That’s a term you rarely hear in baseball, but Thursday night’s exhibition game between the Braves and Yankees was rained out, and in spring training, that doesn’t result in the game being merely postponed. It’s canceled. A.J. Burnett threw three innings under simulated conditions to stay on schedule, working in his curve for the first time this spring. Jorge Posada caught him. Francisco Cervelli was outfitted with a new S100 batting helmet which he’ll wear at the plate indefinitely to protect against another pitch-induced concussion (though he’ll switch to a less bulky standard helmet when running the bases). Derek Jeter has the flu. More rain possible on Friday. And those are the issues of the day.
Poor Jose Reyes..jeez, can the Mets ever catch a break?
Oh, Lauren Bacall (previous post)...yowzah!!!!!
in case anyone's interested, USA Today has a special edition "Yankees Yearbook" paper out on the stands now. Curtis is on the cover. it's a fun thing to pick up!
[1] yeah man, she was sexy indeed!
Is there a more protective Gazoo type helmet for catchers to wear behind the plate? That's where Cervelli is probably more likely to get hit in the noggin again.
I imagine they could make a flap-less S100 he could wear backwards, but I have no idea if they have tried to do so and from what I've seen Cervelli is going to stick with the old-school helmet under his mask. One thing he could do is switch to the hockey mask. I seem to recall that the traditional mask is better at protecting the face, but the hockey mask is better at protecting the head.
[4] hopefully he's taking his protection behind the plate into consideration -- and I hope he sticks with the S100. I think Wright was foolish to ditch it so quickly. It's a not a flattering look, but I think the extra protection is necessary.
Cervelli has said it's not about looks its about safety. He seems to expect that to be his permanent helmet.
Frankie's willingness to use the Gazoo is yet another endearing thing about him. I really hope he can muster a non-atrocious batting line so we can love him unqualified.
I still wonder why there isn't some middle ground type of helmet. The standard one is just pathetic. Maybe a carbon fiber shell with some of those new "puck"-type air pads used in football helmets or something.