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Originally Posted by Ump18
I have always wondered which provides the best protection. My son who works in the South Atlantic League took a 96MPH foul ball straight back to his West Vest Mask yesterday and suffered a concussion from it. The ball severely bent the bars on his mask.
He has had many discussions with fellow Minor League Umpires and the ones that wear HSM have told him many times that the HSM affords greater protection. He has been reluctant to switch but after yesterday has decided to give the HSM a try.
Not sure which one is better...I guess we will see!
Mark
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If the HSM is ever proven to prevent such injuries, "encouragement" from the leagues, PBUC and insurance carries will speed up their acceptance in pro ball. But so far, there is no evidence that they will do that. The primary safety factor is that they cover more of the head, not that they will prevent of minimize face-on injuries.
I hope you son is okay.
My son recently took the online test to establish his reacton time that will be used as a baseline should he suffer a concussion in the future. It is encouraging to note that PBUC is concerned with the issue.