Tag Archives: MLB

Today on our tour of American baseball, we are stepping away from a specific region and taking a look at a landmark of Major League Baseball across the nation: the 84th MLB All-Star Game.

Today kicks off the festivities in New York, New York, with FanFest at the Javits Center. Baseball fans have really been getting into the spirit too, having submitted 79.2 million votes (the most in All-Star Game history) toward the All-Star Game Final Vote, the winners of which are Blue Jays right-hander Steve Delabar for the American League and Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman for the National League.

Saturday through Monday will be packed with all manner of All-Star activities, including the Home Run Derby on Monday. It all culminates with the All-Star Game itself at Citi Field on Tuesday at 8 p.m. Given the level of participation of fans and the hype that has surrounded it over recent weeks, it is sure to be an exciting and entertaining event, one you won’t want to miss!

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.

Next on our tour of American baseball we will move westward to a baseball anomaly: Minnesota.

It’s hard to imagine Minnesota as a great baseball state, but we are recognizing it for one particular quirk. Of the seven states without Minor League teams, Minnesota has the distinction of being the only one with a Major League team: the Twins. And just because it is not one of the most noted states in the sport does not mean that there is no talent among its youth.

Take the team from Mounds View High School, for instance. The Mustangs had a very solid 13-4 season, climbing their way to the number one spot in the state and the 34 spot in the country. They finished the year in June by winning the 2013 Class AAA championship for the state in a 8-0 win against Rocori High Spartans.

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.

After our brief star on the east coast, on our next stop on our region-by-region tour of American baseball we move inland to Ohio.

Ohio is home to both the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians in the Major Leagues and six Minor League teams like the Toledo Mud Hens and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers. But we’re going to take a look at the fresh talent the state contains in the form of the Archbishop Moeller High School baseball team.

Ranked number one in the state and number 52 in the country, the Fighting Crusaders from Cincinnati ended their season with an overall 31-2 record. They finished out their impressive season by winning the Ohio Division I baseball championship title in a 7-1 win against St. Ingatius of Cleveland. Congrats to Archbishop Moeller!

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.

Our last stop on the east coast in our region-by-region tour of American baseball is up north in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is home to only two professional baseball teams: the Boston Red Sox in the Major Leagues and the Lowell Spinners in the Minor Leagues. But we’re going to continue our pattern of looking at a top high school team, in this case Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High School.

The Bridgewater-Raynham Trojans are ESPN Boston’s number one high school team in Massachusetts following their Division 1 championship win, the first championship title in the school’s history. With a 22-5 overall season, the Trojans rose swiftly through the playoffs and ended their years with a 4-0 win over Nashoba Regional. And since Bridgewater-Rayham has a number of key players returning next year, Massachusetts should look out for this high school for the 2014 season as well.

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.

While we’re on the east coast, we’re going to hang around for the next couple of stops on our region-by-region tour of American baseball. Today we’re heading south to Florida.

Florida is home to both the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays in the Major Leagues and no less than 14 Minor League teams, the most of any state, with creative names like the Blue Wahoos, the Stone Crabs, and the Marauders. But with as much professional talent as the state holds, it also holds plenty of younger talent as well.

Take, for instance, the number one high school team in Florida, ranked nine in the nation, Venice High School. The Venice Indians finished as 2013 7A Florida State Champions for the second year in a row in May. In their final game of the season, they destroyed the Haines City Hornets 14-4 on the 18th for their second consecutive championship win.

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 next stop on our region-by-region tour of American baseball is GelDefender’s home state, North Carolina.

North Carolina has no Major League teams but boasts a respectable eight Minor League teams (nine if you count the Charlotte Knights, but their stadium is actually in South Carolina). So why would we highlight a state that not only has no Major League teams but also sends one of its Minor League teams across the border to play? In short, because North Carolina is the only state with two teams still in the College World Series.

UNC and N.C. State, along with only five other schools, are still contenders for the 2013 title, and both North Carolina teams are scheduled to play later today. In a huge upset Sunday, the No. 7 N.C. State Wolfpack stomped the UNC Tar Heels 8-1, shuffling the No. 1 team to the losers’ bracket. Despite this setback for the Heels, both are still considered powerful candidates to win the whole series. At 3 p.m. EST today, UNC will be taking on LSU to advance in the tournament, and at 8 p.m., the Wolfpack will be playing the UCLA Bruins for a spot in the semifinals.

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.

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.

It’s a rarity for pitchers to get beaned by a batter’s line drive, but it’s also a reality. With that in mind, Major League Baseball has been scrambling over the past several months to find head protection for its fielders, particularly pitchers.

Unfortunately, the search has not yet yielded the results MLB has been seeking, and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ faced that very scenario Tuesday without any head protection. Luckily, Happ seems to have suffered no significant injuries other than bruising and a cut ear and has since been released from the hospital.

While the search for the right product for pitchers to comfortably wear under their caps has not yet been successful, watch for a new GelDefender product – one made specifically for caps – that will be available May 18.

The comfortable soft gel and the cooling benefits make the newest GelDefender head pad perfect for use under caps, and the design allows the pad to fit inside caps securely.

We’re sending samples to MLB and a few MLB teams that have requested our product, and we hope they and other ball players will choose this new equipment option.

*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.