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Ditto. I watched it live, and I couldn't believe McCarthy was allowed to walk off the field on his own. The news snippet I'd read had painted his condition in a much more positive light, so this is a bummer. Fingers crossed for a full recovery.
The A's trainer said that days 2-3 are the most dangerous, and was talking in terms of just getting motor skills back, not pitching. (I posted it in the previous thread.) I had a family member go through bad head trauma and after seeming to regain her senses a week or two later go back into a coma and serious danger. She was much older, but she was three months or more before she was out of rehab and on her own.
I will tell you this. If the first fatality in 120 years happened this year and I didn't see it live I'm going to be *pissed.*
Okay then.
8.dirk posted on September 08, 2012 at 12:23 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
awful events like this bring strange reactions. i find it difficult to believe anyone that would take the time to post here doesn't feel overwhelming empathy even if they have a hard time expressing it.
9.Dat Yat posted on September 08, 2012 at 12:38 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
Strange reactions indeed. Perhaps humor isn't really appropriate right now.
Some idiot in Texas has been tweeting horrible things to Mrs. McCarthy about what he'd do to her while her 'paralyzed' husband watches. There are some sick, miserable people in the world.
Just to be clear, TFA does NOT include any new actual negative developments--just general information about this injury, and that speaking generally you're not out of the clear until 2-3 days have passed. It's still within that period, so keep on keeping McCarthy in your thoughts, but per the article he hasn't had any new setbacks.
I'll back Rickey on this. Saying rude #### with the intention of pissing people off/grabbing attention is utterly assholic; otherwise, assume it's from a loving place and turn the other cheek, who the hell knows how to react to horrible stuff like this.
to my eyes, it looked like more of a glancing blow than a skull-crushing impact. was that not accurate? or was the speed of the ball just so fast that even a glancing blow caused significant structural damage? and i stress structural here, because, well, it doesn't actually take that much force to cause neurological issues, so structural damage would seem to indicate a greater threat.
also, this:
I will tell you this. If the first fatality in 120 years happened this year and I didn't see it live I'm going to be *pissed.*
is pretty similar to my own sense of humor.
this:
Some idiot in Texas has been tweeting horrible things to Mrs. McCarthy about what he'd do to her while her 'paralyzed' husband watches. There are some sick, miserable people in the world.
somewhat less so.
19.Boxkutter posted on September 08, 2012 at 01:51 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
Having been a follower of McCarthy's on Twitter for close to a year now, I will say that he of all people would appreciate some decent humor as long as it wasn't hateful or ill-willed. He has a pretty good sense of humor and can appreciate it, even if some of it might be thought of as too soon.
Having been a follower of McCarthy's on Twitter for close to a year now, I will say that he of all people would appreciate some decent humor as long as it wasn't hateful or ill-willed. He has a pretty good sense of humor and can appreciate it, even if some of it might be thought of as too soon.
As noted above, the problem wasn't bad timing. It was bad humor.
to my eyes, it looked like more of a glancing blow than a skull-crushing impact. was that not accurate? or was the speed of the ball just so fast that even a glancing blow caused significant structural damage? and i stress structural here, because, well, it doesn't actually take that much force to cause neurological issues, so structural damage would seem to indicate a greater threat.
If you watch the vid closely, he slams his head on the ground at around the same place of impact after he falls, but before he makes the attempt to get up. That's a lot of damage to that area. Very scary.
We wish him the best over here. He's all class. The guy took a few seconds out of his busy schedule last season to tweet my daughter that he was happy to take part in a "W" for her first trip to an A's game. This was almost immediately following the game that night. Really too nice/good/funny of a guy for this to happen to.
22.Dale Sams posted on September 08, 2012 at 02:31 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
After any kind of brain surgery, the first two to three days are the most crucial, because so many complications from the surgery can crop up. Here's hoping things continue to improve.
Probably touched on in another thread: will this get the discussion started regarding more protective headgear for pitchers?
24.Steve N posted on September 08, 2012 at 06:31 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
I don't know where the 120 years thing comes from. Indians shortstop Ray Chapman was killed 92 years ago.
Indeed, it was the historical inaccuracy which offended me the most.
26.Dale Sams posted on September 08, 2012 at 08:33 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
will this get the discussion started regarding more protective headgear for pitchers?
I just don't see it happening. Unless we're talking about the most unnoticeable of lining underneath the cap. I've never pitched before, but wouldn'r a lot of pitchers say having a big plastic dome on their head makes them too uncomfortable to pitch? Even in hockey there was grandfather clauses.
27.depletion posted on September 08, 2012 at 10:51 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
to my eyes, it looked like more of a glancing blow than a skull-crushing impact.
I'm not going to watch the video again to check, but the ball appeared to change direction enough to end up going in the shortstop direction into left field. And the ball ended up in the outfield, that is, far away. As a rough guess, Brandon's body took 30% of the ball's energy in a tiny fraction of a second. I think that's a lot of impact.
Best of luck, Brandon.
I think it's time to consider a lining to wear under the cap, the way that Norm Cash, Tony Taylor and Bob Montgomery did in the 1970s. A helmet is probably too clunky for a pitcher, but a liner would be less obtrusive while still giving the pitcher at least a little bit of protection.
29.Gamingboy posted on September 08, 2012 at 11:33 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
I'm not sure if a helmet would have helped. It seemed to have hit the side of his head, and I'm not even sure if it was in a part of the head a double-flap helmet would have stopped.
I'm fine with the people here thinking that the McCarthy thing is funny. As long as if they happen to suffer possibly fatal head trauma, they are ok with everyone standing around and laughing at them. My guess is they wouldn't. Nothing funny about any of this.
32.AROM posted on September 08, 2012 at 11:57 AM #hit 0 | hit 0
I didn't pitch in my softball league this year. It's pretty scary, you don't have anything close to MLB level bat speeds but you're only about 35 feet away and everyone has a metal bat. If I pitch next year I won't be doing it with a cap and liner, or even a helmet. I'll be out there in full catcher's gear.
An environment of weightlifter/roiders swinging for the fences every swing is not conducive to pitcher safety.
It doesn't take that kind of hitter for scary things to happen, as the batter whose line drive caused this is a little guy who's known for being the league's best bunter.
It doesn't take that kind of hitter for scary things to happen, as the batter whose line drive caused this is a little guy who's known for being the league's best bunter.
Of course not, which doesn't negate the observation. It seems as if more pitchers are getting hit in the head than pre-roid era, but that's an empirical question.
Erick Aybar packs more weight in a shorter frame than Don Mattingly. Five-ten, 180 is not a "little guy."
Agree with you completely, Jack. The tasteless nature of some of the comments on threads (like this one and the Johnny Pesky thread) needs to come to an end.
awful events like this bring strange reactions. i find it difficult to believe anyone that would take the time to post here doesn't feel overwhelming empathy even if they have a hard time expressing it.
Hey, Rickey/Sam H, see this? Dirk Hayhurst thinks you're a jerk.
36.esseff posted on September 08, 2012 at 12:50 PM #hit 0 | hit 0
I'm not going to watch the video again to check, but the ball appeared to change direction enough to end up going in the shortstop direction into left field. And the ball ended up in the outfield, that is, far away.
The ball deflected to the third baseman, near the bag, and quickly enough that he threw out the runner at first.
Yep, him tweeting again has to be a good sign and the sense of humor is certainly intact.
Brandon McCarthy ?@BMcCarthy32
The good news in all of this, is that I set up my fantasy lineups beforehand. So there shall be no excuses at this point.
i am not that dirk. just want to make that clear in case anyone might have thought that.
Oops. Could've sworn you were.
Well, he probably thinks that too. Anyway, good to see McCarthy dropping Arrested Development quotes on us via Twitter. Great sign.
42.esseff posted on September 08, 2012 at 01:50 PM #hit 0 | hit 0
Maybe it wasn't hit as hard as my mistaken impression.
That the third baseman picked up the ball near the line and still had time to throw out a fast left-handed hitter at first base could be evidence that it was hit pretty hard.
The ball deflected to the third baseman, near the bag, and quickly enough that he threw out the runner at first.
A few years ago Sam Fuld's dad wrote an article in Scientific America talking about the impact of a baseball hitting a pitcher in the head and said he was watching a game in which the ball carooned into the stands...his comment was that the farther the ball goes after impact, the better he feels for the pitcher as that is an indication that less of the force was imparted to the pitcher.
Generally speaking the balls are coming off of the bats at 90+ mph(if they are line drives) if you are watching the game, you hope those balls bounce far from the pitcher. Bouncing to the third baseman is a pretty good indication that a lot of the force was lost on the deflection.
44.Dale Sams posted on September 08, 2012 at 02:21 PM #hit 0 | hit 0
I'm fine with the people here thinking that the McCarthy thing is funny. As long as if they happen to suffer possibly fatal head trauma, they are ok with everyone standing around and laughing at them. My guess is they wouldn't. Nothing funny about any of this
I officially give carte blanche that if I take a liner off the skull, while in flames, and dying of AIDS...you may all take pics and post it to MLB memes.
Hey, Rickey/Sam H, see this? Dirk Hayhurst thinks you're a jerk.
Um. Okay. How far back in line is he?
46.depletion posted on September 08, 2012 at 03:23 PM #hit 0 | hit 0
I officially give carte blanche that if I take a liner off the skull, while in flames, and dying of AIDS...you may all take pics and post it to MLB memes.
May I humbly suggest removing your clothing, covering yourself in mustard and performing the act at a major shopping mall two days after Thanksgiving. I mean if you're going to go out in flames...
47.Danny posted on September 08, 2012 at 03:29 PM #hit 0 | hit 0
This is so awful. It would be tragic for any player, but McCarthy is just so damn easy to root for: he's smart, funny, classy, and, of course, a damn good pitcher.
Some idiot in Texas has been tweeting horrible things to Mrs. McCarthy
He should have his MLB blog taken away. Oh, right, he already has.
And there's no need to give Sam H. the attention he's trolling for.
I didn't pitch in my softball league this year. It's pretty scary, you don't have anything close to MLB level bat speeds but you're only about 35 feet away and everyone has a metal bat. If I pitch next year I won't be doing it with a cap and liner, or even a helmet. I'll be out there in full catcher's gear.
I pitch slow-pitch softball (from 50 feet not 35) and have been hit on the leg and the forearm -- you could see the stitches of the ball on my skin. Then last year I took a line drive to the upper thigh and it was still an ugly black and yellow 10 days later.
So I wised up and bought a catcher's helmet, and a cup.
A guy in our league pitched this season while wearing what I think was a lacrosse helmet--full face mask, anyway. Had apparently taken a ball off the noggin the previous year.
50.RJ in TO posted on September 08, 2012 at 06:10 PM #hit 0 | hit 0
So I wised up and bought a catcher's helmet, and a cup.
Reader Comments and Retorts
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Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.
Page 1 of 2 pages
1 2 >Some idiot in Texas has been tweeting horrible things to Mrs. McCarthy about what he'd do to her while her 'paralyzed' husband watches. There are some sick, miserable people in the world.
Humor is always appropriate. If you're thinking it's not, you're out of sorts with the universe and need to recalibrate.
Of course. Shame you aren't funny.
BE FUNNIER THEN
I was going to at least wait until he was in the clear to say:
"Jesus, Universe/Karma... the Red Sox weren't serious about signing him in 2013"
I'll back Rickey on this. Saying rude #### with the intention of pissing people off/grabbing attention is utterly assholic; otherwise, assume it's from a loving place and turn the other cheek, who the hell knows how to react to horrible stuff like this.
[edit: speculation>information]
also, this:
is pretty similar to my own sense of humor.
this:
somewhat less so.
As noted above, the problem wasn't bad timing. It was bad humor.
If you watch the vid closely, he slams his head on the ground at around the same place of impact after he falls, but before he makes the attempt to get up. That's a lot of damage to that area. Very scary.
We wish him the best over here. He's all class. The guy took a few seconds out of his busy schedule last season to tweet my daughter that he was happy to take part in a "W" for her first trip to an A's game. This was almost immediately following the game that night. Really too nice/good/funny of a guy for this to happen to.
Probably touched on in another thread: will this get the discussion started regarding more protective headgear for pitchers?
I just don't see it happening. Unless we're talking about the most unnoticeable of lining underneath the cap. I've never pitched before, but wouldn'r a lot of pitchers say having a big plastic dome on their head makes them too uncomfortable to pitch? Even in hockey there was grandfather clauses.
I'm not going to watch the video again to check, but the ball appeared to change direction enough to end up going in the shortstop direction into left field. And the ball ended up in the outfield, that is, far away. As a rough guess, Brandon's body took 30% of the ball's energy in a tiny fraction of a second. I think that's a lot of impact.
Best of luck, Brandon.
It doesn't take that kind of hitter for scary things to happen, as the batter whose line drive caused this is a little guy who's known for being the league's best bunter.
Of course not, which doesn't negate the observation. It seems as if more pitchers are getting hit in the head than pre-roid era, but that's an empirical question.
Erick Aybar packs more weight in a shorter frame than Don Mattingly. Five-ten, 180 is not a "little guy."
Hey, Rickey/Sam H, see this? Dirk Hayhurst thinks you're a jerk.
The ball deflected to the third baseman, near the bag, and quickly enough that he threw out the runner at first.
That's great.
Thanks for correction on the ball trajectory, esseff. Maybe it wasn't hit as hard as my mistaken impression.
i am not that dirk. just want to make that clear in case anyone might have thought that.
Well, he probably thinks that too. Anyway, good to see McCarthy dropping Arrested Development quotes on us via Twitter. Great sign.
That the third baseman picked up the ball near the line and still had time to throw out a fast left-handed hitter at first base could be evidence that it was hit pretty hard.
A few years ago Sam Fuld's dad wrote an article in Scientific America talking about the impact of a baseball hitting a pitcher in the head and said he was watching a game in which the ball carooned into the stands...his comment was that the farther the ball goes after impact, the better he feels for the pitcher as that is an indication that less of the force was imparted to the pitcher.
Generally speaking the balls are coming off of the bats at 90+ mph(if they are line drives) if you are watching the game, you hope those balls bounce far from the pitcher. Bouncing to the third baseman is a pretty good indication that a lot of the force was lost on the deflection.
I officially give carte blanche that if I take a liner off the skull, while in flames, and dying of AIDS...you may all take pics and post it to MLB memes.
Um. Okay. How far back in line is he?
May I humbly suggest removing your clothing, covering yourself in mustard and performing the act at a major shopping mall two days after Thanksgiving. I mean if you're going to go out in flames...
He should have his MLB blog taken away. Oh, right, he already has.
And there's no need to give Sam H. the attention he's trolling for.
I pitch slow-pitch softball (from 50 feet not 35) and have been hit on the leg and the forearm -- you could see the stitches of the ball on my skin. Then last year I took a line drive to the upper thigh and it was still an ugly black and yellow 10 days later.
So I wised up and bought a catcher's helmet, and a cup.
Good idea.
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