the player. I can't imagine the grief that both famlies do and will feel. My deepest sympathy.

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Prayers and deepest condolences to the coach's family and friends.

Baseball can be dangerous for all involved including players, coaches, umpires, and spectators.

Tears are falling down my cheeks as I write this. What an absolutely heartbreaking story. I will continue to keep Tino Sanchez and the coach's family in my prayers.

Oh my God. Prayers for the Coach, his friends and family.

MiBL.com article

All of us who have players on the field fear a moment like this. I will have a private moment in thought for the family, but nothing soothes this for the family.

Prayers for coach and players.I am sure more than one will be affected for this terrible case.

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/7046254?MSNHPHMA

Here's another article. Coolbaugh's wife is expecting their third child in October.

prayers & condolences to the family, friends & his extended baseball family

This is unbelievable. I was within 30 feet of this incident last night. My boy was within 10 feet. The sights and sounds will haunt me for a long time.

Upon being struck by the line drive, the coach immediately lost consciousness and fell to the ground. As happens most of the time when somebody is struck at a game, everyone was waiting for him to get back up. Everyone except for the batter. He immediately ran toward his coach and was the first one to arrive. He began frantically calling for help and just put his face in his hands. The terror that came over that young man's face is unforgettable. Another player streaked out of the dugout to console his teammate. This player had just recently been released from a Little Rock hospital after being struck by a batted ball 3 weeks ago while pitching for the Drillers against the Travelers. 4 Doctors (one from the team and three from the stands) were on the field within seconds and began to administer first aid. No less than 8 health care professionals assisted them. The ambulance arrived within 8 minutes. Immediately upon reaching the field the doctors could not find any vital signs and the coach was not breathing. They inserted a breathing tube.

I apologize for rambling this morning, but I am at a loss to express my grief for the coaches family. A young man coaching the game he loves. A young wife and mother sacrificing for her husband's love of the game. Children who will grow up without a father. A young player who will not easily reenter the batter's box to resume the career he has chosen. People are not suppose to die on baseball fields. There is no one to blame, nothing additional that could or should have been done. I am sad.

Oh my God.

Ditto what Bee> said. Prayers and sympathies for the Coach, his family, friends, and the extended baseball family. And may the batter have peace and understanding of the freakishness of this event. I hope he will be ok.

And to those who witnessed it.

Thanks, deldad, for reporting this tragic story. Unbelievable. I, too, am sad. I will remember him for a long time.

Just horrible. It reminds us, please folks, always be aware of what's happening on the field when you attend these games. And protect the little ones who don't know any better!
Prayers and condolences.

quote:

It reminds us, please folks, always be aware of what's happening on the field when you attend these games. And protect the little ones who don't know any better!

This is so true and continues to frighten me every ball game that I attend. Many parents let their kids run around or play by themselves at ball games being played by their older brothers or sisters. The little ones are defensless to the dangers involved.

Another one that has bugged me for a long time is many ball parks have kid play areas along the outfield lines. Many of these play areas are unprotected to incoming fly balls. These are fatalities waiting to happen

What a tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to all who knew him, his team and especially to his wife and young children.

Prayers to his family and friends. May he rest in peace in God's arms.

Wow, this is so sad. My thoughts are with all involved this morning.........

11 years ago, while watching a spring training game between the Braves and Expos, my husband was hit in the face (eye actually) by a line drive. Severe orbital damage and retina damage as well, took 6 months for the swelling to subside and has partial sight loss and needs to wear special prism glasses for reading. That is why I was so besides myself last year when Erik Davis was injured. This year on the cape, a player we know was badly hurt by a foul tipped ball. At son's game the other night a girl in the stands was hit by a line drive and the result was a broken jaw. Now this.

Baseball is dangerous, for players and spectators.

My prayers go out to the family.

Deldad,
My son was standing next to his dad when the injury occured, this is something that he will never forget. I know how badly you must feel.

This is just the worst nightmare we can imagine. We all know and accept that there are certain risks playing baseball or any sport.

And freak accidents, which this certainly was, can happen anywhere, at any time. But that doesn't console anybody. We have all seen hundreds of close calls, line drives whizzing by pitchers' heads.

Maybe that is why I feel sick to my stomach with this news. I know that it is a one in a million (or worse) chance of happening, but we've all seen so many close calls ....

This is just tragic. Deldad - my thoughts are with you and everybody affected.

Here is another eyewitness account, from a Cards fan site.

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I've been going to ball games my entire life but have never seen anything like I saw earlier tonight. It was all surreal. From the eery skies and daylight to the unusually cool summer breeze to the ambulance lights flashing as it left the park.

There were two distinctive sounds I remember hearing. The first one came from the ball hitting the bat of DH Tino Sanchez. It was a hard line drive to the right side, breaking slightly left to right. Mike Coolbaugh really had no time to react. He turned his head slightly and raised his hand towards his face. This is when I heard the second sound.

It knocked him unconscious.

The first base runner leapt over to check on his coach, then jumped up flailing his arms in desperation.

Coolbaugh laid seemingly lifeless as CPR was performed on the field and IED's were used numerous times. The batter, Tino Sanchez walked up to first base, removed his helmet and took a knee next to his teammate. His eyes welled up as another coach kneeled down and convinced him that it would be best if he walk back to the dugout to join his other teammates.

An ambulance pulled on to the field and paramedics and staff carefully put him on a stretcher. A team employee who was nearby later told me he had regained a light pulse and was breathing when they loaded him in the ambulance, but still unconscious.

As they loaded him in the ambulance, the crowd which had gathered over to the first base side of the park -- partly because of the incident but also because kids were lining up in the concourse to run the bases after this final inning came to a close -- awkwardly applauded. It was an applause that endorsed hope. Hope that Mike Coolbaugh was going to be OK.

An older man with a straw hat and a ponytail -- who had clearly had a few too many beers -- loudly and pessimistically questioned why the crowd was clapping. There was a sudden heated exchange between him and a gentleman just below the rail he was leaning against. An officer quickly leaped in to the crowd, climbed the rail and grabbed the first man and took him upstairs to the concourse.

Almost everyone in the small section just in front of where this man was quickly followed. One even sprinted up the stairs. Clearly, the first man had struck a nerve or two. There was almost a brawl in the concourse, before police promptly escorted the ponytailed man out of the stadium.

The ambulance pulled away but the crowd was still considerably unsettled. No one really moved; the only noise was the quiet, confused and fearful conversation between fans.

The umpires met at home plate with each manager and quickly decided to suspend the game. An announcement was made and fans were told to keep Mike Coolbaugh and his family in their thoughts and prayers.

The crowd exited the stadium tonight slower than they ever have before. No kids were going to run the bases tonight. Everyone was silent.

Meanwhile, the ambulance sped to a nearby hospital.
Mike Coolbaugh stopped breathing as they pulled in.
He was pronounced dead at 9:47.

He is leaving behind a pregnant wife and two sons.

quote:

Originally posted by Tiger Paw Mom:
11 years ago, while watching a spring training game between the Braves and Expos, my husband was hit in the face (eye actually) by a line drive. Severe orbital damage and retina damage as well, took 6 months for the swelling to subside and has partial sight loss and needs to wear special prism glasses for reading. That is why I was so besides myself last year when Erik Davis was injured. This year on the cape, a player we know was badly hurt by a foul tipped ball. At son's game the other night a girl in the stands was hit by a line drive and the result was a broken jaw. Now this.

Baseball is dangerous, for players and spectators.

My prayers go out to the family.

Deldad,
My son was standing next to his dad when the injury occured, this is something that he will never forget. I know how badly you must feel.

It is horrible. I wish the ballpark was as safe as it should be. I was at an Astros spring training game behind third. Glenn Davis lined one foul hard. I had just enough time to shield my two year old son. Luckily the ball hooked and barely hit the railing in front us.

I sit behind the plate or way up in the outfield while I watch my son throw ball after ball 60 feet from the batter. Like all pitchers he's been hit, but not hurt. I pray when he plays.

This is so heartbreaking. I am in tears for the family, for the young ball player, and for the entire organization. My thoughts and prayers are with all.

My deepest sympathy to the friends and family of Mike Coolbaugh.

such a terrible tragedy, on so many levels. our thought's and prayers are with them all.

What sadness. My heart goes out to this man's family and all the players I will offer my prayers for all involved.

My heart goes out to the Coolbaugh family.
EH

A fund has been established for the coach's family. I add my deep sympathy to that expressed by others here.

http://tulsadrillers.com/news/drillers/?id=4981

The baseball community is very small at times like this. Like others I am sure, we know one of the players on the team, through college baseball, and it brings the tragedy that much closer to home.

so very sad.

Rest in Peace Coach

May God Bless your family, friends, co-workers, and players

Tragic, I'm at a loss for words right now

Prayers for Mike Coolbaugh, and God bless his family in the hours of need.