My son's coach just handed out McDavid shirts. I had never heard of McDavid before today. They make performance and protective apparel. These undershirts have some high tech honeycomb padding on the chest that is designed to protect the heart. They call it Hexpad technology. Each year you read about a young pitcher who died of cardiac arrest after getting hit on the chest with a line drive. This product is suppose to reduce the impact of a baseball.
My son was born with transposition of the great arteries. He had open heart surgery when he was 4 days old. As such, heart problems are always on our minds. We are thankful that our coach is mandating the use of these protective shirts.
Our coach is also mandating the use of All Star fielding helmets. Every couple of years you read about a young pitcher getting hit on the head with a line drive. A 14 year old boy who plays in the same organization as my son was hit in the head last year. He almost died on the field, was in a coma for several days and is now working hard to get back on a baseball field again. He has a long, long journey.
I expect some heckling from uneducated teams and fans when they see our kids wearing fielding helmets - ala John Olerud (Mets, Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox, Mariners). John Olerud suffered a brain aneurysm in college. He wore a protective helmet in the field after that.
I hope our boys stand proud and start a movement.
Video - Pitcher Injured in NY
A dad blog that covers the drama, comedy and competition of youth sports in America.
That's great for you and your son. Giving the youth protection in playing baseball to reduce the risks involved in this sport is a great move by the coach.
ReplyDeleteEven the seemingly-safe activities can lead to disaster, that's why protection and health coverage is always necessary.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard not to worry for a child who's had open heart surgery, but you have to understand that all spoorts are physical activities. There can be injuries, heart problem or not.
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