Guy Just Can't Catch a Break

Umpire Danley (don't know his first name) was taken off the field Tuesday on a stretcher after being hit in the head with a piece of a broken bat. Hank Blalock broke his bat when he hit a pop up during the 6th inning of the game, the piece that broke off came back and hit the ump right in the side of the head, knocking him to the ground. Both team's trainers came out to help the guy out a little bit and then he was taken to the hospital. They said he had a concussion, most likely, but he never lost consciousness. Being an umpire is sometimes very dangerous and Danley is a perfect example of that. Almost one year ago, Danley was knocked out of another game. He was the home plate umpire just like he was Tuesday; he got hit with a Brad Penny fastball right in the head. Brad Penny throws very hard, as if other pros don't throw hard enough to knock you out. But, Danley was released from the hospital the next day, however he didn't return to work until June, more than a month after the incident. Also, in June of 2006 Danley got hit in the collarbone by a pitch that knocked him out of the game as well. It slipped right between the chest pad and the helmet and got the collar bone dead on. That is pain right there. He's probably not the only umpire to be knocked out of several games in his career. Being an umpire can be very dangerous, especially behind the plate. Every pitch could be a disaster, if the pitcher lets one get wild, it could come at your head, the batter could foul-tip the pitch back at you, which is even harder to get out of the way of, or ,as in Tuesday's game, you could have half of a bat being hurled at your head by Hank Blalock.