TIME TO MAKE HELMETS MANDATORY FOR PITCHERS
As soon as Toronto's JA Happ was hit by a line drive off the bat of Tampa's Desmond Jennings, my wife, watching on TV commented "Why don't pitchers have to wear helmets?" It's a good question. Player safety should be of paramount importance. This year, a newer, safer batting helmet was made mandatory by Major League Baseball. It's made of carbon fibre, and offers way more protection than the old helmets. Since 2008, helmets for base coaches have been mandatory in MLB, to protect them from line drives. This came after a minor league first base coach, Mike Coolbaugh, was struck and killed by a batted ball during a game. So, let's raise the question: What player is most vulnerable to being hit by a batted ball? The pitcher, of course. Never mind what it's like to be hit by a 95 mile-an-hour fastball while you're standing on two feet, how do you handle a 100 mile-an-hour screamer at your head while you're in a vulnerable, unbalanced position and only about 50 feet from the batter?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfQcPZYAQfg
Luckily, Happ is OK, and that's good news for MLB, which has an opportunity to make player safety a priority by legislating mandatory head protection for pitchers. I'm sure there's a carbon fiber insert that can be placed inside the crown of a baseball cap. We have the technology. If pitchers have to wear protective cups, uncomfortable as they may be (see Stieb, Dave), then protecting the noggin should be priority number one.
Now you know why the Leafs and their fans wanted so badly to play the Montreal Canadiens in the playoffs. The Habs are unraveling faster than that sweater your grandma knitted for you last Christmas. Not only did they blow a two goal lead in the pivotal fourth game of their series with Ottawa, they went and blamed the officials (again) for a couple of alleged missed calls. Face it, Montreal is a wreck (although not as bad as the Vancouver Canucks). They've allowed the Senators to get into their heads, and now it's become a case of finger pointing among the players and widespread panic among the fan base. Maybe that crack by Brandon Prust about Ottawa coach Paul McLean's physical appearance was a mistake. Ya think?
And they were doing so well during the regular season.
The Leafs have proven all season that they have the capability to bounce back after a poor performance. Even though they lost 5-2 the other night, I thought they played pretty good hockey, save for a couple of BIG mistakes. I expect they'll come back tonight and even the series with the Bruins. If James Reimer can make the big save at a key point in the game, Toronto will prevail. All they need to do is pepper Boston with another 47 shots, and they'll be just fine.
Oh, and speaking of bad calls by officials, did you see the one last night on Daniel Sedin?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thHu-wgRXXE
That is just wrong! The game is in overtime. The two players were battling for the puck. Sedin was perfectly within his rights to body Tommy Wingels and it was NOT a hit from behind or boarding. Certainly not in overtime. The refs need to put their whistles away and let the player's play. Even some of the San Jose players sheepishly admitted that it was a "close call", which is code for saying "I can't believe they gave him a penalty for THAT". Please, let the players decide the outcome.
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