INCOMING!!!

I’m really not one to complain, and as a person from a town that is sans baseball diamond, maybe I should keep my big mouth shut.

But can we start to rethink the design on some of the bat and ball complexes?

Covering some games a couple of weeks ago, I was reminded of a trend I would have liked to forget. Four different games were taking place with varsity and junior varsity baseball and softball games all going on at once. And the way the park was set up, all four home plates were tucked in together and facing out.

This setup makes it extremely convenient to jump from game to game, and (most importantly) lends itself to a centralized concessions cart for easy access to delicious hamburgers and beverages.

It also means that as you watch one game, you are sitting directly in the shared foul territory of the three other games with your back turned.

Think Denard Span of the Minnesota Twins giving his mother a souvenir in a spring training game this year.

If you are lucky enough, someone from the other crowd will yell, “heads up,” just in time for you to turn your head in an attempt to spot the incoming projectile, right before it hits you in the face. Or, you can take the hit on the back of the head with no warning and take the pain as you would ripping off a bandage; instantly with no warning.

Me, I’ve been hit in the head enough that it would be hard to incur any further brain damage. And as a former catcher, being pelted with a baseball doesn’t bother me. But using a ton of protective gear to knock down a ball you see coming the whole way is different.

It isn’t just the spectators in danger of getting a knot on their heads like Hasim Rahman after fighting Evander Holyfield.

The games themselves have to be stopped due to baseballs raining down on the softball diamond. This could provide my camera with the opportunity to capture a hilarious lowlight. Or it could provide a situation where no one is laughing but the dentist who just had his overseas vacation paid for.

Most of these diamonds have already been built. The damage is done. But if anybody is considering building a new complex, please consider the fact that balls don’t always stay within the field of play.

If you have ever been drilled with a foul ball, share your story with Catch It Kansas.