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MLB Umpire Injured by Foul Ball Awarded $775K in Suit Against Sporting Goods Company
A District of Columbia Superior Court jury has ordered the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. to pay $775,000 to a Major League Baseball umpire injured by a foul ball that knocked off his Wilson-made face mask.

Ed Hickox, who has since resumed his duties as an MLB umpire, suffered a concussion and several broken bones after a foul ball struck him in the jaw while he was umpiring a Washington Nationals’ game at RFK Stadium on May 14, 2005. The protective face mask Hickox was wearing at the time – manufactured by Wilson and given to Hickox for free by a Wilson representative – flipped off of his head upon impact.

Hickox sued Wilson, claiming the company was responsible not only because the mask failed to protect his face as advertised, but also because the company failed to tell Hickox that the company had not tested the mask with the same rigor they used to test hockey face masks.

“An ordinary customer would expect the umpire’s mask, built to protect the umpire’s face from stray baseballs, not to harm Plaintiff when a baseball strikes the mask,” Hickox wrote in his complaint.

Hickox was represented by Patrick Regan and Paul Cornoni of Washington’s Regan Zambri & Long. Regan, in a telephone interview today, said he was not surprised the jury ruled on Friday in Hickox’s favor, since Wilson maintained that using field testing – that is, seeing how the mask held up while it was worn by umpires and catchers – was sufficient testing.

“They were using the umpires and catchers as human guinea pigs,” Regan said.

Timothy Fizer of Krause, Fizer, Crogan & Lopez in Owings Mills, Md., represented the company. He said an appeal is likely.

The verdict was "obviously disappointing," Fizer said in a phone interview today. "Our position was that the mask was not defective."

Regan said he did not know how many of the face masks in question were given for free to MLB umpires and catchers or sold to the public. He did say that Wilson did do more testing on the mask following the 2005 incident, but did not reveal the results of the test or what, if any, changes were made to the mask’s design.New York Yankees Face Masks

On Wednesday, one day after the NFL announced the changes, the 49ers shut down their facility due to COVID-19 test results. For now, they are still set to host the Packers on Thursday Night Football.

MLB, Fanatics to manufacture masks and gowns using jersey material

Major League Baseball (MLB) and Fanatics are partnering to manufacture hospital gowns and protective masks with the same fabric used to produce jerseys to bolster the supply needed to fight the coronavirus, the two businesses announced Thursday.

Fanatics, the company that makes MLB jerseys, is converting its manufacturing center in Easton, Pa., to a production center for the personal protective gear hospital workers have been clamoring for as the virus spreads. MLB and Fanatics will cover all costs associated with the endeavor, they said.

“We hope this effort can play a part in coming together as a community to help us through this challenging situation,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.

Fanatics will produce up to 1 million masks and gowns and distribute them throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, the latter of which has been the epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S.

The company is making its first batch of masks and gowns using materials typically used to make jerseys for the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees. Other team jersey materials will be featured as production expands.

The NFL initial changed the rules after Baltimore Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey took a COVID-19 test, played against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and then on Monday got a positive test result back. There were six Ravens players that were considered high-risk due to their close contact with Humphrey and now they're forced to quarantine for five days. Couple that news with the latest from the 49ers, and its evident why the NFL is enforcing these new face mask rules.MLB Face Masks

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA
Authorities in the South Korean capital on Monday announced a tightening of social distancing regulations, including shutting nightclubs, limiting service hours at restaurants and reducing public transportation.

The measures going into effect on Tuesday also include a ban on public rallies or demonstrations of more than 10 people. Restaurants can provide only take out and delivery after 9 p.m., and public transportation will be limited after 10 p.m.

South Korea has saw the virus spread faster after authorities eased social distancing restrictions to the lowest level in October amid concerns about a weak economy.

Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency Director Jeong Eun-kyeong said tightening guidelines was inevitable as a failure to slow transmissions now could “break the dam” in anti-virus efforts and result in a surge in infections nationwide that may overwhelm hospital systems.

“We need to reduce people-to-people contact,” she said during a briefing Monday, pleading with people to cancel year-end meetings and other gatherings. Oakland Athletics Face Masks