Quote:
Originally Posted by MikeStrybel
A little history lesson is in order. The first helmet used for protecting a batter was introduced in 1907. Ray Champman was beaned in 1920 and died as a result of the injury. Owners did not rally to 'protect their investments'. Several players chose to wear plastic inserts under their caps for protection. In 1952, the Pittsburgh Pirates mandated that their players wear a helmet, sans ear protection. It was not until 1971, after several years of brutal beanings at the plate and while sliding, that MLB instituted a helmet policy. Helmets with earflaps were shunned by the Players Union until 1983 when they aqcuiesced to mandatory single earflaps. Several players who were grandfathered in elected to wear the flapless helmets until retirement.
It seems that the death of a player is not considered a seminal moment. Several decades of horrific beanings didn't change player mentality. It took almost a century to provide for player safety gear to be mandatory. One catcher breaking an ankle won't be the impetus for adopting a MC rule in MLB. Given the bantering here about what constitutes MC, it will be a disaster upon implimentation in the bigs.
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This isn't 1907 or even 1957. I'm not saying it'll happen now, but just because it didn't in 1907 or 1961 doesn't mean anything with regards to today.