If you ever questioned why baseball players wear cups, yesterday is a good indicator.

LaTroy Hawkins wasn’t the first guy to take a foul ball right to the pocket rocket last night. Nope, that distinction belongs to Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan versus the Chicago Cubs. On a 2-1 pitch, Cubs catcher Wellington Castillo, with no regard for his position mate’s peas and carrot, achieved a direct hit off of a foul ball. Hanigan seemed to be okay after a solid three to four minutes of writhing on the ground.

I’m sure the collective shudders and squeals of men everywhere that watched it happen joined together to form some kind of healing energy that was directly channeled to Hanigan and gave him the power to carry on.

Don’t forget to wear your cup, kids. It’s arguably the most important piece of baseball equipment!

[@gidget]