Mike Coolbaugh

by John Sickels on Jul 23, 2007 9:44 AM EDT in News Comment 16 comments

As most of you know by now, Tulsa Drillers first base coach Mike Coolbaugh was struck in the head by a line drive last night and killed.

Here are Coolbaugh's career stats: Mike Coolbaugh.

I really don't know what to say about this. As a player, Coolbaugh was a fine example of the Triple-A slugger. He had power, decent defensive skills at third base, and a good work ethic. Typecast as an organization player, he received just a couple of brief trials in the majors. He was well-respected, and had a long future in the game ahead of him as a coach and perhaps a manager. He was married, with two sons. His wife is expecting a third child this fall.

Condolences to his family, friends, and teammmates. And we should probably send some thoughts the way of the guy who hit the ball, Tino Sanchez.. The Rockies need to get him some counseling right away.

I think you will see a campaign to get coaches to wear helmets. It's been vaguely discussed for years, but perhaps this horrible accident will get the ball moving.

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oh God...

this is the first i've heard of it, but my prayers will go out for all connected to this. i recently lost my father and have seen what my mother has gone through because of it. any information on where we can send a card to the club on behalf of his family would be appreciated.

i agree about the need for counseling for the young kid who hit that ball. i hope he is able to return to the game with his full ability after working throgh this. i can't imagine how hard that would be.

http://www.simdynasty.com/index.jsp?refer=mychiefs58

by huckleberry on Jul 23, 2007 10:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Coaches don't wear helmets, why?

by hallofamer2000 on Jul 23, 2007 10:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

helmets

Regarding helmets, it's kind of a slippery slope; the pitcher is probably more at risk than any of the coaches (I saw Bryce Florie get hit with a ball live and thought that he might have been killed, luckily he was only maimed), and the 1B/3B umpires are also at risk. If you argue that coaches should have helmets, soon some will try to have pitchers wear helmets, and then we begin to stray from traditional baseball.

But all that side, this is a horrible accident. My chest caved in when I saw this on milb.com this morning.

http://www.deweyshouse.com

by SmokeyJoeWood on Jul 23, 2007 10:57 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pitchers

maybe not necessarily a helmet for pitchers, but I'm sure it's not that difficult to built a lightweight hat that has a sheet of foam... Hell, even making a slightly thicker hat... It's all physics, just delaying the impact time of the ball can exponentially decrease the force applied to the head. Just like following through with a swing seems to increase contact with ball time by a fraction of a second with huge distance results, I think that a layer of strong foam (or something lightweight, comfortable, and above all safe) would go a long way.

As far as it not being traditional baseball, we already strayed from that when we forced batters to wear helmets and regularly changed the ball used. There was a smaller danger back then b/c the balls were more "dead" too...

by mroak89 on Jul 23, 2007 11:39 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

good idea

about the quasi hat/helmet. Also a good point about batters wearing helmets

Curtis Granderson fan

by jrose643 on Jul 23, 2007 12:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Loss of a Good Man

Know a guy who played with Mike some and knew him. He seconded that Mike truly was a great guy. Definitely a sad day for the Coolbaugh family and all those in the baseball family that Mike played with in his long career.

Curtis Granderson fan

by jrose643 on Jul 23, 2007 12:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I remember...

I don't really remember him as a pro player in America, but when I was in Korea, he was one of the well-known American players who played in Korea back in 2003

by vertigo991 on Jul 23, 2007 12:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Astros

he had 2 great AAA years with the Stros in 04 and 05. Unfortunately did not get another shot with them any of those years.

Curtis Granderson fan

by jrose643 on Jul 23, 2007 12:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

They should use a safer ball

With modern engineering and manufacturing techniques it is possible to make safer balls that perform similarly to the traditional ball.

They are used sometimes in little league:
http://www.hitrunscore.com/rif10l-worth-safety-baseballs.html

Many of the safety balls used by children in T-ball aren't ones designed to perform like a traditional ball, but it is possible to do so.

Maybe they aren't perfect, you don't get the "crack" of the bat you do with a regular ball, but if pitches move the same, and the ball comes off the bat about the same, how much would this really change the game of baseball? And if the balls maybe aren't yet good enough for MLB, they should at least be encouraging further development, and perhaps testing out some of these in some way, such as using them in some of the minor leagues.

And in college play, they don't seem to worry about aluminum bats being non-traditional. Why not improve the ball?

by acerimusdux on Jul 23, 2007 12:43 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

this is awful

i'm still in shock. how often do coaches even get hit by a foul liner, let alone hit in the head? i don't remember hearing about it before, although 3B coaches joke about being nervous when sheffield steps in the box.

what a terrible accident. RIP mike coolbaugh.

by jpahk on Jul 23, 2007 1:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I always assumed that...

A runner at third was in the most danger -- at least a coach can back the heck out of the way when Sheffield (or his like) is batting...

by BIgMax on Jul 23, 2007 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Memorial Fund

Really tough news. Left behind a wife, two kids, and a third child on the way. RIP Mike.

http://tulsadrillers.com/news/drillers/?id=4981

COOLBAUGH MEMORIAL FUND ESTABLISHED

July 23, 2007 - "The entire Drillers family is devastated by last night's terrible tragedy," said team President Chuck Lamson. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the entire Coolbaugh family, but especially to his wife Mandy and sons Joseph and Jacob."

Lamson added, "The Coolbaughs have been a big part of our organization, with both Mike and his brother Scott playing for us. I know that Mike was very excited to become a coach and to begin this new chapter in his baseball career. Even in his short stint with us this year, he had provided a very positive influence on our club."

"We also want to ask that everyone please respect the team's privacy at this difficult and trying time," said Lamson.

Lamson also announced that the Drillers and Spirit Bank have set up a memorial fund to benefit the Coolbaugh family. Checks can be made payable to the Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund and sent to:

Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund
c/o Spirit Bank
1800 S. Baltimore Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74119

Donations can also be made in person at any Tulsa area Spirit Bank location.

All proceeds collected will go directly to the Coolbaugh family. Spirit Bank began the fund with a $5,000 donation.

The Drillers game scheduled for Monday night in Wichita has been postponed by the Texas League. A decision will be made later on when the team's next game will be played.

Funeral arrangements for Coolbaugh are still pending.

"Baseball is dull only to dull minds." -Red Barber

by e 6 on Jul 23, 2007 1:42 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

why

Why not just give the coaches a glove? Most of them are former players, and I'd feel a lot safer with a glove than with a helmet.

The Drillers have set up a memorial fund for him, they listed this address to send donations to:

Mike Coolbaugh Memorial Fund
c/o Spirit Bank
1800 S. Baltimore Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74119

by BenB on Jul 23, 2007 1:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

picture

that is actually a picture of my card that John used. Unfortunately it was the first thing I saw when I woke up this morning, and I still collect baseball cards. Being an Astros fan, I got many Round Rock team sets.

The pic came from eBay; before reacting, please read on. Every time something along these lines happens (Lidle, Hancock), I do think to myself what I am doing. I know people are going to put items up for sale, its inevitable. What these people do with the proceeds, I do not know, probably some put to good use, some to bad use. I know that I'm a decent person tho, so I figure if the proceeds from something like this go to some general good directly or indirectly(whether its buying a Negro League T-Shirt from Carl Long the other night or randomly giving $25 to a local youth basketball charity last month, et al) that I personally do not have a problem and I can look myself in the mirror when I go to bed. I understand that some people may have a problem with it, and they are entitled to their opinion tho.

Not to take away from the tragedy surrounding the Coolbaugh family, but if anyone would like to discuss in a calm manner their feelings on the subject, feel free to.
Thanks, J-

Curtis Granderson fan

by jrose643 on Jul 23, 2007 5:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts

Gotta have a helluva love for the game to stick with it in the minors that long.

Gotta believe that at some point he would have been an upgrade for some major league team. Wonder why guys like this never really get a shot? Stuck in the wrong organization at the wrong times? Has some flaw that doesn't show up in stats that makes baseball people write him off? Kind of sad really.

I hope MLB and the Colorado Rockies find some way to make a sizable contribution to the memorial fund. The minor leagues are the lifeblood of MLB and guys like Coolbaugh are essential to the development of MLB players even if they don't make it to the show themselves. This guy gave his life for the game, both figuratively and literally.

Gotta feel for the kid who hit that ball. Obviously no fault of his, but that would have to have some affect on you emotionally and mentally. Agree with the sentiment that they give this kid the professional help he needs right away.

by DrBGiantsfan on Jul 23, 2007 7:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

My Condolences

I actually read about this when I was in the Philippines last week. I didn't know he had passed until now though. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and especially his kids who won't have their father for their childhood. I also sincerely hope Tino is able to get past this as well. It was a terrible freakish occurance that nobody will ever forget. Mahalo

Matt

I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.

by WayneCampbell05 on Jul 28, 2007 11:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs