St. John Fisher doesn't have any baseball left to play this season and that's just fine with head coach Dan Pepicelli.

On Thursday, the Cardinals were playing for a postseason berth against Oswego State and the Lakers led 9-5 in the ninth inning. With Oswego State hitting in the top half of the inning, head coach Frank Paino was hit in the head by a line drive while coaching third base and instantly lost consciousness.

Pepicelli was the first person to reach Paino, who was transported to Strong Memorial Hospital and was thankfully released the following day. At the time, however, nobody knew if Paino would live or die - and if that sounds overly traumatic, just refer back to the tragic story of Mike Coolbaugh from last summer.

After Paino had been taken to the hospital, there was still baseball left to play, but Pepicelli and the Cardinals would have none of it. St. John Fisher conceded the game to Oswego State, refusing to take final at-bat in the bottom of the inning. "At that point, nobody was feeling like playing a game anymore," said Pepicelli. "What we were trying to get done, advancing in the tournament, seemed very, very distant."

The Cardinals saw their season come to a close on Thursday, but all of the players on the field learned a tremendous lesson in sportsmanship. The game is never bigger than life, and we shouldn't treat it as such. The decision to concede the game was an easy one for Pepicelli.

While Paino will make a full recovery, don't we once again have to wonder why coaches aren't wearing helmets when they stand on the field? We've seen death, we've seen people get knocked out - what are we waiting for? Professional baseball has changed the rule, and it's time for colleges and high schools to follow suit.