Results tagged ‘ injuries ’
Maple Bats Must Go
For quite some time now our Diamondbacks announcer, Mark Grace, has been crusading against maple bats. Certainly he makes a lot of valid points: they break too easily and too often, the pieces fly out on to the field and into the stands, and someone is going to get hurt. He also has expressed the opinion that it appeared it would take a serious injury to a fan, umpire, or player, or God forbid, even a death, for Major League Baseball to do something about maple bats. Grace has mentioned how much better he personally feels ash bats would be for professional baseball.
I am here to say I agree with him. I’ve seen a number of games where no bats seemed to break; but I’ve seen many where multiple bats were broken. I’ve seen bats fly out on to the field and hit players, and I’ve seen multiple pitchers dodge pieces of bats when the pieces flew out of the batter’s hand and headed toward the pticher on the mound. This past Tuesday, June 23rd, a bat broke at Chase Field and a piece of it flew into the stands and hit a fan. She had to be escorted from her seat and examined. It turned out not to be a serious injury, but it so easily could have been. What if a piece of a broken bat hits a child in the stands and seriously injures them? What if the bat hits someone in the head? What if the broken end of the bat hits a player, coach or umpire in the throat? An incident like that could result in a serious injury or even a death if the bat hit a jugular vein or something.
The biggest reason catchers and umpires have the masks they have now that cover part of their neck is because a number of years ago catcher Steve Yeager of the Los Angeles Dodgers was hit in the neck by a piece of a broken bat. I also remember him being knocked cold by a runner sliding into home but that’s another story… In any case, after the neck incident Yeager started experimenting with various ways of protecting his and other catchers necks and that helped lead to the masks we see today. (added July 11, 2009)
What’s it going to take for Major League Baseball to see the light and get rid of these maple bats?
Selective Excuses
As a Diamondbacks fan I am getting a little tired of the excuses that are being made for other teams regarding illness, injury and the players being tired. Certainly I understand these guys get tired, I would be myself. And I am definitely not making light of players’ injuries or illness.
I feel bad for the teams that have several players that are on the DL or are ill. However, people seem to forget that the Diamondbacks also have a number of players in the same situation. The Diamondbacks currently have at least six players, including our ace Cy Young Award winning pitcher Brandon Webb, on the DL. In addition we have another player out with a combination of Valley Fever and pneumonia; not to mention pitcher Scott Schoeneweis who is out on bereavement leave after the sudden and tragic death of his wife of ten years. In addition we have at least two or three more players, including our closing pitcher, out on shorter term injuries or illnesses that are not officially on the DL.
Since I originally posted this blog Scott Schoeneweis and Tony Clark have returned, but Eric Byrnes has gone on the DL with a broken wrist since being hit by a pitch during an at bat a couple of weeks ago. Though he is now well and back, after a stint on the DL outfielder Chris Young was forced to sit out several games due to a groin injury during a game. When he did come back he was at first slower and obviously nursing his injury. This was all when he was just starting to become hot again offensively. (Posted July 11, 2009)
So why are people talking about the injury and health issues of all these other teams, but not about the Diamondbacks?
And another ‘Selective Excuse’ that frustrates me:
During the game today (June 1, 2009) against the Los Angeles Dodgers, we heard several times (and then again later in post game interviews) about how the Dodgers were tired because they had played a series in Chicago against the Cubs and had to fly across the country to Los Angeles and play a game the next day against the Diamondbacks. Well, in light of what the Diamondbacks have had to put up with I say, ’So What’? The Arizona Diamondbacks were scheduled to play FORTY GAMES IN FORTY ONE DAYS. We had a rain out in Atlanta, so yippee the team got an extra day off! The team then got to play a double header, and an extra inning game, and ended with an evening game in Miami, Florida after which they hopped on a plane, flew clear across the country to San Francisco arriving at around five am local time. They played a game against the Oakland A’s the same day.
The Diamondbacks have logged thousands of miles in just a few days, criss crossing the country more than once. More than one commentator stated they had never seen anything like it.
In light of this why do some fans and commentators insist on making excuses for some teams but not others?
wheresmykoppy
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