How can pitchers play baseball without full body protection?

[Deleted]

I played dodge ball like a maniac in the 6th grade when I was young, and we used to be really strong kids and played with basket balls, and I got a basket ball to the face once and it wasn't the most pleasant experience, so I imagine a baseball would be a lot worse (we used to throw so hard that we once hit a lady supervisor who was at like 20-30 meters from us and we made the entire side of her face red and made her cry, we could probably have broken windows if we threw at them).

And then they complain when dodge ball gets banned

[Lilly32]

You sound like a bit of a pussy.

You must be looking for Roger Goodell and the NFL. Hey we already have full pads and helmets I know lets make our sport even pussier to the point its becoming boring.

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And then they complain when dodge ball gets banned

i blame the increase in PED use by middle schoolers.

[Deleted]

Next you guys will be doing the 1500m freestyle in fucking Anti-Shark cages.

[KungFuFanta]

Because they're grown men getting paid millions and millions of dollars each year to throw a fucking ball.

A lot of current NHL players chose not to wear visors. Yes, they could lose an eye. They're tough men that accept the chance of injury to make millions playing a game.

You sound like a bit of a pussy.

So wearing a full set of body armor in Hockey/American Football doesn't make you a pussy, but wearing a visor does? In that case the only non pussy sports players out there are Rugby and soccer players, everyone else is a downright sissy.

[Toxigen]

You must be looking for Roger Goodell and the NFL. Hey we already have full pads and helmets I know lets make our sport even pussier to the point its becoming boring.

lol wut? I didn't mention football at all.

This kid is talking about pitchers wearing full pads.

I would take a line drive off the head for Verlander's one year pay.

So wearing a full set of body armor in Hockey/American Football doesn't make you a pussy, but wearing a visor does? In that case the only non pussy sports players out there are Rugby and soccer players, everyone else is a downright sissy.

You're missing the point. How many line drives will a pitcher be hit by in his career? Some never get hit at all, a few get hit once, and a tiny tiny fraction of a percent of pitchers get hit twice.

Hockey and Football have contact on every play. Sure, the pads have increased in size / protection level as time as gone by, but so has the intensity of the contact. Players literally lay down in front of 90+ mph shots with a chance of that puck hitting them in the face multiple times every game in a 86 game regular season. A starting pitcher plays what? 30 or 40 games in a season?

I'd be fine with a pitcher wanting to wear some kind of head protection. They're already developing a thin, high-durometer foam insert for the baseball caps. They're just working through some ergonomic / comfort issues with the pitchers they're testing it with.

However, to suggest pitchers should be wearing full pads is sounding like a pussy. I'm talking about MLB, not little league. Protect the kids however you want...but professional pitchers are not going to sacrifice their ability with any sort of constraints in the form of padding.

[Reg]

Just to show CCs fielding position... lol

[bals]

Baseball is aware that pitcher safety is an issue. There have been a few guys this year that have been hit in the head. The problem is trying to come up with some kind of protection that won't hinder their pitching. Not similar at all to goalies.

Next you guys will be doing the 1500m freestyle in fucking Anti-Shark cages.

After Sharknado, you can never be too safe.

[Spectral]

You must be looking for Roger Goodell and the NFL. Hey we already have full pads and helmets I know lets make our sport even pussier to the point its becoming boring.

All the evidence suggests that NFL helmets are weapons, not protection.

[KungFuFanta]

Next you guys will be doing the 1500m freestyle in fucking Anti-Shark cages.

We have these things called pools.

[Spectral]

Just to show CCs fielding position... lol

If there's ever a comebacker at Lincecum...

[Rukentuts]

Just to show CCs fielding position... lol

Does he have a pouch of snacks hanging in there? God damn.

[Deleted]

We have these things called pools.

We have these things called 'jokes'.

Wooosh!

[Haloswin]

where do you even put 18 gold gloves?

Gold gloves are IMO one of the weakest awards in MLB, given the lack of defensive metrics until very recently (and even now they are iffy) the GG was mostly won on reputation and name recognition. Raffy Palmiero once won the GG at 1B while primarily a DH..

Maddux could pick it no doubt, but Mark Langston could field circles around him and his move to 1B was legendary. Mike Mussina, and even Kenny Rogers were easily Maddox's defensive equals, Rogers may actually been better but neither guy had the weight behind his name that Maddux did and they had to contend with each other for much of their careers..

[KungFuFanta]

lol wut? I didn't mention football at all.

This kid is talking about pitchers wearing full pads.

I would take a line drive off the head for Verlander's one year pay.

Whoa there, "kid". I didn't make this thread to complain about the stupid shit I would put myself through to make money of a professional sports player, if that's your current gripe in life/midlife crisis there's plenty of reality shows for you out there to do just that, especially in Japan. I was just wondering how baseball players can put themselves at such risk.

[Spectral]

Rogers may actually been better but neither guy had the weight behind his name that Maddux did and they had to contend with each other for much of their careers..

I didn't think Rogers ever pitched in the NL, but it turns out I was wrong.... twelve starts with the Mets!

[Reg]

If there's ever a comebacker at Lincecum...

[IMG]http://ww4.hdnux.com/photos/10/64/54/2313011/7/628x471.jpg[IMG]

lol Another terrible fielding pitcher. A lot of the great pitchers were terrible fielders, that's why it was so rare to see Maddox be great at it. Nolan Ryan was terrible at fielding, Clemens on the Yankees was always in horrible position. Cliff Lee is pretty bad too.

Does he have a pouch of snacks hanging in there? God damn.

lol That was probably at the height of his gut. He has trimmed down a bit, but still rolls off the mound.

[Toxigen]

I was just wondering how baseball players can put themselves at such risk.

Because they're men. Men getting paid tens of millions of dollars each year to play a game at the absolute highest level possible.

There is your simple answer.

[Haloswin]

I didn't think Rogers ever pitched in the NL, but it turns out I was wrong.... twelve starts with the Mets!

Sorry Spetral, I should have been more clear. I meant Moose and The Gambler had to contend with each other, mostly in the AL. I don't think Maddux really had much competition for the award.

But Mark Langston was an amazing fielding pitcher -- unlike most guys that are adept at making the play and converting outs, Langston was like a cat, and would react to balls hit to his left as if he was actively fielding.

[KungFuFanta]

Because they're men. Men getting paid tens of millions of dollars each year to play a game at the absolute highest level possible.

There is your simple answer.

You haven't answered my previous post where I addressed this. What's the point of being a "man" with millions of dollars at age 40 if you don't have a dick left (worst case scenario)?

[Tapzer]

They get paid millions of dollars to throw a ball very fast and accurately, and professional athletes have very good reaction times. The chances of them not seeing a ball coming towards them is very unlikely. You think getting hit in the face with a baseball sucks? Try getting hit in the face with a frozen hockey puck. Very few professional hockey players where cages, the only ones that actually do only wear them because either A] face is already broken from a previous injury. Or B] You are a vagina. Actually couple years ago some guy from I wanna say Boston got hit in the face with a slapshot, was playing 20 minutes later.