# I Got Brained By A Fly Ball **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [May 19, 2002, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771 "2002-05-19T01:32:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jordan1000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/90ced4/32.png) [@Jordan1000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jordan1000)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771/1 "2002-05-19T01:32:17Z")
I was reading the column that had to do with the odds of getting hit by a fly ball. I didn’t read the whole thing but remembered (thankfully) that i once got beaned by a hockey puck during an oilers game. Yeah it smarted but it didn’t even bruise. Even though the odds are stacked in your favour, don’t tempt them. While the two preppies behind us were discussing that the chances of getting hit by a flying puck, Peter Forsberg skated in and my dad turned around to tell them that it was pretty doubtful that we would get hit. I turned around too and when i looked back WHACKO! Yeah so even if you think your safe, you should probably keep your head up. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771/2 "2002-05-19T02:39:09Z")
And the column being referenced is, [What are your chances of getting brained by a fly ball during a baseball game?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_300.html). ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2002, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771/3 "2002-05-19T03:26:24Z")
> [@](#): > > In 1939, the one-time Cleveland Indians catcher participated in a publicity stunt set up by the San Francisco Seals, a minor league team, in which he was supposed to catch a ball dropped from an airplane flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet. Hey, Cecil. While you’re correct(as usual), this shmo played in a total of 18 games for Cleveland in two years. They traded him to the **St. Louis Browns** where he played 3 games and then was out of baseball forever. How bad would a guy have to be to be released by the **St. L. Browns** after 3 games? Hmmmm? Couldn’t you have more charitably referred to him as a _former Major Leaguer_ rather than stigmatizing us unfortunates even further? In keeping with the Ohio/Cleveland bashing, the _only?_ death due to being hit by a puck in the NHL occured two months ago in Columbus, Ohio. [http://www.clickondetroit.com/sh/news/stories/nat-news-131156620020319-110317.html](http://www.clickondetroit.com/sh/news/stories/nat-news-131156620020319-110317.html) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771/4 "2002-05-24T05:16:43Z")
samclem, I fail to see what bashing Cecil did to you. Careful study of your post finally let me decifer “us unfortunates” as Cleveland Indians fans, or perhaps Clevelanders, or maybe just Ohioans. Unless you meant minor-leaguers. No, wait, you meant toothless catchers. As for Cecil leaving out the details, that sure would make it harder for someone to look up the details themselves if they wished to. Think if Cecil said, “One time some shmo tried to catch a baseball dropped from 1000 feet, but it smacked his teeth out.” We’d **all** be yelling “Cite please!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771/5 "2002-05-29T06:31:56Z")
The Perfect Master mentions a figure of 100mph for a struck ball, in the context of a discussion of the possibility of being hit by a fly ball while sitting in the stands. Correct me if I’m wrong, but that sounds like the speed of the ball **right off the bat**. In my experience, the speed of the falling ball would be very considerably less than that, although I have no cite as to how much less. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771/6 "2002-05-29T07:05:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Princhester \* > \*\*Correct me if I’m wrong, but that sounds like the speed of the ball **right off the bat**. In my experience, the speed of the falling ball would be very considerably less than that, although I have no cite as to how much less. \*\* Less, but not ‘very considerably less’. [This page](http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/airfri2.html) quotes the terminal velocity of a baseball at 33 m/s or 74 mi/hr, which is plenty to hurt like hell. I think it’d be pretty hard to kill a normal person with that unless their windpipe collapses or it knocks them off the balcony, but I wouldn’t go trying for it, either. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2002, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-brained-by-a-fly-ball/109771/7 "2002-05-31T08:26:03Z")
Impact to the chest, sends the heart into flutter. Not common, but has happened.