# Baseball coach killed by line drive **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 23, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840 "2007-07-23T15:01:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/1 "2007-07-23T15:01:24Z")
Story [here](http://sports.espn.go.com/minorlbb/news/story?id=2945798&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines). I don’t really have anything to add to this. It’s just noteworthy and sad. I don’t know how often someone is actually killed by a baseball, but it’s obviously not THAT common. ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/2 "2007-07-23T16:27:56Z")
I got hit in the head with a softball once, and that was enough. Weird when things happen so close to me, though. (I’d have hit that) ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/3 "2007-07-23T16:39:53Z")
My husband has been a Babe Ruth league coach (15-19 year olds) for decades now. I don’t like the idea of him taking a line drive to the head much. We were watching the triple A finals this weekend, and one of his fellow coaches almost got hit by a line drive while third base coaching. I feel badly for the guy who was batting, too. I guess there is always the possibility that someone might be hit by your batting effort, but to kill somebody? That’s got to be hard. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/4 "2007-07-23T16:44:06Z")
A more common (but still very rare) occurrence is commotio cordis, when a batted or thrown ball hits a person in the chest and causes heart to stop. > **[Commotio cordis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commotio_cordis)** > > Commotio cordis (Latin, "agitation or disruption of the heart") is a rare disruption of heart rhythm that occurs as a result of a blow to the area directly over the heart (the precordial region) at a critical instant during the cycle of a heartbeat. The condition is 97% fatal if not treated within three minutes. This sudden rise in intracavitary pressure leads to disruption of normal heart electrical activity, followed instantly by ventricular fibrillation, complete disorganization of the h Its... [http://www.nemc.org/medicine/card/commotiocordis.htm](http://www.nemc.org/medicine/card/commotiocordis.htm) [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi\_m1590/is\_2\_59/ai\_99554830](http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1590/is_2_59/ai_99554830) ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/5 "2007-07-23T17:18:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Coolbaugh is survived by his wife, Mandy, and two young sons, Joseph and Jacob, all of San Antonio. Mandy Coolbaugh is expecting another child in October. Awww, man, those sentences added just a whole 'nother layer of sad to this story. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/6 "2007-07-23T17:40:15Z")
[QUOTE=TroubleAgain] Awww, man, those sentences added just a whole 'nother layer of sad to this story. [/QUOTE] Yeah, that last one got to me, too. And featherlou, I’d also be very worried about the guy who hit the ball. I mean, it’s easy for everyone else in the world to say it’s a freak accident and he couldn’t have done anything differently, but that’s got to be a heavy load to carry. ---
**Author:** ![Earthworm\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f07891/32.png) [@Earthworm\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earthworm_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/7 "2007-07-23T17:41:47Z")
A couple of years ago, I was at my sons little league game. I think they were 8 & 9, it was a coach pitch game. Anyway, the coach happened to be the batters father & wouldn’t you know it - the poor kid drove the ball straight into his fathers face. The guy ended up being OK, ‘just’ a broken nose. But still, rough day for both father & son. The poor kid was hysterical. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2007, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/8 "2007-07-23T20:46:08Z")
When I played softball as a teen, the base coaches often wore helmets. Is this not common? Should it be? ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/9 "2007-07-26T00:43:44Z")
[This article](http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AmOWmIIC8QP1o8BnbTONsykRvLYF?slug=ap-coachkilled-coroner&prov=ap&type=lgns) talks a little about the medical aspect of his death. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2007, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-coach-killed-by-line-drive/412840/10 "2007-07-26T03:11:58Z")
Did anyone else think of _A Prayer for Owen Meany_? It’s life imitating art. Weird.