Another Call for Pitcher Safety in Youth Baseball

I wrote this article a year and a half ago regarding player safety. It includes a video of my son nearly getting killed by a line drive.

Today, I am proud of our league, Myers Park Trinity Little League, for mandating protective head gear and chest protection for its Major League division pitchers. Each team's pitchers are using the IsoBlox Skull Cap. And many players are using the Evoshield Heart Guard. We just had our first Saturday of games using this equipment, and things went very smoothly. I've heard nothing but support. The players are adjusting quickly and the parents are happy. The only negative sentiment has been that composite bats are still allowed.

It's time for Little League International and other youth baseball organizations to step up and do the same thing that our league has done in mandating head gear and chest protection for pitchers. I believe they should also back up the mound for all player pitch divisions, ban all composite bats and mandate the use of BBCOR youth bats to limit how hard a baseball can be struck.

The game is different than it was years ago. Some of the players are huge. The composite bats they are swinging, with more mechanical training than ever before - the ones that are tested and approved by Little League (yes, the bright orange and green ones) - shoot rockets through the infield. I see it every game.

Little League, in particular, prides itself on being a leader in safety. It's time to lead. Do something.

For more on this issue, please read my previous article:
It's Time for Some Safety Upgrades in Youth Baseball

It's Time For Some Safety Upgrades in Youth Baseball

We had an interesting situation over the weekend in our Little League Fall Ball game, where one of our base runners  kept losing his helmet. Whether the helmet was too big or the player's head was too small, it fell off his head while he was running to 2nd base, and then again while rounding 3rd. The umpire called time said he would eject the player, or any other player on the team, if it happened again. I was shocked that he would threaten such a severe action for something that was clearly unintentional. But it was a safety concern - and a legitimate one. Bad things can happen.

 

The video below shows how my son's final game on my team ended for him. In the 1st inning, he somehow hit a triple. A minute later while standing on 3rd base, he was struck in the head by a hard line drive. He was 60 feet away and the ball shot off the bat of one of our best hitters like a rocket. As you can see and hear in the video, it was almost instant. My son had just enough time to turn his face away from the ball and he was struck just in front of the left ear hole of his helmet. The impact slammed the inside of the helmet into the side of his head and cheek bone. But he was extremely lucky, by about an inch and a half. He was deemed okay by the emergency room doctors.

This video was shot by me - it was a meaningless last game, and I wanted to capture some memories of our departing 12-year-olds. I obviously don't like watching this, but I consider it a wake-up call worth sharing.

Little League Posts 50/70 Info Page

Details on the new Intermediate (50/70) Division continue to trickle in from Little League Baseball. Williamsport recently added a Resource Page to it's website with an FAQ section that previews some of the rules that should be announced soon.

I'm glad to know that our league has decided not to offer a 50/70 division as part of our regular season yet. I don't think it's a good option for 11-year-old rec players. I also think it's a flawed game, with base stealing having far too big of an impact on the game. Compared to Majors, you're adding only 10 feet of base paths, but allowing runners to take leads and take off when the pitcher starts his delivery.

After reading the new FAQ, it gets worse. The best part about 50/70 was the 50 - the fact that the mound would be backed up to a slightly safer distance. So much for that benefit. Little League has apparently decided that big-barrel bats (2 5/8") will be used in this new division. BBCOR or not, I think this is a big mistake. You only have to picture a big, strong 13-year-old hitting against an 11-year-old pitcher using a large-barreled bat to know that this is dangerous.

So now there is no safe option for 11-12-year-old Little League pitchers. You play 46/60 and you're facing composite bats (and the approved ones still pack a whole lot of punch). Or you play 50/70 and you're facing big-barrels. This is not good. Take a look at that Little League logo up there at the top of this post - all of a sudden "COURAGE" really begins to stand out.

Little League Eyes 2013 for Permanent 50-70 Division

Little League International has updated its 50-70 Pilot Program for 2012. This will be the third year of the trial program, which offers certain age groups the option of playing baseball on transitional fields with 50 ft. mounds and 70 ft. base paths. This year Little League will allow participating leagues to choose the make-up of their own 50-70 division from within the 11- to 13-year-old age range.

Most significantly, Little League has announced the possibility of a permanent 50-70 division to be offered worldwide as early as 2013, including an international tournament and World Series. The organization will continue to collect feedback from leagues participating in the pilot program during its third year in order to help establish the parameters of the potential new division. By most accounts, the feedback on 50-70 has been positive after the first two years, so it is expected to be implemented for 2013.

But there are several questions yet to be answered:  What will the age group ultimately be? Will the 46-60 Major League division continue to exist simultaneously? Will big-barrel bats be allowed in the 50-70 division?

My initial reaction to this inevitable change is positive. Little League is continuing a gradual change toward "real baseball" for its younger divisions. Just two weeks ago the organization announced that its Majors division will be playing "dropped third strike" rules beginning in 2012. With 50-70 baseball, baserunners will take leads and pitchers must hold them close.

More importantly, the safety impact of 50-70 should be immediate. A 46 ft. mound is too close for 11-12-year-old baseball these days. The kids are older and bigger than they used to be, and the bats are more powerful. Of course, the safety improvements would be negated if Little League decides to allow big barrels. Backing up the mound four feet does not warrant the use of bigger bats.

While many leagues, including our own, will experience a somewhat unwelcome reshuffling of age groups, the pros will likely outweigh the cons. Given the potential parameters, I am hopeful the new 50-70 division will be an 11-12-year-old league using 2 1/4" barrel youth bats. Keeping 13-year-olds in Junior League would reduce the need to back the fences up in the 50-70 division. This is an issue for many leagues around the world. I think 225 ft. is ideal, but 200 ft. is acceptable in the regular season. Maintaining the split between 12's and 13's would also avoid any increased conflicts with middle school baseball.

We'll have to wait and see what Little League decides after the coming season. Should be interesting.

Tragic Batting Practice Injury Kills Florida Teen

This is a sad story about about a 17-year-old Florida baseball player who recently died from head wounds suffered in an accident while throwing batting practice. This is yet another reminder of how dangerous throwing BP can be, even with an L-screen.

Harrison Jones from our own league learned this the hard way last spring while throwing a Junior League batting practice. He was rushing to finish up the last couple of hitters and didn't take the time to follow through well enough behind the screen. He took a line drive to the head, lost conciousness and fractured his skull. This was actually Harrison's second injury behind an L-screen. Ten years ago a line drive slipped through a hole in the netting. He broke two ribs and later developed pneumonia. He says he thankful to be alive and wants others to learn from his experiences.

Some important safety tips to remember the next time you throw BP:

• Make sure to always check the netting for holes or weak spots.
• Back up and follow through behind the tall part of the screen.
• Wear a helmet. Many coaches and players at all levels do.
• Consider all possible hard surfaces a ball can bounce off.

Reason Enough To Back Up the Mound

Braydon Salzman was extremely lucky to avoid serious injury on Friday at the Little League World Series. Watch the video if you haven't seen it. Little League's days with a 46 foot mound are hopefully numbered.

Lightning Safety

The animated picture on the left is no joke. It's thunderstorm season and knowledge about lightning safety is a must for coaches, parents and players.

If you can hear thunder, that means lightning is close enough to strike. Get your players off the field and into a closed shelter or vehicle.

Here is a link to more information on lightning safety from the NOAA National Weather Service.

Get Behind That L-Screen - It Could Save Your Life

Please let this be a reminder, as we start the spring season, to use your L-screen, and use it well.

Vinny Ribar, a 15-year-old Freshman baseball player at Kiski Area High School near Pittsburgh suffered a serious injury on February 26th after being struck in the head by a line drive. He was using a protective L-screen in practice, but failed to stay completely behind it as the ball was approaching.

Ribar's story unfortunately does not stand alone as a wake up call to coaches everywhere. In case you need another example of how your life can be turned around forever with one pitch, I urge you to spend some time reading the story of former Sun Valley High School (Monroe, NC) coach Kenn Wright.

Ed Walton of Charlotte Country Day first alerted me to this years ago. Here's a link to Scott Fowler's series of Charlotte Observer articles called The Pitch, which tell of Wright's 1997 brain injury and the struggle for life that followed. In Wright's case, I believe it was the netting of his team's L-screen that had fallen into disrepair, allowing a 70 mph line drive to slip through and strike him directly in the forehead.

If you are going to be serving up batting practice to your players, even at the Little League level, please follow through and duck behind your L-screen. Check the netting for any holes or weak sections. Consider wearing a helmet. And don't let your youth players throw batting practice.

A couple of welts from Alfonso Fernandez in 2005 were a physical reminder for me. But bruises fade away with time. The story of Kenn Wright should never be forgotten.

Easton Unveils New Pitching Helmet

Easton-Bell Sports has introduced a prototype for a safety helmet to be worn by pitchers, and the company expects nationwide use of the product to begin in youth leagues by fall.

The product was unveiled and will be initially worn by Gunnar Sandberg, a Marin (CA) Catholic High School senior who was seriously injured by a line drive while pitching a year ago. Sandberg no longer pitches because of an arm injury, but he plans to wear the 5 1/2 ounce padded helmet while playing the field as a 1st Baseman this season.

Easton-Bell and the Sandberg family hope that widespread use of the new product catches on. Stephen Keener, president and CEO of Little League Baseball, Inc., says that he will support it. Easton is the official team equipment supplier for Little League, and the organization has been a leader in safety modifications throughout its history. So don't be surprised to see the pitching helmet on the field at some point over the years to come.

Book Review: Until It Hurts by Mark Hyman

There has been plenty of talk nationally about Mark Hyman's latest book, Until It Hurts, since its release about a year ago. And a couple of parents in our own league have mentioned it to me. So I decided to give it a read and report back.

Hyman's book is essentially about what he calls the "hostile takeover" of youth sports by adults. As he says in his introduction, "adults rule youth sports." It isn't a new trend. It has gone on for decades.

Hyman uses anecdotes and statistics to show the disturbing patterns of behavior among many misguided and ultra-competitive parents and coaches throughout various sports, both team and individual. One story is that of his own family and what led to his son's Tommy John Surgery.

Throughout the book, Hyman examines a number of things considered wrong with today's youth sports culture:

- The big business it has become, including national TV broadcasts;

- Parents who relentlessly pursue athletic success for their kids, over-scheduling them to the point of exhaustion, with hopes of rare college scholarships, even more rare million dollar contracts, or just the social status of having raised an elite athlete;

- Early sport specialization and adults who push athletes to be the best, no matter the toll it takes on their minds and bodies, sometimes working them to the point of injury; and

- The focus on winning over fun, fairness and health.

Hyman is an advocate for organizations designed with fun and the best interests of the kids in mind. He says we should be listening to doctors' advice, and to what the kids themselves have to say about what they want to pursue and how they want their athletic experiences to be.

He's done a good job of painting an honest picture of what youth sports in America has become, although some of the anecdotes could be considered extreme cases. This book is an important look into what is best for kids and what we, the parents and coaches of young athletes should keep in mind as we guide them.

Until It Hurts by Mark Hyman is currently available at Amazon for around $10.

Article on Overuse Injuries

Tommy John, then of the Los Angeles Dodgers, was the first to undergo ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) replacement surgery. Since that initial procedure performed by Dr. Frank Jobe in 1974, Tommy John Surgery has become a common fix for serious elbow injuries. And as previously mentioned in this blog, it has become far too common in young pitchers.

Here is a link to another article about overuse, or "repetitive stress" injuries in young athletes. Amanda Schoenberg writes in the Albuquerque Journal about author Mark Hyman's experience with his own son's injury, and his book on the subject, "Until It Hurts."

I am currently reading the book and will comment on it later. But for now, there is some useful information on overuse injuries in this article. The more informed we are, the better.