Face guard

A face guard for protecting a baseball player's face from a baseball without restricting the player's generally horizontal line of sight when the guard is donned by the player, the face guard comprising:

• an open framework configured to prevent a baseball from contacting the player's face when the guard is donned,
• said framework including a plurality of vertically spaced crossbars extending across the player's face when the guard is donned,
• said framework further including a plurality of risers interconnecting the crossbars,
• said framework being positioned, when the guard is donned, outside of the player's generally horizontal line of sight;
• a plurality of straps coupled to the framework and operable to position and retain the framework on the player when the guard is donned,
• said straps including a positioning strap and a securing strap,
• said positioning strap being continuous and stretchable and configured to extend around the player's head and thereby position the guard on the player's face when the guard is donned,
• said securing strap being adjustable and configured to snugly enclose the player's head and thereby secure the guard on the player's face once the guard is positioned on the player's face;
• and
• compressible padding connected to the framework and configured to contact the player and thereby space the framework from the face when the guard is donned,
• said framework including a chin bar extending below the chin of the player when the guard is donned,
• said framework including a chin guard,
• said compressible padding including a brow pad extending laterally across the face and configured to contact the brow of the player when the guard is donned,
• said compressible padding further including a chin pad extending vertically along the face and configured to contact the chin of the player when the guard is donned,
• said chin pad being integrally formed with said chin guard,
• said plurality of straps including an additional adjustable securing strap.

A face guard for protecting a baseball player's face from a baseball without restricting the player's generally horizontal line of sight when the guard is donned by the player, the face guard comprising:

• an open framework configured to prevent a baseball from contacting the player's face when the guard is donned,
• said framework including a plurality of vertically spaced crossbars extending across the player's face when the guard is donned,
• said framework further including a plurality of risers interconnecting the crossbars,
• said framework being positioned, when the guard is donned, outside of the player's generally horizontal line of sight;
• a plurality of straps coupled to the framework and operable to position and retain the framework on the player when the guard is donned,
• said straps including a positioning strap and a first securing strap, said positioning strap being continuous and stretchable, said first securing strap being adjustable;
• and
• compressible padding connected to the framework and configured to contact the player and thereby space the framework from the face when the guard is donned,
• said padding presenting a brow pad and a chin pad, said brow pad extending laterally across the face and configured to contact the brow of the player when the guard is donned,
• said chin pad extending vertically along the face and configured to contact the chin of the player when the guard is donned,
• said plurality of straps including a second securing strap being adjustable, said first securing strap being configured to secure the guard on the player's face when the guard is donned so that movement of the guard relative to the player's face in a first direction is substantially prevented,
• said second securing strap being configured to secure the guard on the player's face when the guard is donned so that movement of the guard relative to the player's face in a second direction is substantially prevented wherein the first and second directions are generally perpendicular to one another.