Ball Magnet (not me)

[stevis]

So this is less my war story but still worth telling.  One of my junior umpires left a game after a head shot last week.  Word I had from the parent was that they didn't say concussion, but did want him to stay off the field for a week.  No problem with that!  He was back out Thursday night.

Today I had the first of a pair of games with him, was going to have to leave him for the second game to go watch/pseudo-coach my daughter.  (age 6)

First game, I took the plate and we didn't get through one inning before the rain came down a little too hard to play, and this field (notorious for ponding quickly, it's in a flood plain) became not playable.  Amazingly, after we all went home for lunch, they recovered the field after the rain ended (same field, enough time between to not really be back to back).  Since my daughter was sick, she wasn't going to her game, and she was well-attended and stable, I joined this young man for the second one since we didn't get anyone else to take it.

He was having a nice plate game, especially for a kid who just started three weeks ago--really had a good zone and good handle on a pretty good offspeed pitch for this age.  (~10, half-curve/half-eephus, but really dropping it in there.)  So of course, he took a foul ball right above the elbow.   Down like a shot and an early candidate for our golden icepack award.  

I had to run to my car and gear up (in base pants mind you--I hadn't brought any others, I definitely did not do our profession any favors in the looks department)--and finish up the game.  

Tonight I hear it's not too bad, but he's in a sling.  Also the parent said they said "concussion."  I sure hope that's an auto-correct of contusion and we didn't let him out there like that.  (Not that I didn't try to sound the warning on that...only can do so much if the 1st doctor wasn't smart or the parent wasn't listening.)

[stevis]

Whew--it was an autocorrect of "contusion."  Just on the bench for a few days.