Tuesday, June 20, 2017
The Tools of Ignorance
As a member
of the Chicago Cubs, David Ross won the World Series last year.
Following the victory, he cleaned his locker and retired from
baseball. He played primarily as a catcher, starting in 2002. He
toiled behind the plate for the Dodgers, Pirates, Padres, Reds, Red
Sox on two separate occasions, Braves and Cubs.
His career
batting average was .229, not the highest in history. He stood six
feet, two inches, and weighed 230 pounds, a fair target for any
pitcher. He had a strong arm, and threw out 35% of base runners
trying to steal. One year, he threw out 48% of the runners, leading
the league.
Ross now
sits behind a microphone, sporting a headset. He follows a long list
of former catchers who became announcers. Joe Garagiola was one of
the best. Buck Martinez works the games for the Toronto Blue Jays. I
really enjoy Ross's commentary during the game. He shoots straight,
and does not play favourites.
During a
recent telecast, Ross was asked about foul balls that hammered him on
the mask. He did not pull any punches. He said that he often had
headaches for three or four days after taking one to the head. At
that time, there was no “protocol” for concussions. A catcher was
expected to “shake it off”, and get ready for the next pitch.
Ross then went into detail about a new type of mask.
Blue Jays'
catcher Russell Martin has been tagged many times with foul tips. In
a recent game, his mask was violently wrenched from his head with a
foul tip. Some of these pitches are moving at more than a hundred
miles an hour, and the blow is not softened by a tip from the bat. As
is the case with all veteran catchers, Martin has had his share of
broken fingers, and bruises on every unprotected part of his body.
Catching requires special skills. The ability to take serious
punishment is one of them.
As is the
case of many Blue Jays games recently, the one I attended a week ago
was no cake walk. The Tampa Bay Rays put up three runs in the top of
the eighth inning to tie the game at six runs apiece. Martin led off
the bottom of the inning for the Jays, and smacked the ball into the
seats. The run held up as the winning run.
Football
helmets are designed to protect players. Air is pumped into the
helmet to help cushion the blows during the game. Hockey helmets
protect players as well, and are constantly re-designed to better
absorb the blows. After many years, the catcher's mask is now
undergoing serious transition.
The new mask
has several small springs on both sides. It also has foam pads, lined
with Kevlar. It was designed by Jason Klein, a former minor league
umpire. It has been approved by major league baseball. One MLB
catcher, Tyler Flowers of the Atlanta Braves, recently raved about
the mask. Flowers has been behind the plate for more than 500 games.
“It's astonishing when you see how much it absorbs the ball. It
just falls down to the ground”.
David Ross
loves the newly-designed mask. I am certain the mask will be adopted,
and will change the game, a better tool for those behind the plate.
James Hurst
June 20,
2017
# posted by James Hurst @ 5:03 PM 
