Taking One For The Team

[5stardog]

Originally Posted by umpduck11

Ease up some, man. We're not talking about a coach telling his players
to bat without a helmet and then take one in the cranium.
If the kid's parents don't have a problem with it, why should I ? If they
do have a problem with it,they'll handle it. Besides, you hear that crap
all the time, from players and coaches.

I am sure you are correct. I am just overreacting.

Here is what the American Academy of Pediatrics has to say about the issue.

"The AAP estimates that in 1995, emergency rooms treated 162,000 baseball, softball and tee-ball injuries to children ages 5 to 14 years old. Although it is rare, children have been killed while playing baseball: between 1973 and 1995, there were 88 baseball-related deaths of children. Most (43%) of these deaths occurred when a ball hit a child in the chest. About 24% of the deaths were caused by a ball striking a child's head. There have also been reports of spine injuries to children who have slid head-first into a base."

I would hate to be the one who told one of these kids to take one for the team. I agree it happens all the time.