Tag Archives: baseball

With the recent release of our new head pads for caps, GelDefender has decided to take a tour of America and check out its favorite pastime region-by-region. For our second stop, we’re taking a look at Texas baseball.

Texas, the second largest state in the US after Alaska, is home to two MLB teams, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, and five Minor League teams. But, as with California, we’re going to focus our attention on some players who you probably don’t know as well and who are much earlier in their baseball careers, the Woodlands High School baseball team.

The Highlanders have just finished their impressive 38-4 season as the 2013 Texas Class 5A champions, putting them in the top five in most national rankings systems. Their year culminated last Saturday when the Highlanders went up against Fort Bend Dulles High School. After giving up two runs in the top of the first inning, Woodlands answered with four in the bottom and continued to press their advantage to a 9-5 championship victory. Woodlands pitcher Carter Hope, who had been drafted by the Kansas City Royals the day before, pitched a two-hitter after the discouraging first inning, finished his high school career on a high note.

Baseball is and always will be a staple of the American culture, so we want to keep players from little league all the way to the majors outfitted with  GelDefender head pads to  extra padding, comfort and cooling while  playing the sport that they and the rest of America love.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

The baseball season is officially underway, bringing with it plenty of stories throughout MLB. The highlight of opening day was a shutout from the Los Angeles Dodger’s ace, Clayton Kershaw. On top of that, he became the second pitcher in history to hit a homerun and pitch a shutout on opening day. The Dodgers were locked in a 0-0 tie with the San Francisco Giants until the 8th inning, when Kershaw broke it open.

Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper also cemented his place in history at just 20 years and 167 days old by becoming the youngest player ever to hit two home runs in the season opener.

Star Nationals pitcher Steven Strasburg also looked very solid in his season debut, going seven innings. This is the longest outing he has had since the middle of last season. He allowed 0 earned runs. His pitch count was being monitored, but he made each one count.

Finally, after missing much of last season due to severe injuries, the Philadelphia Phillies’ second baseman, Chase Utley, made a splash by hitting a homerun and a triple and driving in 3 runs. He looked much more like the Chase Utley of old, an exceptionally gifted offensive and defensive player capable of stealing, fielding, and hitting the long ball.

As the season progresses, we can expect to continue seeing dazzling highlights. We can only hope that players stay safe and protect themselves so as to enjoy long, productive, and entertaining careers!

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

A fair amount of chatter recently has been dedicated to the mythological “concussion-proof helmet,” that elusive piece of safety equipment that can perfectly protect the brain from harm. In response, various “solutions” to the sports concussion problem have been popping up in the form of protective products.

So, to clear up the issue from the get-go, we’ll state the facts: there is no such thing as a concussion-proof helmet. Contact sports will always have some modicum of danger involved for the brain. The second someone tries to sell that, run the other way.

The brain’s movement within the skull causes concussions, not the impact itself. According to the Mayo Clinic, “A violent blow to your head and neck or upper body can cause your brain to slide back and forth forcefully against the inner wall of your skull.” It also states that sudden acceleration or deceleration can have similar effects.

So the issue is what happens when the head is moving swiftly in one direction (which happens during running, skating, or bicycling) and then suddenly stops or changes directions (as in an impact or another abrupt change). First, the brain sloshes forward, hits the front of the skull, and then over-corrects and subsequently hits the back of the skull before finally settling. There’s nothing that can stop the brain from moving around in the skull, so there’s no way to completely protect against concussions.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender^TM products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.