Collegiate Baseball The Voice Of Amateur Baseball Started In 1958 At The Request Of Our Nation’s Baseball Coaches Vol. 64, No. 2 Friday, Jan. 29, 2021 $4.00 Innovative Products Win Top Awards Four special inventions 2021 Winners are tremendous advances for game of baseball. Best Of Show By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. Editor/Collegiate Baseball Awarded By Collegiate Baseball F n u io n t c a t REENSBORO, N.C. — Four i v o o n n a n innovative products at the recent l I i t y American Baseball Coaches G Association Convention virtual trade show were awarded Best of Show B u certificates by Collegiate Baseball. i l y t t nd i T v o i Now in its 22 year, the Best of Show t L a a e r s t C awards encompass a wide variety of concepts and applications that are new to baseball. They must have been introduced to baseball during the past year. The committee closely examined each nomination that was submitted. A number of superb inventions just missed being named winners as 147 exhibitors showed their merchandise at SUPERB PROTECTION — Truletic batting gloves, with input from two hand surgeons, are a breakthrough in protection for hamate bone fractures as well 2021 ABCA Virtual Convention See PROTECTIVE , Page 2 as shielding the back, lower half of the hand with a hard plastic plate. Phase 1B Rollout Impacts Frontline Essential Workers Coaches Now Can Receive COVID-19 Vaccine CDC policy allows 19 protocols to be determined on a conference-by-conference basis,” coaches to receive said Keilitz. vaccine, final say with “The reason the NCAA has not decided to have a uniform set health departments. of COVID-19 protocols across baseball is that some of the By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. conferences can afford a lot more Editor/Collegiate Baseball than the other ones and might want to test more frequently. TLANTA, Ga. — Over “I believe it is a good thing that the 100,000 baseball coaches NCAA is allowing the conferences on the high school and A to have some autonomy on how college levels are expected to they decide their protocols.” be able to receive COVID-19 Keilitz was asked if each vaccinations now in phase 1B. county health department where The Advisory Committee on universities are located will have Immunization Practices (ACIP) the final say in all matters related recommended that people 75 to COVID-19 protocols. years of age and under along with “I don’t know if I can answer frontline essential workers would that. California has been so strict be allowed to receive COVID-19 with their COVID-19 protocols vaccinations in phase 1B which was that I can see certain counties rolling out in states as Collegiate shutting down different sports for Baseball went to press. approved by Centers For Disease the COVID-19 vaccine. students, and that includes math, periods of time when the infection, Essential workers are defined Control and Prevention (CDC) Schools and baseball coaches English, history, drama, PE, wood hospitalization and death rates as firefighters, police officers, Director Robert Redfield and are across the country must contact shop, coaches, among others. spiral out of control in their areas. corrections officers, food and official policy by the CDC. their county health departments College Baseball Protocols “If things stay the same or get agriculture workers, Postal Service The priority phases are not to find out when coaches will be Craig Keilitz, executive director worse, anything can happen any workers, manufacturing workers, binding. allowed to receive the COVID-19 of the ABCA, was asked if the day across the USA. Each state is grocery store workers, public transit It will be up to each state to vaccine shot. NCAA will have a strict set of different with the problems caused workers and those who work in decide who gets the vaccine in Numerous coaches and athletics COVID-19 protocols for all member by this pandemic.” the education sector (teachers and which order. directors have inquired about baseball schools in 2021. There have been 2 million people support staff), as well as daycare So far, all states have been abiding when they will be able to get their “That’s a great question. The die of COVID-19 across the world workers. by the CDC’s recommendation on COVID-19 vaccines. Teachers NCAA has decided to allow COVID- and 407,224 in the USA. The recommendations were what order people should receive are defined as those who instruct Inside Collegiate Baseball Web Site: www.baseballnews.com Special High School Section How ABCA Pulled Off Miracle Lose Your Fear Of Being Wrong Pre-Season All-Americans, 2021 Lou Pavlovich explains how a Gary Ward explains that to reach state-by-state list of top players, virtual masterpiece was staged potential, you must understand top 30 teams listed/Pages 12-20 despite gigantic hurdles/Page 4 past, impact the future/Page 21 Page 2 Collegiate Baseball Friday, Jan. 29, 2021 Protective Gloves Mitigate Pressure On Hamate Bone Continued From Page 1 protective padding on the back and wrist (strap and protective side to help hitters stay away inserts) from high velocity the 2021 ABCA Convention. from hand injuries. pitches that crash into hands. Here are the winners, chosen by But by and large, batting What sets this batting glove Collegiate Baseball’s Best of Show selection gloves have remained apart from any other on the committee. essentially the same over the market is that it protects the years. hamate bone with padding on Truletic Batting Gloves Batting gloves may have been used as early W h e n t h e T r u l e t i c the interior of the glove which as 1901 by Hughie Jennings and definitely by Protective Batting Gloves were mitigates the pressure of swings Lefty O’Doul and Johnny Frederick of the introduced for the first time at on that area of the hand. Brooklyn Dodgers in 1932, according to the 2021 ABCA Convention, What coach hasn’t had hitters Peter Morris’ book, A Game Of Inches. it caught the eye of every on their teams sustain a fractured A constant problem hitters have is blisters selection committee member. hamate bone? when they take cut after cut at baseballs The company claims the Some of the famous Major during practice. glove is three times more Leaguers who have suffered this Batting gloves have helped solve that effective against impact painful injury were: nagging problem and also helped batters grip damage than the leading Giancarlo Stanton, Miami PROTECTION FOR HAMATE BONE — Truletic batting gloves the bat better, especially during extremely hot competitor. Marlins protect the hamate bone on each hand with padding on the weather when sweating becomes an issue and Designed and tested with Jose Ramirez, Cleveland interior of the glove which mitigates the pressure of swings on near freezing conditions. UCLA’s Impact Testing Labs, Indians that area of the hand. Through the years, many hitters in college Over 30 years ago, the Mizuno Corporation Truletic’s glove prevents Dustin Pedroia, Boston and pro baseball have experienced hamate bone fractures. came out with unique batting glove that had breakage or strain to the hand Red Sox Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies Pablo Sandoval, San Francisco Giants Willy Aybar, Tamba Bay Rays Jose Canseco, Oakland A’s Ken Griffey, Jr., Seattle Mariners Tony Gwynn, Jr., Los Angeles Dodgers Jim Thome, Cleveland Indians The most famous hamate bone fracture in college baseball history was to LSU’s Warren Morris during the 1996 season. A Collegiate Baseball pre-season All- American second baseman, Morris did not play 39 games for the Tigers that season after the lefthanded hitter fractured the hamate bone near his right wrist. He finally was cleared to play in the South II Regional. During the championship game of the 1996 College World Series, Miami (Fla.) led LSU 8-7 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth as Morris stepped to the plate. He promptly hit a 2-run walk-off home run barely over the rightfield fence to win it for the Tigers, 9-8. It was the first time a national championship game was decided on a home run on the last pitch of the game. Another important safety element in the Truletic glove is a molded protective insert which is placed on the outside of the glove and covers and lower half of the hand for maximum bone and tendon shielding. The molded hard plate is made from Kydex which has a wide variety of applications, including aircraft bulkheads, firearm holsters, sheaths, and for knives. Big League Chew was invented by Rob Nelson, a former Cornell Another interesting safety feature is the reinforced cross-strap. The hook-and-loop University lefthander who was pitching in Oregon in 1977 for the wrist strap stabilizes crucial wrist ligaments fabled Portland Mavericks when he came up with the idea for a new while securing the protective plate. Sheepskin conforms to the palm and type of bubble gum. provides superior grip and strength while wicking moisture. It also has breathable lycra on the back of the glove. Rob was literally sitting in the Portland bullpen, watching his team- Truletic was developed when renowned mates chewing other less salubrious stuff, when he thought that hand surgeon, Dr. Mark Ciaglia, encountered athletes from all levels of competition with shredded bubble gum would be a much more fun option. debilitating hand injuries. Having treated baseball players from minor to major leagues, Dr. Ciaglia recognized the importance of re-designing batting gloves to Rob shared the idea with Mav teammate Jim Bouton who liked the lesson the chance of hand injuries to hitters.