Apr 27th 2008 9:45AM by Josh Alper
When an umpire or referee gets hurt on the field of play, I’m always struck by the thought that it’s surprising that it doesn’t happen more often. I may never have felt it more strongly after watching the video below. It’s Kerwin Danley taking a Brad Penny fastball right in the jaw. The video starts with the incident but goes on for quite a while.

Russell Martin would probably like to have that one back. The good news is that Danley was conscious and alert when loaded into the ambulance and should be just fine. Seeing an umpire get knocked cold, even with a mask, should probably be enough to convince anyone still on the fence about first and third base coaches wearing helmets that it’s a really good thing.

(Video courtesy of )