But few choose helmet that offers better protection
FORT MYERS, Fla. — One afternoon last season, not long after Justin Morneau suffered what would end up being a season-ending concussion and just one day after he told reporters that when he did come back he almost certainly would wear a batting helmet designed to withstand significantly greater impact than the helmet most players wear, the first baseman's teammates pulled a little prank.
Sitting in the chair in front of Morneau's locker was a giant batting helmet, one that looked to be sized for the Twins' mascot, T.C. Bear. The joke mocked the size of the Rawlings S100 helmet, which, especially when it first came out, was almost humorously bulky.
But Morneau, who has been wearing the S100 helmet all spring, lost eight months and so much quality of life after taking John McDonald's knee to the side of his head while sliding into second base in Toronto on July 7 that any of his ordeal hardly seems a laughing matter. And, truly, he's surprised that his teammates, after seeing what he went through and how much time he missed, haven't decided to wear the new helmet as well.
Maybe they just don't realize the difference. Because the differences are stark and, honestly, frightening.
The Rawlings S100 helmet can withstand an impact of up to 100 mph, hence the name. The Rawlings Coolflo helmet the vast majority of big-leaguers wear protects up to just 70 miles an hour, a speed surpassed by virtually every pitch thrown in the majors.
to someone who doesn't know that, I think they'd be shocked to find out that their helmet is rated for a Little League pitch compared to a big-league fastball," said Morneau, who went 2 for 4 (both singles) as the DH in a minor league game Saturday, his first time this spring playing in back-to-back games. "I'm sure Major League Baseball and the union won't be happy with me saying that, but I think they should just change it so everybody can wear it. Number one, it wouldn't look out of place, and number two, everyone would be safer."
Dan Halem, senior vice president and general council of labor for MLB, said they're trying.
Last year, baseball mandated the S100 helmet across the minor leagues first for safety and, second, in hopes that by wearing the helmet at a younger age, players will grow accustomed to them and continue wearing them once they make it to the big leagues.
Making big-league players wear the S100 helmet, though, requires more than a simple mandate. The players association must agree to a change of equipment, and Halem said the two sides certainly will discuss that as baseball's collective bargaining talks advance.
Rawlings is the official helmet provider for Major League Baseball. The company first released the S100 in August 2009 to mostly negative reviews. Mets third baseman David Wright, after getting hit in the head with a pitch, wore the helmet for just three games before switching back to his older model because he found the S100 too uncomfortable.
Since then, the S100 has been remodeled into a slimmer version. At the All-Star Game in Anaheim last season, 22 players wore the redesigned S100 helmet, according to Halem, some of them saying they wore it for no other reason than it was the only batting helmet in their locker when they showed up, and others saying they decided to wear it after a round of "I will if you will" in the clubhouse.
Still, few players have chosen to wear it on a daily basis.
"I'm not really sure why we're still having (the old model) of helmets when they can make them a lot better," Morneau said. "I think the reasoning (for a helmet that withstands impacts of 70 miles per hour) was usually that you're going to get out of the way, it's usually a glancing blow. That's not what I found out in '05."
On April 6, 2005, Morneau suffered his only other baseball-related concussion when a pitch from Seattle's Ron Villone hit him square in the helmet, leaving Morneau with a sizable welt and a concussion that lingered for 15 days.
When he returned from the disabled list at that time, he didn't have the option of wearing the S100, and even when the helmet came out in 2009, Morneau didn't try it because, he said, it "didn't really seem realistic to wear."
"It just didn't seem like it would be comfortable or that it was even wearable," he said. "They said it was really heavy."
Another issue, Morneau said, was that the S100 helmets didn't and still don't seem readily available. Most players in baseball wear the Rawlings Coolflo helmet, which, like the S100, has been approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. When Morneau got to spring training, he said he had to make a special request for the S100. Halem said every clubhouse in baseball is stocked with the S100 and if a player wants to customize the helmet's fit, Rawlings representatives will be there to help as soon as possible.
Halem also said that MLB has spoken with each team twice about the differences between the helmets, though Morneau could not recall ever being told about the specifications of the Coolflo and the S100.
"We want players to wear the safest equipment possible," Halem said. "It's like anything, they just have to get used to it. At least I personally, with things making it up to my level, have heard very few complaints from minor league players about wearing it. The concern was that every minor league player was going to revolt and it didn't happen."
Morneau started wearing the S100 helmet when he arrived at spring training and said he's already used to it. And even if he did find it slightly uncomfortable or bulky, he'd likely wear it anyway. Any sort of prevention, he said, is worth it.
He hopes all of baseball soon will agree. After all, it just seems logical.
"Thirty years ago, you didn't have to wear a seat belt in your car, but now we know that seat belts help us if you get in a car accident," Morneau said. "There's a lot of pride in this game. This one I don't really understand, though."
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