Umpire still has headaches

WASHINGTON -- Umpire Kerwin Danley still has headaches, five days after he was hit in the mask by a pitch from the Dodgers’ Brad Penny.

Danley’s condition is being monitored by Major League Baseball and he is not yet scheduled to return to work, the World Umpires Assn. said Thursday. He was briefly knocked unconscious by the fastball to the right side of his jaw and was hospitalized briefly after Saturday night’s game. CT scans were negative, the union said.

Danley’s mother, Annette, attended the game at Dodger Stadium, and former Dodgers manager Tom Lasorda tried to calm her.

“From now on, I’ll be watching that ball as soon as it leaves the pitcher’s glove,” she said.

The World Umpires Assn. said major league umpires sustained 38 blows to the head last year and 20 already this season.

“Last month alone, four of our umpires had back and neck surgery because of hits to the head,” spokesman Lamell McMorris said.

“We’re hoping that all the coverage of this incident gives the public a sense of just how dangerous being a professional umpire is.”