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Two anecdotal incidents...
This was about three years ago. In the men's fastpitch league where I play, they follow ASA rules in respect to catcher's equipment. There are always one or two grizzled old catcher's that skip the chest protector. Saw one take a foul ball right to the collar bone- snapped it like a twig. Finished his season and even now, a few years later, he is still having problems with that arm. And, he now wears a chest protector!
This one was last weekend where I work indoor games for a high school league. A couple of the other umpires I work with are FED-certified blues. A few of them are mainly just employees of the indoor facility who have done some rec ball.
One of the rec guys was behind the plate wearing an ill-fitted catcher's chest protector. I had always regarded this as an accident just waiting to happen. I showed him my "real" umpire CP and talked to him about wearing it properly in the past.
Sure enough, it finally happened. He took a foul ball where the CP had drooped down away from his neck. This one didn't break the bone- it dislocated the joint where the collar bone connects into the front of the shoulder.
Yesterday, his arm was in a sling and he will be laid up for an indefinite amount of time.
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