As Conte treated him, Danley tried to get up and get back to work. This time, Conte told him, he would tell the umpire what to do.
"Your main concern is to get back in the game," Danley said. "I didn't want to leave my partners out there without another umpire."
He never did get up, transported onto a stretcher and into the ambulance, with a small wave to the cheering crowd.
"The lady running the ambulance told me, 'Hold your arm out so they know you're OK,' " Danley said.
Danley, 46, was born and raised in Los Angeles. He graduated from Dorsey High and played alongside Tony Gwynn at San Diego State before starting his career as an umpire. He worked in the minor leagues from 1985 to 1997, then joined the major league staff in 1998.
He conveyed his appreciation to the Dodgers' training staff and his thanks for the "all the calls and well wishes." He said major league officials have told him to take all the time he needs to recover fully.
When the time comes, he said, he won't be shy about heading back behind home plate.
"This was just one of those freak things," he said. "I'm sure, the first time I get back there, I'll be worrying about getting hit again. Hopefully, I can get past that play and move on right away.
"I realize I'll get hit back there. I've been hit a bunch of times."
Nothing like this, he said. And, in reflection, he is thankful.
If everything had not happened so fast, he said, it could have been a lot worse. He could have been hit flush on the side of the head.
"I'm just happy I didn't have more time to think," Danley said. "I might have turned my head."
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bill.shaikin@latimes.com
