Andy Van Slyke: Not a Fan of the Helmet Rule

One of the things I'm still not used to seeing this spring is the first and third base coaches all paying their respect to John Olerud this season by wearing those batting practice helmets while out in the field this season. It's a new rule baseball passed after the death of Mike Coolbaugh, who died after being hit in the head by a line drive while coaching first base.

Obviously, there are going to be some coaches who don't like wearing the helmet, as Larry Bowa showed earlier this spring when he refused to wear one in the Dodgers spring opener. After receiving a stern talking to, Bowa wore one in the Dodgers next game. While Tigers first base coach, Andy Van Slyke, has been wearing his helmet during games, he's not exactly happy about it.

"I don't ever have headaches," he said, "but because of the heat, I've had a headache after every game I've had to wear it. But I guess some of the new general managers, the Ivy League ones, believe it solves something.

"I've had Randy Johnson, in his first start in the big leagues, not knowing where the ball was going, coming so close to me that I felt the wind under my chin. So I think I have a pretty good idea about how to get out of the way of a baseball. The rule is eyewash.

"I'm not going to break the rule, but some coach is going to have a heart attack this year because of how hot he gets with a helmet on. It's going to be brutal.

"I don't people are thinking the rule through."

I have to admit, I agree with Van Slyke here, this is eyewash!. (And you all should too, there's a reason he has a blog named after him, people. He's S-M-R-T, smart, smart, smart. Despite the eyewash comment.) While I understand why baseball would implement this rule after the death of Coolbaugh, I still think it was a knee-jerk reaction to a very rare and tragic circumstance.

Think about it, who was the last base coach who died while coaching during a game before Coolbaugh? You probably can't think of anyone, can you? Know why that is? Because it never happens. I can think of a lot of things baseball players and coaches do that's far more hazardous to their health than coaching first base.

There's that whole steroids thing, the fact that many still love the chewing tobacco, getting between Dmitri Young and the postgame buffet. These are all things that are more likely to kill a baseball player than a line drive to the head, yet the game isn't banning them is it?

If baseball's going to keep the rule around though, they should make a few changes with it. A grandfather clause would make sense. If you were coaching before the rule was enforced, you shouldn't have to wear the helmet if you don't want to, and any new coaches should have to wear one. It'll still be a stupid rule, but at least then MLB won't have to deal with hearing people complain about it.