Mom Always Said, "Someone is going to lose an eye."

Now that May is here and baseball season is in full "swing", I spend most of my weekends sitting in the stands watching my 11 year-old play baseball. This kid not only plays baseball, he eats, lives and breathes the sport. Because he would like to believe he is in the big leagues, he gets very angry with me when I remind him to wear his protective batting helmet and to not swing his bat too close to his teammates. I am sure every Little League Mom has a story about seeing a kid laying on the field after getting beaned in the head by a pitch, but all I can think about is the real life drama suffered by Atlanta Braves Minor League Manager Luis Salazar. Coach Salazar was on the top step in the dugout watching a Spring training game against the St Louis Cardinals. Catcher Brian McCann was up to bat and hit a foul ball that shot off of his bat like a bullet and hit Coach Salazar right in the eye. It hit him so hard he was actually knocked unconscious. The game was stopped for 20 minutes while the Emergency Personnel stabilized him and airlifted him to the local trauma center. The coach ended up losing his eye due to the severe blunt trauma. Today, Coach Salazar is back on the field, and the batter who hit that foul ball feels so bad about what happened, he will not talk about it on camera. I encourage all parents and coaches to teach their players at a young age the importance of safety equipment when playing a sport, especially for protection of the eyes. If you break an arm, it can get reset. If you crack a tooth, it can get bonded. If you lose an eye, there are no "do-overs." Mary Sweetman Certified Ophthalmic Assistant