Calgary slo-pitch player Corrado Mallia said he was running from home to first base at his 55+ league’s gold medal game when he was hit in the head, knocked out cold and severely concussed.
“I was up to bat and I hit the ball and it went toward the shortstop,” Mallia, 58, told Global News. “Then the shortstop picked the ball up as I was running to first and as I ran by the bag, I must have fallen. All I remember is looking at a bunch of faces saying, ‘Don’t move, don’t move.’”
Watch below: Calgary slo-pitch player Corrado Mallia describes how he was injured
Mallia, who’s been playing the game for about three years, said he was told the shortstop threw the ball to first base and the baseman didn’t quite catch it. It happened Thursday, Aug. 24 at the Triwood community centre field.
“It hit me at the side of my head, right by my temple.”
Calgary EMS responded to the northwest field for reports a man was struck in head with a ball. A spokesperson said crews transported a man in his late 50s to Foothills hospital in stable, non-life-threatening condition.
Mallia said he spent four hours in Foothills Medical Centre and was told he was lucky he didn’t crack his skull after a CT scan.
Slide over the photo below to see Mallia’s injury:
“Of course helmets came into the question, I said, ‘What helmets? We don’t wear helmets in our league.’ They said, ‘Are you kidding me? That’s crazy.’”
Mallia said the average age of players in his league is 75 years old and at 58—he’s one of the young ones. He said he’d recently read a Global News story about a slo-pitch player similarly struck in the head, who had to be put on life support.
Listen below: Corrado Mallia describes his push for mandatory helmets in his 55+ slo-pitch league to Rob Breakenridge and callers weigh in on the topic.
“I’d hate to see somebody’s grandfather or father die because of this.”
Watch below: A number of Vancouver Island slo-pitch leagues are instituting mandatory helmet rules after a tragic accident left a player with severe brain damage. Neetu Garcha has the story.
UPDATE: B.C. slo-pitch player struck in head by ball dies in hospital
“We’re in this for fun,” he continued. “We’re recreational, we’re not pro, we’re not Olympics… We’re here to have fun; we’re not here to get killed. And that’s what I’m afraid of — that the next person that gets this, the outcome is going to be fatal.”
Mallia said he’s contacted the president of the league to ask about mandating helmets—and hopes to start a discussion at the league’s fall annual general meeting (AGM).
“He sent a note saying, ‘Get well’ and yes, he knew about Godfrey and now we’ll have a discussion about it,” Mallia said. “I offered him time at the AGM if he wanted me to come speak to the group, because a lot of guys are resistant to change.
“They’re just going to think, ‘Uh I don’t need that; I’ve been playing 50 years without a helmet and just haven’t been hit.’”
The president of the Calgary senior men’s slo-pitch league that Mallia plays with said the helmet issue has been on their radar for a couple of years, especially since the players range in age from 55 to 93 years old.
Dave Finn said they have tried to instate other safety measures, including providing pitcher masks to those who don’t have their own.
“We have our AGM in October so we’ll probably throw it out to the annual general membership and get their take,” Finn said, noting any changes will be up to the league. “Corrado will actually give a testimonial and talk a little bit about that.”
WATCH: Corrado Mallia says a nearby roofer, and others near the softball diamond, told him they were surprised by the sound of the injury he suffered during a slo-pitch game.
Softball Calgary, one association that manages softball / slo-pitch leagues in the city, has four internal leagues and 16 external (member) leagues, most of which are run by volunteer boards. The executive director told Global News there’s a lack of buy-in for mandatory helmets from the adult players.
“People make that choice (to wear or not wear helmets) entering the sport later in life and for the most part, they feel they’re not necessary,” Derek Hann said.
Hann said he only sees two to three injuries each year.
“Face masks for pitchers are probably the thing we’ve highlighted as probably the biggest piece of safety equipment,” he said. “After that, helmets for batters for when they’re running to first might be something we would look at.”
Hann said executive board meetings will take place later in the fall, at which point they’ll discuss helmet safety to see where players stand.
“There are too many separate organizations – not necessarily governed by one – that for everybody to come together would be a monumental task,” he said. “The biggest thing we can do is raise the concern, do the education and continue to work with them.”
With files from Global’s David Boushy
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