Baseball Essay, Research Paper

Baseball

Central Michigan University baseball is one of the finest in the state

of Michigan. Baseball players at C.M.U. are dedicated to being the best on and

off the field. I had the privilege of working baseball for my first PES 283

rotation, and I think I will never forget it for the rest of my life. Coach

Kriener demands the athletes to be the best students-athletes that they can be.

I believe this is one reason no senior has graduated in twenty years without

winning a ring. He teaches them to be winners; he will not accept anything but

the best.

I believe that the best way to avoid injuries is to be in shape and use

common sense. There are many factors that could cause injury on a baseball

diamond. The best way to make our job as trainers easier is to prevent these

injuries. The best way to prevent injury is to make sure that all the equipment

is put on the side and not on the middle of the field, where someone going for a

foul does not trip over a baseball or a helmet. I do not think athletes really

think in such terms until someone actually gets hurt.

One thing that I always kept my eye on when I was working was to make

sure the catcher’s were wearing their face mask when they were warming the

pitchers in the bullpen. At first, the athletes thought I was telling them to

put their mask on as an authoritative figure; however, after I explained to them

it was for their own good, and I was only looking out for their safety, they

realized why I was doing it. I believe one way to get the respect of the

athletes and coaches on a team is to let them see you care about them, and you

as the trainer care about them winning.

Warming and cooling down before and after practice is another good way

to prevent injury. Warming up by running and then stretching will help prevent

injury. Light jogging gets the blood supply flowing and will enhance the

stretch. I believe it also gets the athlete ready to perform. Stretching will

also promote flexibility, a big factor with being “in shape.” The cool down

period is also important in making sure the athlete stays in shape aerobically.

This will maximize the practice. I always made sure the athletes did all their

running before they received their ice.

I found out the N.C.A.A. really did not impose a lot of safety factors

for baseball. The only thing according to Kevin Smoot the only safety

prevention methods the N.C.A.A. mandates are the batter to wear a helmet and the

catcher wear a mask and the protective equipment. The big thing that suprized

me is the players are not mandated to wear a protective cup. Any player in

their right mind would wear one, but sometimes you get one or two athletes that

are not too bright.

One major thing that I saw and heard pitchers use to help prevent

shoulder injury is the offseason shoulder workout program. It has been over

twenty years since a pitcher with no previous injury and who has honestly done

the workout miss a start in the rotation to shoulder injury. The shoulder

program was one of the biggest things that impressed me. I will make sure

before I leave C.M.U. I have a copy of the program and make sure my athletes

use it. If we as trainers can prevent shoulder injuries we can go a long way as

baseball trainers. Shoulder injuries are the biggest problem for throwing

athletes. If the shoulder problem does not get taken care of the injury could

move down to the elbow and keep move on down and could possibly end a athletes

career.

I truly enjoyed working with baseball. Baseball was definitely a step

up from working with Women’s basketball. After leaving baseball I felt as if I

was associated with a group of winners that played to win sometimes I wondered

about that sometimes working basketball. I worked with fourgoodstudent trainers,

three fellow 283’s, and a ATC that I learned a lotform. I do not think I could

of been any luckier. It was truly a blast.

REFERENCES

1. Fleisig, Glen S., PhD “Kinetics of Baseball Pitching with Implications

About Injury Mechanisms.” The Journal of Sports Medicine. March-April 1995,

vol. 23, no.2, pp. 223-239.

2.Arnheim, Daniel., and William E. Prentice, Principles of Athletic

Training, 8th ed. Illinois: Chicago, 1993 723-727.

3. Kabban, Elias S. “PES 280 Notebook” Spring 1996.

4.Interview with Kevin Smoot

BASEBALL Fall 1996

Elias S. Kabban PES 283 10-17-96