Extending netting

[Marvin the Martian]

I am sure most baseball fans have heard of the little girl hit by a foul ball at a Yankees game. Reports are the grandfather tried to block the ball but it was hooking and he missed. The ball came off the bat at 104mph.

Honestly, without a mitt many major leaguers miss catching that ball. It is past time to extend the netting. I see the Reds will extend before opening day.

I know some will see this as the wussification of America. So what, if it saves kids from being hit by 105mph baseball's I don't care. Even ignoring the little girl herself, it would ruin my experience seeing that happen to someone else near me. I even think many in the wussification crowd would be impacted to see that happen near them.

The players seemed to agree, as most of the Yankees involved spoke of the need. Frazier was in tears after it happened.

Hopefully all the other teams extend the netting by next season.

On the good news for football, it appears not teaching tackle until age 12 may solve part of the problem that sport has.

 

[Noodle]

I am sure most baseball fans have heard of the little girl hit by a foul ball at a Yankees game. Reports are the grandfather tried to block the ball but it was hooking and he missed. The ball came off the bat at 104mph.

Honestly, without a mitt many major leaguers miss catching that ball. It is past time to extend the netting. I see the Reds will extend before opening day.

I know some will see this as the wussification of America. So what, if it saves kids from being hit by 105mph baseball's I don't care. Even ignoring the little girl herself, it would ruin my experience seeing that happen to someone else near me. I even think many in the wussification crowd would be impacted to see that happen near them.

The players seemed to agree, as most of the Yankees involved spoke of the need. Frazier was in tears after it happened.

Hopefully all the other teams extend the netting by next season.

On the good news for football, it appears not teaching tackle until age 12 may solve part of the problem that sport has.

All of MLB will have extended netting next season, and it's long past due.

As for not having kids play tackle football until age 12, all that study said is that people that started playing tackle football before age 12 had "more behavioral and cognitive problems later in life." It was a very unscientific study (they interviewed/surveyed 243 former football players and just asked them about depression, cognitive issues, etc.), and is not much better than anecdotal evidence. Besides, did anyone seriously think the results of the interviews/surveys would be any different? Waiting to start playing tackle football until age 14, or 16 or 18 would also have the same benefit. Waiting until a kid is 12 does not solve anything. That's like saying mandating seatbelts solved the problem of drunk driving or the dangers of excessive speed.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

I am sure most baseball fans have heard of the little girl hit by a foul ball at a Yankees game. Reports are the grandfather tried to block the ball but it was hooking and he missed. The ball came off the bat at 104mph.

Honestly, without a mitt many major leaguers miss catching that ball. It is past time to extend the netting. I see the Reds will extend before opening day.

I know some will see this as the wussification of America. So what, if it saves kids from being hit by 105mph baseball's I don't care. Even ignoring the little girl herself, it would ruin my experience seeing that happen to someone else near me. I even think many in the wussification crowd would be impacted to see that happen near them.

The players seemed to agree, as most of the Yankees involved spoke of the need. Frazier was in tears after it happened.

Hopefully all the other teams extend the netting by next season.

On the good news for football, it appears not teaching tackle until age 12 may solve part of the problem that sport has.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. Going beyond the dugouts will interfere with play, so there is that. I've been to games with small grandkids and I would not sit where line-drives would be a risk. Kids don't care where they sit anyway.

I haven't heard of any objections to more netting. Do you have a link about that? I'd be interested in why people object.

 

[Noodle]

Seems like a no-brainer to me. Going beyond the dugouts will interfere with play, so there is that. I've been to games with small grandkids and I would not sit where line-drives would be a risk. Kids don't care where they sit anyway.

I haven't heard of any objections to more netting. Do you have a link about that? I'd be interested in why people object.

Read an article earlier today that pointed out how MLB teams are encouraging fans to look at their phones. This includes, for example, the ability to order food/drinks to be delivered to your seat, and a myriad of other ways. Also, one of the Reds players said that if his wife and child cannot sit behind the existing netting or up high he tells them not to come to the game. If I were a player I would be demanding the netting. Can you imagine how any player would feel if he were kill a fan with a line drive? I think that player would have a hard time continuing to play.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Read an article earlier today that pointed out how MLB teams are encouraging fans to look at their phones. This includes, for example, the ability to order food/drinks to be delivered to your seat, and a myriad of other ways. Also, one of the Reds players said that if his wife and child cannot sit behind the existing netting or up high he tells them not to come to the game. If I were a player I would be demanding the netting. Can you imagine how any player would feel if he were kill a fan with a line drive? I think that player would have a hard time continuing to play.

Agree. You are right about the phones. There are many announcements and between inning events where the fans are encouraged to text one thing or another. You can text about unruly or drunk fans too. But the ordering by phone at Coors field is in the club level and out of reach of line drives.

 

[Noodle]

Agree. You are right about the phones. There are many announcements and between inning events where the fans are encouraged to text one thing or another. You can text about unruly or drunk fans too. But the ordering by phone at Coors field is in the club level and out of reach of line drives.

Went to a Reds game against the Cubs recently and they played a Family Feud type game via twitter, asking fans to name something (via twitter) that kids leave on their school bus. The number two answer in this twitter poll was.....
CUBS SUCK

Not kidding. It was pretty funny that they had enough people tweet that to make the top 5 responses.

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Seems like a no-brainer to me. Going beyond the dugouts will interfere with play, so there is that. I've been to games with small grandkids and I would not sit where line-drives would be a risk. Kids don't care where they sit anyway.

I haven't heard of any objections to more netting. Do you have a link about that? I'd be interested in why people object.

I do not have a link, but if you visit some need sites with comments there are people staking out wussification territory.

 

[CO. Hoosier]

Went to a Reds game against the Cubs recently and they played a Family Feud type game via twitter, asking fans to name something (via twitter) that kids leave on their school bus. The number two answer in this twitter poll was.....
CUBS SUCK

Not kidding. It was pretty funny that they had enough people tweet that to make the top 5 responses.

Sounds to me like a Sox fan hacked the tabulation. Make that a Russian Sox fan.

 

[Noodle]

I do not have a link, but if you visit some need sites with comments there are people staking out wussification territory.

That can't possibly surprise you, does it?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

All of MLB will have extended netting next season, and it's long past due.

As for not having kids play tackle football until age 12, all that study said is that people that started playing tackle football before age 12 had "more behavioral and cognitive problems later in life." It was a very unscientific study (they interviewed/surveyed 243 former football players and just asked them about depression, cognitive issues, etc.), and is not much better than anecdotal evidence. Besides, did anyone seriously think the results of the interviews/surveys would be any different? Waiting to start playing tackle football until age 14, or 16 or 18 would also have the same benefit. Waiting until a kid is 12 does not solve anything. That's like saying mandating seatbelts solved the problem of drunk driving or the dangers of excessive speed.

The football was my fault for trusting headlines. But in my defense the one item I read spoke of the brain changing prior to 12 making it possibly more susceptible. But I see now that was probably speculation. I see The NFL is trying a new helmet, one of the stars with it concussed game 1.

Last year I saw a great web story on concussions. It showed the usual graphic of the brain hitting the skull and getting an owie. The author said that was totally wrong. The problem was the areas of the brain accelerate and decelerate at different rates. This creates tears in the interior of the brain.

Here is where I think football may be saved, as far as older brains and not kids. Fighter pilots and race drivers and mma fighters get a lot of G's. Those are professions people enter older, do they have the same rate of problems?