Roger Hall revolutionized the game of baseball and softball. Clinically tested and proven to significantly reduce sliding injuries, Rogers® Breakaway™ base made headlines when the studies revealed his base could prevent 1.7 million injuries per year and eliminate 2 billion dollars in related health care costs. And with a recent re-engineering of the base plate, Rogers® Breakaway™ Base is now compatible with traditional ground anchors making it easier and less expensive to convert every ball field into a safer place to play.
injuries prevented per year
reduction in sliding injuries
healthcare savings
of baseball safety
For over four decades, Rogers® Base Company has been an industry leader in developing durable and safe baseball field equipment. From youth baseball and softball leagues to college level play, Rogers® Breakaway™ Base is persistently referred to as the best base on the market – and for good reason. With over 40 years of use, Rogers® continues to out-perform its competitors both in minimizing injuries and in long-lasting durability.
This was the headline on the front page of the Wall Street Journal on May 25, 1990. Roger Hall was born and raised in Harrisburg, PA, and developed a love for baseball as a young boy. He played and coached baseball and softball into his early adulthood and witnessed many leg injuries from sliding into bases. One afternoon, while coaching his baseball team at Elizabethtown College in Pennsylvania, one of his players suffered a horrific leg injury sliding into 2nd base. Roger decided it was time to fix this problem.
After years of trial and error and a great deal of personal sacrifice financially, Rogers® Breakaway™ Base came to market in 1981. Sales were sluggish, and the baseball and softball community struggled to adapt. Unbeknownst to Roger, an orthopedic surgeon named Dr. David Janda from Ann Arbor, Michigan, had treated what he felt were too many foot, ankle, and knee injuries caused by sliding into a base.
Based on the report from the study conducted by Dr. David Janda, Little League® Baseball has approved the Rogers® BreakAway™ Base System. International Little League® Baseball Officials have chosen the Rogers® BreakAway™ Base System for use in the Little League® World Series and all of The Little League® Baseball regional facilities in the United States. "We think they are superior.”
DR. CREIGHTON J. HALE,
FORMER LITTLE LEAGUE® BASEBALL PRESIDENT, NOW SENIOR ADVISOR
I have used Rogers® BreakAway™ Softball Base Systems at both Northwestern University and now at Penn State. My teams have been playing on the Rogers® BreakAway™ Softball Base for so long that I forget what type of injuries we used to have. I have found them to be very effective at virtually eliminating sliding injuries.
ROBIN PETRINI
HEAD SOFTBALL COACH, THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
I’ve been using the Rogers® BreakAway™ Base since 2001 and have not had one injury since they were installed on our fields. Not only does it provide safety to my players, it also allows me to teach them proper sliding techniques without the worry of injury. I’ve been coaching for 23 years and in my opinion, Rogers® BreakAway™ Softball Bases are the best softball bases on the market – I endorse them 100%.
DONNA PAPA
HEAD SOFTBALL COACH, UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA
We have been using the Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Base System at our Little League® Regional facility in Waco, TX for the last 18 years and continue to be impressed with both the performance and durability of the baseball base. We have found them to be effective at reducing the risk of sliding injuries and highly recommend their use on any baseball field.
MICHAEL J. WITHERWAX
SOUTHWEST REGIONAL DIRECTOR, LITTLE LEAGUE® BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL LITTLE LEAGUE® WORLD SERIES REGIONAL FACILITY
I purchased my first set of Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Bases in 1988 and continue to use them to this day. In the past, we had 4 to 5 major base sliding injuries per year but since installing Rogers BreakAway™ Baseball Base, we have had zero, zero - not one injury - as a result of sliding improperly – since 1988! In my 30 plus years as a player and administrator I’ve seen and played on every type of baseball base including stationary and other so called safety bases. Rogers BreakAway™ Baseball Base is by far the absolute best base and piece of safety equipment to come along – nothing else comes close. No child or adult should ever play on a field that does not have these baseball bases – period.
DON SCHAFFER
FORMER PRESIDENT, ELIZABETHTOWN MEN’S SOFTBALL LEAGUE 1974 – 2006
Our fields have all levels and types of players including Little League® Baseball, girls youth leagues, Co-ed, Fast Pitch, and men’s senior leagues, so safety of our players is a big concern. Before installing Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Base, I used an alternate safety base and was less than pleased with its performance. I began to research alternate safety baseball bases and when I found Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Base, my decision to purchase was simple. Since using the base, I am convinced without question that it is the safest design of any base and its performance and engineering are clearly the best.
BOB BELL
PRESIDENT, WEST CHESTER AREA SPORTS ASSOCIATION
Based on the report from the study conducted by Dr. David Janda, Little League® Baseball has approved the Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Base System. International Little League® Baseball Officials have chosen the Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Base System for use in the Little League® World Series and all of The Little League® Baseball regional facilities in the United States. "We think they are superior.”
DR. CREIGHTON J. HALE,
FORMER LITTLE LEAGUE® BASEBALL PRESIDENT, NOW SENIOR ADVISOR
... Chairman Brown gave the second award to Roger Hall, president of Rogers Sports Corp. of Elizabethtown, Pa., for his invention of the Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Base. As head baseball coach at Elizabethtown College, Hall saw that base-sliding injuries occurred to players at all levels - from Little League® baseball to professional. When he could not interest sporting goods manufacturers in making a safer base, he developed one himself.
CPSC's baseball study found that safety release baseball bases, such as the Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Base, could reduce 6,600 base-contact sliding injuries to children occurring in organized play. Currently, Little League® Baseball uses Hall's bases during its Little League® World Series and, for the first time this year, softball played at the Olympics will use these safety bases...
CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION
I have been using Rogers bases since I played at Oklahoma State in 1997-2000. When I left to coach, I ensured every field I coached had them. I love Roger's bases. I swear by them. They saved my playing career on many occasions, and I am sure many of my players. So when BSN suggested going to a magnetic base because they are similar, I said NO WAY! I have to find a way to get my program a new set!
SHANNON SULLIVAN
HEAD SOFTBALL COACH, CENTENNIAL HIGH SCHOOL
...Rogers® baseball bases are cost-effective and safer than standard stationary bases. In recreational softball leagues, the use of Rogers® BreakAway™ Baseball Bases should be mandatory.
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SPORTS MEDICINE, VOL 18, NO. 6
1990 AMERICAN ORTHOPEDIC SOCIETY FOR SPORTS MEDICINE
