What Will It Take?
Over the weekend, El Segundo Rounder pitcher (and teammate of mine) Mitch Mendenhall's name was the latest name added to be added to the list of men's fastpitch players (mostly pitchers) who've had to visit the hospital to be treated for injuries inflicted by a poly core ball. Mitch took a line drive off the ankle Saturday night, and wound up spending his evening in the ER at a Palm Springs hospital. He suffered a bad bone contusion, and was placed in a cast, and was unable to pitch any further during the weekend. On Sunday, he was limping around on crutches, in a good deal of pain, trying to grin and bear it.
Unfortunately, "grin and bear it" is about all men's fastpitch players have been able to do when it comes to the poly core controversy. It is a subject that players certainly have strong feelings about, though they have little, if any say in the choice of balls used. At the Fastpitchwest Forum, where readers can post their comments on a variety of topics, the forum on Balls and Bats is the most read topic on the board. (Over 1600 readers have viewed with 50 individual commentaries) Injuries have become so commonplace, they scarcely get noticed. When they do, someone writes a column like this one, some lip service is given to change, then tournaments go right back to using them.
Nearly two years after Pueblo Colorado pitcher Kyle Kouka was seriously injured by a line drive, July 7, 2002 little has changed. Two years later, Kouka is still suffering from the injury. One would have thought that the seriousness of Kouka's injuries would have gotten someone's attention, and a switch to a more sensible choice in balls for the men's game. Yet we continue to see the rock hard poly core balls in use in Southern California, and elsewhere. Oh, I suppose that they probably outlast the cork center balls, but then again, so would a croquet ball. At least pitchers -- and other players taking a "shot" from a cork ball can walk away with bruises, not wind up in the hospital. Scores of pitchers and infielders have stories to tell about the injuries they have suffered with these balls. One of the better posts I have read on the subject was written by Jamie Baker in 2002. How can it be that two years later, we continue to see unnecessary injuries caused by a ball that doesn't belong in men's fastpitch? There are some good quality, durable cork center balls that strike a compromise for hitters and pitchers. How many people must be injured before we get rid of the poly core and choose a ball that doesn't maim or serious injure players? What will it take?
(See Fastpitchwest Forum - Balls and Bats )
Unfortunately, "grin and bear it" is about all men's fastpitch players have been able to do when it comes to the poly core controversy. It is a subject that players certainly have strong feelings about, though they have little, if any say in the choice of balls used. At the Fastpitchwest Forum, where readers can post their comments on a variety of topics, the forum on Balls and Bats is the most read topic on the board. (Over 1600 readers have viewed with 50 individual commentaries) Injuries have become so commonplace, they scarcely get noticed. When they do, someone writes a column like this one, some lip service is given to change, then tournaments go right back to using them.
Nearly two years after Pueblo Colorado pitcher Kyle Kouka was seriously injured by a line drive, July 7, 2002 little has changed. Two years later, Kouka is still suffering from the injury. One would have thought that the seriousness of Kouka's injuries would have gotten someone's attention, and a switch to a more sensible choice in balls for the men's game. Yet we continue to see the rock hard poly core balls in use in Southern California, and elsewhere. Oh, I suppose that they probably outlast the cork center balls, but then again, so would a croquet ball. At least pitchers -- and other players taking a "shot" from a cork ball can walk away with bruises, not wind up in the hospital. Scores of pitchers and infielders have stories to tell about the injuries they have suffered with these balls. One of the better posts I have read on the subject was written by Jamie Baker in 2002. How can it be that two years later, we continue to see unnecessary injuries caused by a ball that doesn't belong in men's fastpitch? There are some good quality, durable cork center balls that strike a compromise for hitters and pitchers. How many people must be injured before we get rid of the poly core and choose a ball that doesn't maim or serious injure players? What will it take?
(See Fastpitchwest Forum - Balls and Bats )
1 Comments:
I started my 35 yr.fastpitch career in 1961 so I mostly missed out on the poly core era. I do somewhat fondly remember the frustration of making solid contact with the old Dudley cork center ball and having it feel like hitting a rolled up pair of socks, espescially in some tournaments when a ball was used more than one game (and with a wooden bat)! I remember that slowpitch teams started using poly core balls before fastpitch did in our area. During the unfortunate times when a slowpitch tournament was held at the same complex as our fastpitch tournament, we used to laugh at the slowpitch boys cranking it 50 or 100' over the fence and thinking they really did something! It seemed to me to be a travesty, even for slowpitch! A couple years after I quit playing I started hearing my former team mates tell about the good balls and the $100+ bats they were using and how far you could hit the ball. Shortly after that I watched a game where a good young quick third baseman took a lineshot to the jaw. Luckily he got his glove up and slightly deflected it. He spit out two teeth and kept on playing, but it sure made an impression on me as to how dangerous the new equipment was making the game.
Now I have a son that just started pitching at the men's level, so I see more games, and one thing I noticed is that the corners are playing way deeper than they used to, about even with the bag, and I can't say that I blame them! Another bad thing about the hot ball is that it has rendered a bunch of older ball parks obsolete because they are too small, and a glorified popup drops over the fence for a homerun. For many reasons I agree that there is no place in fastpitch softball for poly core balls, or the super hot bats for that matter. It is in my opinion a travesty of the game and a grave safty concern. I fear that this problem won't be resolved until a fatal injury sparks a lawsuit that will seriously harm our great game of fastpitch softball.
Post a Comment
<< Home