+POS mask

[a1umpire]

I have 2 of these mask and have never had a problem. I have heard stories of umpires being injured with the older virson but Ihave used mine 10 seasons and I love it.

[Kevin Finnerty]

To each his own. I'll go ahead and opt for the mask constructed of the equally light but virtually indestructible titanium alloy over the ... ahem ... plastic.

But then, all it protects is your face and skull, which houses your eyes and brain, so it really depends on the things you're willing to put at risk.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

To each his own. I'll go ahead and opt for the mask constructed of the equally light but virtually indestructible titanium alloy over the ... ahem ... plastic.

But then, all it protects is your face and skull, which houses your eyes and brain, so it really depends on the things you're willing to put at risk.

Graphite is NOT plastic. Plastic is a super cooled liquid.

MTD, Sr.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I hear you. But to the layman, at first touch, it's plastic.

I'm an artist. We don't understand science real well.

(And anyone from Lake Erie knows more about super-cooled liquid than I will ever know. )

[SethPDX]

Actually, if I had the cash and needed a new mask I'd take the titanium mask with the cool silver color over the ugly +POS composite made out of...whatever it's made of.

[SAump]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

Not saying that it hasn't happend...but I've yet to read on here a story from a person who was personally injured wearing one of these +POS masks...we all have heard stories...but I guess I'm just surprised to not hear a 1st person account of how the mask failed.

Are you looking hard enough?
Ozzy claimed he witnessed an injury.
People have claimed their new SUL masks were damaged.
It is clear the mask is defective and led to facial injuries.
I have yet to read a similar statement about any other mask.

[johnnyg08]

nope, I haven't looked very hard. I'm sure we've all seen our share of dented masks (hence broken)...heck I've seen 3 myself...I'm not doubting Ozzy's statement...but of all the masks out there, not one "injured" person has personally posted on here...are there too few SUL users out there? maybe... but maybe it's blown a bit out of proportion?

I'm not saying anybody who claims to have witnessed an injury is lying by any means...but maybe they're not as dangerous as many are claiming??

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

but of all the masks out there, not one "injured" person has personally posted on here

Maybe they're all dead from the hit. They could also have become scared of the ball, and even thinking about being in an umpire forum makes them sweat.

I'd guess that the sampling here is fairly small in regard to the umpire world. If we were in a forum for vacuum cleaners and several people brought up how they've heard a certain vacuum cleaner stops working after picking up a fairly specific piece of dirt (let's say a blue marble with red stripes), what are the odds that someone there experienced it first-hand?

Furthering the simile, what are the chances that someone there picked up a yellow marble with blue stripes, but the problem didn't occur? Would you then doubt the claims?

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

...but of all the masks out there, not one "injured" person has personally posted on hereany means...

I can fix that.

I got a concussion while wearing an SUL about five years ago in a 10 year old game. I was out for several weeks on that one. I'm pretty sure my WV would have just deflected the shot.

[SJUMBA93]

Originally Posted by kylejt

I can fix that.

I got a concussion while wearing an SUL about five years ago in a 10 year old game. I was out for several weeks on that one. I'm pretty sure my WV would have just deflected the shot.

Did the SUL mask break and that was the cause of the injury? Was the mask an SUL 100 or 200? If it did not break did you use it again?

With all due respect, I believe that anyone could get a concussion with any mask under the "right" circumstances.

[Kevin Finnerty]

It must be a real p.o.s. mask if you can get a concussion from a 10-year-old.

[johnnyg08]

did you turn your head?

[LDUB]

Originally Posted by SJUMBA93

With all due respect, I believe that anyone could get a concussion with any mask under the "right" circumstances.

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

It must be a real p.o.s. mask if you can get a concussion from a 10-year-old.

All any mask can do is to try to minimize the user's odds of getting injured. No mask will be able to prevent all injuries.

A few years ago many people had denting problems with the +POS zero gravity mask. There was one prominent poster on this forum who used the zero gravity and said that he had taken numerous hard shots while wearing it and had experiences no denting at all. Then one day he got hit and the mask was severely dented. The shot he took wasn't really any different than the others he had taken previously, but it just struck the mask just differently enough to cause a huge dent. The same thing happens with injuries. One can go a long period of time without getting injured, that doesn't necessarily mean the mask is safer, but rather that the user has not yet taken that one unlucky shot yet. I could go buy the $500 HSM from Honig's and go work a 10 year old game and get injured in the first inning. Does that make it a terrible mask? No, as no mask can prevent all injuries.

I believe that the SUL mask is flatter than the Wilson so maybe the Wilson would have deflected the ball differently, but any shot to the head is dangerous and has the potential to cause injury.

[Kevin Finnerty]

So you require an injury to determine a mask's safety?

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

did you turn your head?

Yes, but I didn't cough. (no, I didn't turn my head, silly)

No, it didn't break.

The foul wasn't that hard, but I shouldn't have taken the brunt of that blow. IMO, the culprit was it's flat shape. It absorbed, as opposed to deflect. THAT was my problem with the SUL 100 I had. (That, and the huge planks you had to peer through)