MLB Umpire Injured by Broken Maple Bat

I've heard a few stories about plate umpires getting hit in the head with bats that slipped out of a players' hands. In a game last night, plate umpire Brian O'Nora (bio at MLB.com) was hit by a broken bat and suffered a cut on his head. You can see the video and read the full story here.

There's been some discussion about maple bats (and/or those with thinner handles) being more susceptible to breaking and that if they do break they do so in such a manner with they completely break off leaving most of the remaining bat vaulting out onto the field. (good article here on the subject)

And because bats frequently break and land away from the plate or even in the stands, my initial thought when I saw the headline was that it was a field umpire that had been hit by a flying bat. This was not the case, and the first time I've ever noticed a bat break off behind the batter.

Yes, the bat in this case was maple.

My suspicion is this could have been worse. Regardless, it's not hard to think that a hockey style helmet would have served Mr. Nora better.

But what if this was a field umpire who had been hit by a broken bat? Are we too far off from thinking that field umpires (or even the pitcher or other players) should wear some type of head protection? It's an interesting discussion, especially considering that 1st and 3rd base coaches in the minors and majors now require it in light of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh's death a year ago by a line drive as he stood in the 1st base box.... not to mention the umpire that was killed late last year or early this one in a softball game by a batted ball as he stood between the pitcher's mound and 2nd base (note: could not find link to this story).

MLB Umpires Getting Creative with Their Umpire Masks

When I watch Sportscenter, I'm always looking to see what mask the plate umpire is wearing. These days, it seems each umpire is putting his own exclusive look by combining one brand's padding with another's frame or by using throat guards in a different way.

Here are the oddest I've seen this year in top #3 style just for fun:

#3 Hang Em' High Throat Guard
Doug Eddings Throat Guard Placement

Ok, there's got to be a reason he wears his 6" throat guard over the lower part of his mask to where only a few inches stick out. I'm brainstorming. a) He is a sales rep for Wilson and wants a bigger logo showing than the one that shows on the padding, b) He had a chin injury and simply wanted another layer of protection or c) It was a windy day, and he was tired of of his dangler flapping around. Ok, these are no good. Your suggestions are welcomed.

#2 - The Darth Vader Helmet
Gary Cederstrom's Shock FX Umpire Helmet with Plexiglas Hockey Throat Guard

Thanks to BrianC14 for his post at umpire.org regarding this. The throat guard shown is one actually worn by hockey goalies, and it does provide a great deal of coverage by wrapping around underneath the helmet. Remember some said Kerwin Danley was hit in the neck, and this is what rendered him unconscious.

When I see Gary, though, I can't help but think of Star Wars. Wouldn't you love to see Darth Vader calling balls and strikes?

#1 - Bartender's Choice Umpire Mask
Brian O' Nora's Tan Over Black Combo Padding

I have a feeling Mr. Nora is a fan of the "Black and Tan" which is a beer combining half Harp's (tan) and half Guinness (black). If so, he has his colors reversed. The Guinness is the one that rises to the top creating the nice striped visual effect in a glass or mug. While I recommend you try a black and tan at your favorite bar or pub, I wouldn't recommend this fashion statement on the diamond unless you really just want to call attention to yourself.

Please drink and umpire responsibly.

Jeanne Makes June Referee Magazine Issue

If you get Referee Magazine, thumb through to page 42 of June's 2008 issue. You'll see Jeanne's smiling face wearing the Smitty Women's Pro-Cool Mesh Referee Shirt. The popular officials' publication featured the shirt in their tools section as a "Shirt Cut to Women's Specifications".

Jeanne, our operations manager, modeled the shirt for us during a photo session last winter.

Jeanne and Paul Back from Vacation

If you've followed this company long enough, you'll know Jeanne is the heart of our business and that her husband Paul has been a constant fixture as our shipping manager. If you've ever called us via phone, there's a good chance you've gotten Jeanne on the other line. If you've browsed enough of our web site's pages, it's difficult to miss Paul as our go-to model.

After their 2-week European vacation where they visited 7 different countries, I'm convinced that without these 2 people that we are simply a second-rate business.

On many days throughout the year, I'll typically jump in for several hours a day and assist with customer service calls, order filling and inventory re-stocking. Assisting is easy.

But when this husband-wife team is out together, these day-to-day requirements become all-day affairs for me. And honestly I'm a pale substitute, especially for Jeanne, who is a multi-tasker of which the likes no one has ever seen.

Let's just say I'm glad Jeanne and Paul are back.

Fire the Blogger

One of my reservations in starting this blog a year ago was "could I keep it up while I had a hundred other things going on?"

Despite averaging around a decent blog per week, I'm on the brink of firing myself after not posting for more than a month. Chalk it up to taking a week off and then covering for staff vacations for a couple of weeks. Sounds like semi-acceptable excuses.

Perhaps probation is a more appropriate punishment.