Concussions in Baseball

One does not typically think of baseball as an at-risk sport, save for the occasional collision in the outfield or on the base path. However, there has been significant attention in USA Today, the NY Times, The Washington Post, ESPN News, and online news providers, (both recent and older articles) regarding concussions in baseball:

David Wright is hit in the head by a pitch (ESPN video)

Hikiro Kuroda is hit by a line drive in the head (NBC article, YouTube video)

Scott Rolen is hit in the head by a pitch (Tornoto Star article)

(from 2005) Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron collide in the outfield (NY Mets article with video link)

Interestingly, there is a new batting helmet designed to prevent concussions in baseball (NY Times Article), but players do not necessarily like the look/feel:

“No, I am absolutely not wearing that,” Mets right fielder Jeff Francoeur said with a laugh after seeing a prototype, as if he were being asked to put a pumpkin on his head. “I could care less what they say, I’m not wearing it. There’s got to be a way to have a more protective helmet without all that padding. It’s brutal. We’re going to look like a bunch of clowns out there.”

Before making any judgments, it's not like we all wear crash helmets when we drive...