Hel-Mets

[Guest Vince Coleman Firecracker]

The Times has an article about Rawlings new, safer, (apparently) dorkier helmet, the S100. Quoted in it are our own David Wright and Jeff Francoeur. Here's Wright's take:

If it provides more protection, then I�m all for it...I�m not worried about style or looking good out there. I�m worried about keeping my melon protected.

Seems reasonable enough. Francoeur, on the other hand, is afraid of getting wedgied or something:

No, I am absolutely not wearing that...I could care less what they say, I�m not wearing it. There�s got to be a way to have a more protective helmet without all that padding. It�s brutal. We�re going to look like a bunch of clowns out there.

[metirish]

Francoeur wrote

We�re going to look like a bunch of clowns out there


Do I even need to say anything?

[A Boy Named Seo]

That thing doesn't look all the more ridiculous than the two-tone Cool-Flo things they're wearing now.

[Farmer Ted]

Melon, huh?

Water?
Honey Dew?
What are you?

[Guest Edgy DC]

That thing doesn't look all the more ridiculous than the two-tone Cool-Flo things they're wearing now.[/quote:112jf7k9]

Agreed. I don't care what kind of grooves and windows are in the thing as long as it doesn't have the sleestack paint job.

[Valadius]

I don't see what the big deal is. I need to see a picture of someone wearing the thing to make a judgment.

[Frayed Knot]

There was a NY Islander who had an extra large (mostly higher) helmet for some reason or another.
His teammates took to calling him the 'Great Gazoo'

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

As long as homes doesn't mind signing a head-injury waiver that voids his contract if he gets a concussion while batting, sure, be an idiot. Good luck, Frenchy!

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

If MLB adopts those helmets in the future, Ramon Castro could sublet his out to a small family during the offseason.

[Farmer Ted]

My HS football team wore red helmets. A classmate had a nugget so big he had to borrow a helmet from a local college, which wore white helmets. He didn't stick out TOO much.

I've seen a few players using the old standard helmets, Chad Tracy I think. I noticed right away because it looked odd. I'm used to the newer helmets, just not the West Coast Customs paint job.

[Valadius]

Holy shit, was this prescient.

[Piggiestomatoes]

Amen. Too bad David wasn't wearing one today.

[metirish]

Wright will wear this new helmet Tuesday in Denver according to a headline I read.

[seawolf17]

Wright will wear this new helmet Tuesday in Denver according to a headline I read.[/quote:p5o1wibo]
Screw that, I want him wearing a space helmet. And standing in the third base on-deck circle when he's up. No chances, David.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

Two words: bubble wrap.


Didn't Dempster wear one of these on Saturday? I remember hearing something out of Buck-McCarver about the "bubble helmets" when he was running the bases (although I wasn't watching the screen at this point).

[metirish]

Once you have appeared in public wearing this all things are possible.

[metirish]

I should note the D Wright wore that cap to honour kids with cancer that he had visited that day......

[Frayed Knot]

Didn't Dempster wear one of these on Saturday? I remember hearing something out of Buck-McCarver about the "bubble helmets" when he was running the bases (although I wasn't watching the screen at this point).[/quote:2vbyi6fs]

The FOXies did one of those between-innings chats w/Lou who joked that Demster wasn't exactly breaking any land speed records with that helmet on but that, "he's a Canadian so he's more used to it from playing hockey".
He also added that he's tried it on and that it's "very heavy".

Of course players in all sports are and long have been slow to adapt to new equipment that now is standard: batting helmets at all, then the ear-flap kind, larger face-masks in football, etc. Hell, even goalie masks were a long time in coming.
They're sending a bunch of these new jobs down to the minors to get a tryout over the final few weeks. I suspect they'll get phased in over time at the big level.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Approved by Dave Parker

[Frayed Knot]

Necessitated by John Stearns