Concussions have been a major point of concern in the past couple of years, and the MLB announced Tuesday it will be implementing a seven-day disabled list and specific testing for players who suffer concussions.
And players, owners, teams and fans have to be thrilled about the news.
As noted in the article linked above, the main reason why everyone likes this new rule is because teams were reluctant to put concussed players on the 15-day DL because they could be back on the diamond after a week.
So from a time table standpoint, this may be the best move for baseball. Teams won’t have a problem placing a player on the seven-day DL, and unless that team has a horrible week it won’t hurt the team’s record or playoff chances if they’re only out of seven days.
But the most important thing about this new rule is that it shows that the league cares for its players’ health and views on the game.
I’m not saying the MLB didn’t care about its players and the concussion issue before this new rule, but it is taking the right approach about changing safety rules, unlike the sport that some believe has taken over as America’s past time.
The league isn’t making the game safer because, let’s face it, players are going to be hit in the head with pitches, line drives and other players’ body parts — such as Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau, who missed a good portion of the second half of the 2010 season after being kneed in the head while sliding into second. That’s part of the game, but the league is taking interest in the teams, players and fans’ want to get healthy players back on the field when they are healthy and have been cleared to play.
Other than off-field decisions the MLB can make, the only other major issue relating to baseball and concussions is the switch to the bigger, better protected helmets.
People have been aware of and have made jokes about these bigger, reinforced helmets for the past couple of years, but time will tell whether those helmets, which can protect hits to the head from pitches up to 100 miles per hour, will be a part of the league’s mandatory uniform guidelines.
Until the helmet issue is decided, Tuesday’s new DL rule is a major step in the right direction that everyone can appreciate.
