Wednesday
Sep102008
Chicago Alderman wants metal bats tossed from baseball
Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 4:29PM
Having played little league back in the day and as someone who still plays softball, I have to agree with the aldermna on this one.
The great debate about the danger that metal baseball bats pose to young players has arrived at a new playing field: the Chicago City Council. Ald. Robert Fioretti (2nd) wants to follow New York City’s lead and ban the use of metal bats in Chicago by kids under the age of 18. “It’s not a question of foie gras. That’s what choice is. This is an issue of actual injury. This is an issue where children are harmed…This is an issue of protecting our young people and bringing them back to our old pastime of baseball and wooden bats,” Fioretti said. Ald. wants to ban metal baseball bats in Chicago :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Politics.Metal bat technology has gotten to a point where the bats can create safety concerns. In many of the slow-pitch softball leagues around the country pitcher's have taken to wearing face-masks reminiscent of hockey goalies, and that's slow-pitch softball. I used to use wooden bats as a kid, and to be honest, I'd like to see metal bats disappear from all levels of baseball (I just hate the ping sound they make, it drives me nuts). The only real issue here is that the wood supply for both maple and ash bats may not be large enough to support this, especially with the recent reports of serious insect threats to Louisville Sluggers Ash supply
Reader Comments (4)
I represent a coalition in the baseball community known as Don't Take My Bat Away, which is supported by players, coaches, fans, parents, bat makers, and associations such as USA Baseball, Little League Baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball, American Legion Baseball, PONY Baseball, among others. It is a group that supports "bat of choice" when it comes to selecting the type of bat one uses in the games of baseball and softball.
We take exception to the proposed legislation by Alderman Robert Fioretti that supports banning non-wood/aluminum bats. It’s important to know that any implication that the ball comes off a metal bat at a faster speed than it does off a wood bat has no validity. The third-party research below supports that conclusion:
1) Since 2003, metal bats used in high schools and colleges have been scientifically regulated so that the speed of the batted balls off metal bats is comparable to that of the best major league wood bat. This standard has been adopted by the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations.
2.) Bats used at the Little League level are governed by the BPF Standard which dictates that the rebound effect of the batted ball off non-wood bats cannot exceed the rebound effect of the batted ball off a wood bat. These standards (both BESR and BPF) are presented to bat makers which they must follow.
3.) A 2007 study on the "Non-Wood vs. Wood Bats" by Illinois State University concluded that "there was no statistically significant evidence that non-wood bats result in an increased incidence of severity of injury."
4.) In 2002 (before the current more restrictive performance regulations were in place), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) stated "Available incident data are not sufficient to indicate that non-wood bats may pose an unreasonable risk of injury." (April 5, 2002) Obviously, since then, new regulations have been put in place to reduce the performance ability of bats even more.
It’s also important to realize that baseball is a very safe sport, but accidents do happen – and they occur in games where wood bats are used and in games where metal bats are used. It’s also important to note that the overwhelming number of injuries in baseball take place due to a thrown ball or a collision. While baseball players in the big leagues use wood bats, that should not be the logic used to require wood bats at the lower levels because well over 99% of all players never make it past the college level. Why impose a standard on a player at a young age which will impede his (or her) ability to make contact with the ball, get a base hit, and enjoy the simple pleasures of the game? Restricting all players to a wood bat will discourage participation in the game – and that’s not a good thing. Current major league players like Alex Rodriquez, Ken Griffey, Jr., Gary Sheffield, and Carl Crawford all grew up using a metal bat and they are now thriving at the major league level.
And, in the 2006 College World Series (where a metal bat by today's standards was used), the batting average in all games was .277, the average number of home runs per game was 0.82, and the average number of runs per game per team was 5.2. In the 2006 American League season (where a wood bat was used), the batting average in all games was .275, the average number of home runs per game was 1.12, and the average number of runs per game per team was 5.2. As you can see, it's virtually identical -- with different bats.
I would also encourage you to visit our website (http://DTMBA.com">DTMBA.com) and watch a video where there's an independent test on exit speeds of baseballs off wood and non-wood/metal bats. Once you get to our website, click on the "In the News" section. There's a still picture of one of the players in the "test" video and a clickable link which will enable you to watch the short segment -- about two minutes long.
Sincerely,
Mike May
Don't Take My Bat Away
6650 West Indiantown Road -- Suite 220
Jupiter, FL 33458
p: 561.427.0657
f: 561.427.0648
c: 561.317.6111
mmay@sgma.com
http://www.dtmba.com">www.dtmba.com
Mike,
That is a very thorough response and I certainly appreciate the message. I used metal bats growing up (although they were light years behind the current bat technology), in fact I still have the Easton that I used in Little League and Babe Ruth.
I certainly understand your argument, and have to say that I can't really disagree with too many of the points you make (aside from the independent testing, which I haven't reviewed). Additionally, there does tend to be significant over-reaction in many cases such as this, where someone in a position of power attempts to insert legislation because of an accident to a friend or loved one.
For me, I would like to see metal bats disappear because I am a baseball purist and wooden bats are the legacy of the game, and while Ken Griffey Jr., Carl Crawford and Alex Rodriguez are poignant examples, players like Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez (and many others that come from poorer countries and most likely did not have access to Demarini's, COMbat's, Worth SuperCells, etc...) show that the tools available don't necessarily make the player.
Personally, while I may agree with the alderman's viewpoint, I do not agree with the attempt to legislate this on a governmental level (and perhaps I should have made that point clearer). When a child plays a sport (any sport) they, and their parents, assume risk. Accidents happen at all levels of sports, regardless of their nature as recreational or competitive. I have been injured many times due to sports, it's something that comes with the game and as a parent I think that there is far too much caution injected into the lives of our country's children at this point.
The choice of whether or not to use metal bats should be left up to each individual organization and the players/parents involved with that organization, this should not be something that the government (at any level) should have any involvement with.
Again, thank you for the response.
I dont usually comment, but after reading through so much info I had to say thanks
Haha ^^ nice, is there a section to follow the RSS feed