One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

[bjf1377]

Just not a good week for people at the plate in the MLB. This time the unlucky one was Michael Barrett:
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[Blzer]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

I'm just not sure how it's possible to do that on a swing. My friend once had that happen on a bunt... just had a bad angle. Didn't take him out of his at bat, though.

I just hope this one freak accident doesn't make the MLB force players to wear grills on their helmets now, much like their forcing base coaches to wear helmets after a base coach was killed from a freak accident.

[CoRruPt-]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

^ MLB won't do squat unless someone goes blind from it, it's a knee-jerk reflex for them. Just like forcing the base coaches to wear helmets.

I hope Barrett's okay though.

[Vince]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

lmao, at "forcing" base coaches to wear helmets...woe is them!!!how ever will they cope...

[chicagochill95]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

Can't remember which teams were playing, but an Ump got nailed right where it counts the other day.

[RAZRr1275]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

ouch.

[rspencer86]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

Ouch, that is a very unfortunate foul tip there. I'm not sure if I've ever seen that happen before.

[daflyboys]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

I just hope this one freak accident doesn't make the MLB force players to wear grills on their helmets now, much like their forcing base coaches to wear helmets after a base coach was killed from a freak accident.

Am I missing something here? So you're not in favor of base coaches wearing helmets, despite one of them being killed?

[Beantown]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

Am I missing something here? So you're not in favor of base coaches wearing helmets, despite one of them being killed?

Funny how that works, huh?

[Blzer]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

Am I missing something here? So you're not in favor of base coaches wearing helmets, despite one of them being killed?

There was a thread about it a long time ago when this happened, but here's my philosophy: It shouldn't take a freak accident to enforce something to protect them from that accident again. Base coaches could have been killed by foul balls fifty years ago, and they still can today. They shouldn't take for an accident to say, "Okay, it looks like this can be pretty probable. This foul ball just killed a base coach, we were just never aware that that can actually happen. Now that we know, we should put helmets on the guys."

Pitchers are exposed to comebackers at them all the time and they have so much less distance and recovery time to get out of the way or protect themselves, and you don't see them with helmets out there.

I'm not necessarily against them wearing helmets, but it should have been put in a long time ago. That, or it should be put in at a later time... something that doesn't look like it correlates directly to the fact that a foul ball killed a coach (which, though I didn't see the hit, I'm surprised he didn't have time or find time to get out of the way).


Basically, all I'm saying is I just hope that, because this happened (let's say hypothetically for the sake of argument that Barrett suffered a career ending injury because of this), they don't decide that now players need protection in front of their faces because this happened. It's not like something new was introduced that makes this more capable of happening, same with the base coach. It's not like they were moved closer to the line, hitters are now using aluminum bats, or we're playing on the moon. Everything else is the same, and we won't see a coach get nailed like that for another long time.

[BatsareBugs]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

Awesome, now both our MLB catchers are on the DL.

[Vince]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

blzer that's just how things work. everyone is like that. people need to fail or get hurt before taking precautionary action. it's just the nature of the beast.

[Blzer]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

blzer that's just how things work. everyone is like that. people need to fail or get hurt before taking precautionary action. it's just the nature of the beast.

I suppose we can relate this to current airport security, only directly after 9/11 was not the same thing. There was still a serious threat... there could have been another attack or repeat planned or ready to go (as there still can). But right after the foul ball, it's not like suddenly there was a threat that it was probable to happen again more likely now.

I guess I may be different, but unless I'm unaware of all of the dangers of doing something, I always tend to stick to it no matter what happens. I've had a comebacker off my Shirley Temple in baseball while pitching... I'm only happy it didn't kill me. As scary as the event was, I'm not going to give up pitching because of that. I always knew that could and still might happen. I'm going out there with the same protection I always had. Same goes for amusement park rides with fatal accidents, skateboarding (and taking on the same staircase or rail I messed up one time in my life), etc... though the skateboarding one is completely in my control and not so much a freak accident.

I understand it's the nature of the beast, which is why I hope that same nature doesn't enforce players to wear grills on their helmets now. I can relate this directly to that foul ball that killed the coach. And I think the other point I tried to make in that thread once ago is that, if it didn't kill the coach, they wouldn't have enforced it. Even if it hit him in the exact same spot, and didn't kill him, it wouldn't have even been a story. No attention would have been given, and we all would have went on with our lives, no coaches with helmets. I only find it unfortunate that they have to wait for a fatal result to make a change. So, this didn't kill Barrett, and they will not institute facemasks on helmets. Well, if this happens again and it kills somebody, then they will. Why don't they either leave it alone or do it now (not due to the result of a previous accident, of course)? A freak accident is a freak accident.

[stewaat]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

Well that pitch was going to hit him in the chest if he missed it. Great pitch

[Jodaddy]

Re: One of the worst ways to foul off a ball...

Well that pitch was going to hit him in the chest if he missed it. Great pitch

He made up his mind to swing at whatever pitch he got. I don't know if him missing the pitch would have been more hilarious. Regardless, someone should make a gif of that slow-motion clip with a big red FAIL.