Missouri's Tori Finucane hit by batted ball

Fairman

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My heart goes out to Tori, her family, her friends and her team. I wish her a speedy recovery but it is all so unnecessary.

I watched in horror as the ball was driven into her and then ESPN replayed the ball striking Tori's face in an attempt to determine if she got her glove up. No amount of training or athleticism could have defended that hit, you certainly cannot say that she should learn how to play her position, after-all she is pitching in the D1 NCAA super-regional.

When will we encourage (require) pitchers to wear a simple $40 mask that could have deflected that hit? When will coaches recognize that an injured pitcher does the team no good as she recovers (if she recovers). This has nothing to do with being girly, there are concerns about concussions, jaw and teeth damage but more so a blow to the orbitals around the eye can lead to immobility of the eye and perhaps blindness.

We have some unfounded premise that if she wears a mask she isn't tough enough, or macho enough to compete. We can't seem to deaden the ball or reduce the bounce of the bat by regulations and the batters are getting stronger. This line-drive up the middle is what every batter is striving for.

We unconsciously compare our sport to baseball. They start 60'-6" away and end somewhere around 54'. Our dd's start at 43' and end around 37' but we let our hitters move-up in the box further reducing that distance to around 34'. A softball pitcher has 38% less distance than a baseball pitcher to react. In softball the reaction time is almost non-exisitant. There is no coach (or parent) that would let me stand 34' away and smack a ball at them with full swings and if so we'll move onto defending yourself while standing one leg. We ask our dd's to do that every day against far better athlete's than me.

Buy your dd a mask and make her wear it. If a coach won't let her, find another team. If a college coach won't recruit her, then find another college. Those coaches won't be around when your dd is in an emergency room, going through multiple surgeries and then extensive rehab. No one will reach in his pocket to help you with the medical expenses.

Forty bucks and a backbone is all it takes to prevent this tragedy.


utube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqTcvw7GYU8

Link
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/campus-corner/article22150962.html
 
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freddieball

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I agree Fairman. It takes tragedy unfortunately to open peoples eyes. If you wear a motorcycle helmet does it mean your scared to ride a motorcycle? The ideology of a player wearing mask is afraid of the ball is ridiculous.
 

coachjwb

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I was flipping back and forth, and did see this happen, but did not hear the subject of masks even come up from the commentators while I was listening ... did anyone else?

Thoughts and prayers to Tori as well.
 

gobug

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I was flipping back and forth, and did see this happen, but did not hear the subject of masks even come up from the commentators while I was listening ... did anyone else?

Thoughts and prayers to Tori as well.

DD has met Tori a couple of times and they follow each other on twitter. She tweeted that she was cleared and released from Ronald Reagan UCLA Med Center after CT review. She flew home with the team and her left eye and cheek are very swollen but thank God she seems to be doing well.

Scary as all get out watching it happen.

Jeff,
Didn't even hear masks mentioned. It was great seeing Nunley wearing one though.
 
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Fairman

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No the commentators did not mention masks, but they are old school.
 

gobug

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No the commentators did not mention masks, but they are old school.

Danielle Lawrie who was one of the announcers for that game has been a huge critic about players wearing masks. Wonder if that changed her thinking that only weaker players need to wear them?
 
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coachjwb

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Jodi ... thanks for that update ... great to hear!

I wouldn't have expected the commentators to endorse them or anything, but only bring it up as a relevant issue ...
 

Fairman

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Wow, that's great news about Tori.
When they wheeled her out of the stadium on a gurney I was expecting the worst.

The orbitals are tiny bones surrounding the eye and are not meant to take much abuse. They are responsible to provide the framework for eye movement. They won't know anything for sure until the swelling goes down and they can test the eye function but heading home has to be great news for Tori and her family.
 

Fairman

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Danielle Lawrie can go pound sand. She was a great pitcher and most pitchers typically will survive softball without being hit in the face throughout their entire career, just as Danielle has done. However, one hit can result in a horrendous injury, one hit out of thousands of hits, whether it was missplayed or not, the odds aren't in the pitchers favor and the impact of betting wrong on a players life is tremendous.

Forty buck is all it takes. That and the backbone to make your dd wear it and ignore the Lawrie's of the world.
 

Hilliarddad3

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They play high level ball for maybe 8 years, they are beautiful forever, let's keep them that way, parents, be a parent and control what college coaches can dictate. If all of the girls wear them, who are they going to choose from???
 

Pacerdad57

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After seeing that while watching the game it makes me glad that both the school and travel programs my DD plays for require wearing them.
And if they dont, I do. If she's ever lucky enough to play college ball, she'll be wearing one there. Case closed, no other option.
She's far too precious to us to let the stupid out look of an uncaring coach to ruin her life.
$40 bucks folks.......every pitchers and AT LEAST the infield corners should be wearing.
 
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wow

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Cant believe this is still a debate.. Then again its like a motorcycle helmet as already stated. Its a choice in the end. Maybe more education by the governing bodies? Coaches are required to have concussion training, how is this not a top priority especially for the lower divisions?

So in some of the infinite wisdom in a number of turney's 12u and below cant wear metal cleats but no requirement for a face mask? Priority's are all backwards.

Simple 16U and below require it. We have bat and helmet check by umps? 18U and above your choice.. Live with what happens. You cant fix stupid..
 

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It is my understanding that wearing a facemask at the college level is against the rules unless the player has a previous medical issue that would require them to do so? Hence, the relatively small number of players wearing them at the college level. Anyone know any info regarding that? If that is so, time for colleges to start thinking about updating their rules and regulations. Softball could learn from the NFL about new helmet technology and ways to protect players health. Concussions have been reduced dramatically due to a few rule tweaks. Nascar developed the Hans Helmet for its drivers. Lacrosse, hockey, and even basketball players wear helmets or masks for protection. Amateur boxers wear face gear that minimizes damage and once they turn pro most get brain damage from the blows. Toughness? Look at the evolution of the football helmets and masks. The early players that started wearing the leather helmets thought those were for sissies too. Softball needs to wise up, and that should start with the safety of our players.
 

First2Third

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You're thinking of the rules on tinted face shields on football helmets.
 

coachjwb

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Converse Kid ... there are no rules against it, only some coaches and players who look down upon it. Agree with you though that the sport should take some lessons from football ... while it is not a contact sport, there are some positions which are at a higher than acceptable risk in my opinion.
 

wow

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It is my understanding that wearing a facemask at the college level is against the rules unless the player has a previous medical issue that would require them to do so? Hence, the relatively small number of players wearing them at the college level..

That's is NOT true.. Please provide any supporting link/sources to support this. This is why education is so important for fastpitch.
 

travelinmom

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Even at D3 there are very few masks. My DD wore her facemask every inning she played as pitcher but did not wear it at first the couple innings she was there. I asked her if her coach said anything about her mask, she said "not a word" was said nor did the coach treat her any differently for wearing it. There is another girl on the team who wears a mask at short. They are the only two players who do but I expect more will follow eventually, 6 new freshmen coming in the fall.
 

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There is a lot of money to be made with women's softball on TV. It's just beginning to grow. Pretty ladies without masks sell better. Cover the face, reduce the attraction for TV money.

I am cynical, it's my nature. And I am also sure no one remotely earning any $$ from the NCAA will admit this plays a role. I hope my cynicism is completely overblown.
 

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