Back in November, Major League Baseball officials decided that every first- and third-base coach in professional baseball should wear protective batting helmets.

That decision came largely due to the death of minor league first-base coach Mike Coolbaugh, who was hit in the neck by a line drive and died last July 22.

The decision to wear headgear has so far remained at the professional level, though former Massena High School baseball coach Darrel Paquin, now the Section 10 baseball chairman, doesn't think it's too far off before high school coaches wear helmets.

"I brought that up at our state committee meeting this year as soon as I heard it was happening in the majors," Paquin said. "I wouldn't be surprised to see it come into effect eventually."

The decision has not been without controversy, and the biggest critic of the rule at the major league level has been Los Angeles Dodgers third-base coach Larry Bowa.

Coolbaugh was struck in an area that would not have been covered by a helmet.

High school coaches point out that hitters at that level do not hit the ball as hard or as fast as professional hitters do, but using aluminum bats, instead of the wooden bats the professionals use, might lessen the difference in how fast a ball gets down the line.

"I think it's a good idea," Heuvelton coach Dave Steele said of helmets. "I've had a lot of close calls. It kind of crosses your mind a couple times when you have close calls and it's not a bad idea to have a helmet. We didn't purchase one this year, but it's probably something we're going to look at getting."

Some teams use players as first-base coaches at the prep level, and they are required to wear a full batting helmet with ear flaps.

But not all area coaches are eager to join their professional counterparts in helmet-wearing.

"At this level you don't have to worry about it as much," said Tupper Lake coach Scott Tower. "If you are paying attention you don't have to worry about it, really. I've been lucky. I'm not saying it couldn't happen."

Softball helmet-wearing is not as big a concern, but next year the pitching circle will move back 3 feet from 40 to 43 and then hitters may present more of a danger to coaches.

"The distance (from pitcher to home) is a lot smaller than baseball," Heuvelton softball coach Al Minckler said. "They are doing something to try to make batting equal pitching (by moving the circle)."

WELL-ARMED

Heuvelton has always been one of the top Class D softball teams in Section 10, and it appears the Bulldogs will have a strong pitching staff again this spring.

Last week, Heuvelton saw three different hurlers on its staff throw no-hitters, including two in the same doubleheader on Friday against Morristown.

"We are doing a nice little rotation right now," Bulldogs coach Al Minckler said. "When we can start putting some runs on the board our confidence will grow."

Megan Johnson threw a no-hitter last week against Harrisville, and that was followed by no-hitters from Kara Leonard and Casey Donnelly against the Green Rockets. Johnson was part of both as she was the catcher in both games.

A HOT BAT

Nick Leffler had the top offensive performance in Section 10 so far this spring for Malone in a 21-1 win over Brushton-Moira in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.

Leffler went 5-for-5, including two triples, and drove in nine runs for the Huskies. His first three hits were singles, and his final hit came inches short of clearing the outfield fence for a home run.

"He seemed to be hitting dead-red fastballs," Malone coach Tim LaMay said. "They were behind in the count and he was able to catch up with the fastball. The only reason I left him in the game was I wanted him to throw a little bit later in the game."

Times sportswriter Cap Carey covers Northern Athletic Conference sports for the Times. You may reach him at ccarey@wdt.net.