Protection

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by tcarilli

Lets change your post just a bit.



Given that death is likely worse, even in your estimation, than a jewel shot and the probability is not important as you stated earlier, I don't understand why you wouldn't advocate wearing a mask and throat guard on the bases. My argument in this case as in the other is about assessing appropriate trade offs (subjective to the assessor alone) and making the appropriate choice or for short risk-reward decisions.

I have been knocked cold (not in a baseball setting). Let me tell you: You barely feel a thing. Even a brushing of the jewels with a cup on hurts more than a clean one to the chin.

Degree of pain was the point, not catastrophic injury. Also, earlier in this debate, I clearly emphasized how much easier it is to move one's head (or foot) out of the way than the core of one's body. You simply have a markedly poorer ability to avoid getting drilled in the midsection than the head or neck. I boxed (mostly sparred, really) in addition to playing baseball. It is a simple fact that avoiding or slipping a head blow is drastically easier than dodging a blow to the midsection. So let's not talk percentages on that one, because it truly is different in terms of ability to dodge such a shot. The other thing that makes a head or neck blow easier to dodge, slip or cover up from is that the arms and hands work to cover up one's face and neck more completely, and again, markedly more quickly than when fending off a blow to the jewel area. And like I stated more than once, you can be Ozzie Smith and you will be able to do absolutely nothing about a deflection.

And this is one of those posts that I rush to type and post so that my wife or daughter doesn't walk in and look over my shoulder and read it, and turn it into one of those this-is-what-you-old-umpires-talk-about humiliations.