I was just reading some comments on another site about "freak accidents" in youth sports and it got me remembering.
When my son was 8 years old I took him to his first baseball practice. As the proud father of what I was sure was a future major league player, I sat in the bleachers at a ball field called "The Grove. This was for the stand of giant red oaks that lined one side of the field. Also in the stands were a couple mothers of my sons friends. We chatted about how excited the boys were to finally be playing organized ball.
Batting practice was the first order of business. I watched as the other boys on the team took their turns and finally heard "Craig, grab a bat you're next". He kept looking over at me and smiling while he waited for his turn in the batters box. I don't remember now if it was the first pitch, but it was one of the first pitches for sure, when he swung the bat and lifted a foul fly ball, straight towards me. What are the chances I thought as I leaned to the right, stuck out my hand and got ready to catch his first "hit".
Well, as the ball came down, maybe 8' above my head, it hit a small branch hanging out from a giant red oak that lined the field in The Grove. That small branch deflected the ball just enough to make me miss it. Also enough so that it didn't miss me. It got me just above the left eye, breaking my glasses, cutting me so I bled like a stuck pig and almost knocking me off the bleachers. I got a little sympathy from the moms and Craig got a little harassing from the coach for wounding his dad.