"Vic Smith" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 4 Aug 2008 13:15:45 -0700, "Calif Bill"
wrote:



Off road riding is dangerous. So is playing most sports. I used to race
a
Corvette in SCCA. Only injury was a broken foot. Happened in the pits
accidentally kicking the towbar. Worst injury were broken ribs, once
playing softball when I was 23,

12" softball, or 16"?
I grew up playing 16" but only jammed a couple fingers.
It was always "the" game in Chicago.
Never played with the organized leagues, but used to watch them often.
Later, in my late twenties we had casual 16" game at our UPS picnic.
I took over pitching for warmups because I could loft them nice and
easy right over the plate and give the guys a good chance to whack
them. One of truckers came to the plate - a big guy - and I eased one
to him, with a ballet flourish. He whacked that ball back at me so
hard it fluffed my tutu. New ball. Hit me in the left chest so hard
it bounced almost right back to the plate. Think it actually stopped
my heart, as it stunned me for a couple seconds and I felt my knees
weaken.
Everybody was concerned for a moment as the sound of the ball hitting
me was like a thunderclap. I just cussed the trucker out and told him
he'd never get another good pitch from me. My fault of course.
Hurt a bunch but didn't stiffen up so I played on. The next day and a
week afterward I could hardly move my left side. But I was in good
shape.
There was little league pitcher a bit north of me a few years ago who
caught a liner in the chest and it stopped his heart. 13 years old.
Coaches and docs in the stands couldn't do anything. He was dead.
A frantic woman ran across the park in a panic, saw a squad car,
and told the cop what had happened. The car had just that week been
equipped with a defrib unit, and the cop quickly brought the kid back
from death. Here, found this. He was actually hit by a pitch.
http://www.medical.philips.com/main/...an_morley.html
It was an amazing story when it happened, and still is. Somebody up
there liked this kid.

--Vic

Trying to avoid stepping on and breaking the first baseman's ankle during a
practice game. Broke my stride and about 10' beyond first base, did a
forward roll and cracked a rib. Hardball game, got spiked in the foot.
Holes in foot hurt. Was a pickup game at a company school and one guy
insisted on wearing his metal spikes. Banned them after that.