ML umpire wins $775K in lawsuit

[MikeStrybel]

This story really got me thinking. My wife says that always leads to no good so there's the disclaimer.

Home-plate umpires find themselves in the line of fire - USATODAY.com

Safeguards sought as umpire injury toll grows - USATODAY.com

After a bit of digging to see if any problems existed with my recently purchased mask, I found the above stories. Yes, they are three years old and I'm sure some of you discussed them back then. My apologies for retreading them but they seem solid. I was surprised to learn that NOCSAE doesn't have a standard for umpire masks, though they do for catcher's HSMs and helmets. That seems silly.

First game of the year is five days away. The weather guy is calling for clouds and 39 degrees, so that should be fun.