Helmets for 1st & 3rd base coaches in pro baseball
MLB.com has an article on Monday about how all all Minor and Major League 1st & 3rd base coaches will wear helmets - ear flaps optional, it says - as of the 2008 season. This all went down in the wake of minor league coach Mike Coolbaugh, who was in the Colorado Rockies’ system in July when he was hit with a line drive and died from his injuries.
While it’s not fan-related, it’s the second major move by a sports league for safety of some sort, just years after the NHL added the netting above the glass in the offensive ends in the 2002 season. That time, it was after a 13-year old girl at a Columbus Blue Jackets game in March of 2002. In any case, it’s a smart move. While I was most certainly one who thought the netting was frustrating, I can also say that I’ve seen enough fans - especially those not necessarily paying attention - get whacked with pucks to see it being worthwhile. Coaches might not be happy with it for awhile - as the MLB.com article states - but I think they all get the point.
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