Oswego boy, 12, dies after being hit by baseball - chicagotribune.com

As these tragic stories mount, we can only hope that they serve as a constant reminder not to take safety on the ball field too lightly. I get the "toughness" angle -- the "warrior mentality" -- as well as the tendency of young people to think they are invulnerable.

Parents and coaches need to be constantly vigilant. If the odds are 1 in a million or 1 in 10 million or whatever, we need to weigh the chances that "it won't happen to me" with more seriousness than we do the recent Mega Millions lottery. The odds are similar. The potential ramifications are both earth-shattering. Either event could happen and does. In this type of incident, it happens all too frequently. And the consequences are every bit as life- changing as the lottery, only in the opposite direction.

We tend to think of it as tantamount to lightning striking. Something we can't control or stop. And when we do things correctly, we don't see the rewards of our vigilance, because the disastrous event did not happen. And that's great. But sometimes it leads to complacency. And that's not great.

We cannot continue to "whistle past the graveyard" in the area of safety.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whistle_past_the_graveyard

to whistle past the graveyard
(idiomatic, US) To attempt to stay cheerful in a dire situation; to proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome.
(idiomatic, US) To enter a situation with little or no understanding of the possible consequences.

God bless the friends and family of the youngster from Oswego. This has to be tough on everyone involved from the parents, coaches, coaches, team-mates all the way down to the kid who was playing catch with him. Hopefully, they all find peace.


From the Chicago Tribune:
Oswego boy, 12, dies after being hit by baseball - chicagotribune.com:

In a report released last month by the American Academy of Pediatrics, catastrophic injuries in youth baseball were said to occur to 1 in every 1 million participants annually. From 1996 to 2006, deaths in youth baseball averaged a little more than two per year, according to the findings collected by the National Amateur Baseball Catastrophic Injury Surveillance Program.

To prevent injuries, organizers of youth baseball leagues have added safety measures in the last decade. PONY Baseball/Softball leagues, which include the Oswego league Eric played in, are encouraged to make use of face masks, breakaway bases designed to prevent lower leg injuries and lower-compression baseballs, which are not as hard, said Abraham Key, president and CEO of the organization, which has 500,000 annual participants.

"The safety of our players, as far as our rules and playing of the game, is paramount," Key said.

Catchers are required to wear full protective gear during practices and games, even when warming up the pitcher, Key said.

While parents are always advised to take certain precautions when enrolling their children in sports — with such measures as a physical exam, proper equipment and insisting on a gradual approach to any new activity — it's impossible to protect them at all times, LaBella said.

"Some of these things are not always preventable," LaBella said. "Sometimes it's literally a millimeter position of the ball, or you're just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

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From ABC:
Oswego boy, 12, dies after being struck by baseball | abc7chicago.com:

"Michael Huff, a former White Sox player who now teaches coaching clinics, says it's critical for adults to remind players, especially kids, to stay alert, although it's not clear why Lederman was struck in the neck.

"The tragic nature of this brings to light the fact that safety, even just playing catch, needs to be reiterated," Huff said."

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From Fox 23 News:
Child goes into cardiac arrest during Little League game in Colonie - FOX23 News - The 10 O'Clock News:

Prevratil says he and other adults knew what to do, thanks to Little League mandated training.

“A little boy’s life may have been saved because of that training, we would no nothing differently, and I am very proud of everyone here,” Prevratil explained.

“We always encourage parents to do everything they can to keep your child safe,” Prevratil said.