Last Thursday, Gunnar Sandberg, a pitcher for Marin Catholic High School (California) suffered cranial damage and brain swelling as a result of being struck by a line drive estimated at a speed of 130 mph. Even though the topic of Composite vs. Wood has been debated before, I believe we need to take a 2nd look. In my opinion, bats should be made of wood and their manufacturing should be regulated. Today's professional wood bats seems to be lighter in weight and harder than those used 30+ years ago. Coincidentally, I think issues related to safety were also better then.

Good Post Spanky, I could not agree with you more! Composite bats have created an undue risk on the field of play. Since the 1970’s aluminum bats hit the market because of their durability, but as technology evolved into lighter alloys and composites, the bats main selling point went from durability to performance. Composite bats offer increased bat speed and a bigger sweet spot allowing the ball with more velocity. It makes hitters look better than they are. Many leagues are adopting policies that ban composite and are returning to wood due to the safety factor. Recently, the New York City Council has mandated that players in all high school baseball games played in the city must use solid wood bats or composite wood bats which are approved by Major League Baseball for minor league use. Catholic Schools are already on board. I also believe that LIBA has banned full composite bats from their league.

Composite bats need to be made illegal.

How many more kids need to get hurt before we go to wood? These composite bats are getting lighter and more powerful year after year. What a thrill it is to watch little Johnny hit a 300' home run (150" powered by his new SV12 $400 bat).

Wood is safer and a better game. The good hitters still hit but you wont see the 300" bombs until they hit 16u.

Little League, NJBL, BBH, BOS, PAL, FABL - Do the right thing - Go Wood. Believe me everyone will still play!!!

Well said everyone....As mentioned, the Catholic is using wood bats and is very competitive. But, the NCAA still using metal.
I agree....back to the wood everyone.

Below is a link to Bob Salter / Rick Wolff (right side of screen) WFAN broadcasts. Once you click on the link you can locate the Rick Wolff archived broadcasts related to the issue of bats that I have listed below. Under each broadcast listed click on DOWNLOAD and Windows Media will pop up and play the show.

http://www.wfan.com/pages/3341990.php



10/25/09 Show - Death by aluminum bat: the Brandon Patch case against Louisville Slugger

08/09/09 Part Two - A call to arms: Why the NCAA wants to ban composite bats in college baseball

07/26/o9 show - The dangers of High School softball: Composite bats, the pitching rubber distance to home plate, and the use of face masks. What parents, coaches, and girls should know.

Curt Schilling - The future Hall of Fame pitcher discussed sports parenting with Rick, including his views on aluminum bats, curveballs and kids, specialization in one sport, and more.

Wood is good!

The "powers that be" at the youth, amateur, and professional baseball levels have for too long sat back passively, thereby allowing bat manufacturers full rein in altering the health risk factors related to playing the game. Please refer to http://www.farmhouse.com/tag/maple+bats/. The same criticisms of negligence that are directed at the use of maple bats can be applied to the use of composite bats. Aside from the actual catastrophes that we all hear about, I have seen quite a few near misses that raised the hairs on the back of my neck. I understand that injuries can occur in any sport. Sprain, strains, rasberries, bumps and bruises from being hit by an errand pitch or bad hop are all part of the game of baseball, but high speed projectiles in the forms of splintered bats and balls that are artificially and excessively driven by lightweight high-tech materials are not.

So - Everyone needs to petition the leagues and schools and insist on safety for student athletes. How many more stories do we need to read before we do something about it.

I agree with all of the above posts. NJBL Should go to all wood

Maple bats are on their way to being outlawed themselves as referenced by the new restrictions in the minor leagues . Ash and Hickory take years and years to grow . If everyone wants aluminum outlawed expect to pay 150 or more per stick , that could break right out of the box . A better solution is to review how the new bats are certified . A new bat hits the market and is in a kids hands way too soon . Hybrids , doublewalls and hollowcap bats are the main culprits. I recently found my brother's aluminum bat from college which he used in the first year they were legal. The bat walls had to be a 1/4" thick. I held it next to the high tech lightsaber my son uses and it's evident that money and technology are responsible for the injuries not that the bat is aluminum. We just need a better governing board to regulate what is safe.

If you buy an ultra thin handled bat and it breaks after short usage, whose fault is that. With the aggregate costs that pay for indoor training, private lessons, uniforms and league and tournament participations, what's an extra couple of bucks. I think it would be a small price to pay to effect a better quality and safer game. The true hitting skills will be challenged to improve and the markets will eventually adjust.

Here is the real problem:

Jack MacKay joined Louisville Slugger in 1989 and was put in charge of designing a high-performance aluminum bat to catch industry leader Easton. Mixing space-age alloys and creative engineering, MacKay developed high-priced, high-profit models that left wood in the dust. "This is the kind of technology you ought to be throwing at bin Laden, not some baseball pitcher," he says today. "We've over-engineered it. It's the worst thing I ever did. Aluminum bats and wood bats are not even in the same ballpark." To be approved, an aluminum bat must not cause a batted ball to travel any faster than the best wood bat does. But there's a catch: Bats are tested in a laboratory on a machine set at a 70 mph pitch speed and a 66 mph swing speed. Why not test at far more realistic numbers, say, 85 mph pitches and 80 mph swings? Simple, says MacKay: "It would scare people to death." Why? Reaction time. Experts say the fastest batted ball a pitcher can defend against is about 97 mph. Translation: Less than four-tenths of a second. Ninety-seven mph also is the fastest a ball can be hit by a certified bat in the lab test. Sounds safe, right? But what about on the field? Well, it turns out nobody officially tests balls hit by aluminum bats under game conditions. "We've seen some things on our radar gun--108 miles per hour, 110 at different times," says the University of Minnesota’s baseball coach John Anderson. "I've witnessed 114 myself. Makes you question whether we are doing the right thing?" "Let's be honest," says Anderson. "Bat manufacturers have been wonderful for college baseball. So you get caught up in that, the free product, the fact it's saving you money. But all of a sudden I see my young man lying on the ground, and I'm going, `Is this the right thing?'" There is one man at the University of Massachusetts Lowell baseball research center who works in the lab and does all the testing, Professor + Director James Sherwood who has denied numerous times to comment on the issues of aluminum bats. Still, Sherwood sure did some talking back in February 2000, when he wrote a memo to the NCAA saying he was "genuinely concerned that someone is going to get seriously hurt and potentially killed" with a bat certified in his lab.

Spanky , that is the most ignorant comment you've made . You assume that everyone is opening their wallets for lessons ( private no less ) , indoor training and tourney's . My kids not going to be a pro but he doesn't need all the extras to be a sound ballplayer . Figure how many wood bats will be needed to replace all the metal being used in the world today . When I said 150 per , that was a light estimate that will only be driven up by demand and limited supply . The average ash bat ( non-pro ) has knots , waves and imperfections now . These are the weaknesses the cause breakage ... and it will only get worse . I used to go through 8-10 bats a year as a kid . Light estimate , $ 1500 more dollars a year . I'll buy him a pinky and a broomstick , and he can play stickball .

$1500 is a heavy estimate. Buying in bulk with team cuts cost dramatically now. no reason to believe bulk buyers will not be able to buy well below 150 per even with rule changes.


http://www.hittersinc.com/

You're right about bulk but where exactly is all this ash coming from . Why do you think pros were hitting with maple anyway ? And in a society where green is in ? How about fur hats and styrofoam cups in the dugout ?

The real solution is dumb down the bats and regulate the new ones properly .

The problem is much deeper then that and a lot more complicated and I think we all know that. The bottom line is how exciting the games have become which is big business. I mean the Little League World Series because of the bombs has change the face of the game. Its got more kids involved and made Little League much more money and the game has gained interest all over the globe which is what we want kids playing baseball all over the world. Besides the fact you think all these companies will be around if all bats are the same plane jane metal or wood? Of coarse not. So lets be real, besides wood bats are just as dangerous especially with the maple spear or ash splinters which will happen if kids use bats regularly since parents will not buy a lot of them to keep them fresh. So you will have a bunch of old broken down bats on the field just waiting to hit someone in the face. Now I like wood and wish there was a wood league for little guys, I always have so don’t think I’m against the wood, just realistic that the game needs all bats.

Now no body wants to see anyone get hurt and the truth is all bats all ready have a BESR rating for this very thing. I think the whip in the handle is more the problem then what the compound is of the bat. I mean they rate the BESR and then from what I understand have a rating for handle whip but don’t do any test on seein gif the combination has helped exceed the BESR rate.(but not sure)I’m also not a big fan of them making such a large drop bat. So the combination I think is what the problem is. That and the fact kids are getting stronger and faster and nowadays these kids who play are playing all year round. I mean most little leaguers play a pro schedule with training and all types of nonsense. So no matter what you stick in these kids hands if there getting bigger and stronger and faster there’s no bat saving anyone.

The thing is there are things you can do. One stop making drop 13 bats period. Change the drop rule to youth being drop 10 at most on a 60ft field. Then change the age and base paths for 12 and 13 year olds to play at 70 foot fields(even have league start building these fields), maybe even 11,12 and 13 playing 70 foot and 50 pitch. Now with all 70 ft base paths the drop should only go to drop 5 no more then that. This would also give all these kids a great transition to the 90ft in high school. Then of course 90ft with drop 3 but I think you lower the chances of someone getting hurt be putting distance to react between players and the ball. I say this because most little leagues still play 60 ft at age 12 with 45ft pitch and that’s dangerous and always has been. Kids are too strong, and not only at the plate but some of these pitchers throw pretty hard and at 60 ft it looks like 90mph. So yeah we add crazy foot ball style cages to our helmets which I think is good but not something I would want any kid to get used to especial as they get older. Plus that cage on your helmet doesn’t save your kidneys, your neck, back, leg and you get it.

So I say make the field transition that fit’s the size of that age group and start doing 70ft at least 12 and 13 years old. It will also save kids arms that at 12 and 13 are pitching from 90ft which is retarded, and trying to throw across the field.

Yes they should up dating there rating system. Kids that are 12 that play on 60ft fields throw from 45ft at about 80mph realistically would a good arm.

I do plead guilty to ignorance to many thing, but I try to fill these gaps with common sense. My issue has all to do with returning the game to a safer setting and nothing at all to do with whether or no a child is capable of making it to the professional level. I don't scare very easily just because someone spouts out projections of dire consequences. The demand for wood spans across many end user products (newly built houses, furniture, cabinets, boats, flooring, etc.). I'm not so sure an increased demand for wood bats would be so consequential as to tip the demand/supply scales as dramatically as you suggest. If wood prices rise as demand increases, conversely wouldn't the pricing of metal alloys drop as their demand decreases. Let's go green and plant more trees. We can help the earth and also protect our children.

I didn't see the more recent comments as I was typing my last entry. If anyone expects me to be sympathetic to the livelihood of the bat manufacturers who have had a direct hand in contaminating today's game, the answer is no. If anyone out there thinks that playing with white ash is nearly as dangerous as the high tech material being used today, they are grossly misinformed. Come on guys, is there a better sound to a hitter than the crisp crack of a bat he is swinging?

And in a society where green is in? What society is that? ROTFLMAO. Don't tell me you actually believe Al Gore and Barrack Insane Obama know what they are talking about.

Sorry Batman, I thought we were logged on to Free Republic.

This is a fine example of two lunatics having a conversation. Or it may be one lunatic having a conversation with himself.

ROTFLMAO ? I didn't know we could use cyberslangabrevios

This thread ias about bats. Comments from the Bat Cave are welcome. Comments about being batty are not welcome

For those of you who ever played with a wood bat the selection steps were very basic and benign; weight, length, feel of handle. The main criterion for buying a composite/metal bat today is: which one gives the best pop, and bellyaches about how much they cost. It's not about the art of the game, it's about "turbo-charging Johnny" with technology so that he can hit the ball harder, farther and more consistent with a bat that has a much bigger sweet spot, We should all recognize the truth for what it is. On another matter, there used to be an art to breaking in a glove and building a customized pocket, even that is lost in today's game. I understand that change happens and is part of life, but we should resist when it compromises safety. I, for one, am willing to accept the trade-offs that come along with bringing us to a better place.

Correction: "and NO bellyaches

Very True! Nice Post!

I WISH I STILL HAD THAT NELLIE FOX FAT HANDLE MODEL BAT

Wood is the real game

Is it possible to make a metal bat that has the same velocity characteristics as a wood bat ? That way you could still use a metal bat safely, and not have it break. Sounds simple enough.

Of course it is possible. Unfortunately most parents of the 60 millions future major leaguers would have to face the fact at 10u that JHS is a stretch for their no talent offspring.

Study looks at metal baseball bat safety
October 19, 2007
Baseball players who use alloy bats are no more likely to be injured than those using wooden bats, a study in Illinois found.

The study, commissioned by the Illinois High School Association, tracked 32 high school teams in more than 400 games and 9,000 at-bats. It found five injuries involving metal bats, compared with one injury from wood bats, The Chicago Tribune reported Thursday.
Critics say some metal bats can increase the speed of a batted ball by 20 mph, which is especially dangerous for younger players who have a harder time responding to the faster speed, the newspaper said.
A state lawmaker from Chicago has introduced a bill that would bar the use of metal bats for games involving children under 13. Metal bats have been banned from high school games in New York and in North Dakota.
The IHSA study found that metal bats are more durable. One high school coach said a player could need as many as six wooden bats in a year at a cost of $50 each.
Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Reported from a source with an admitted point of view...

A study from the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research shows that there have been only 15 catastrophic batted ball injuries to pitchers out of more than 9,500,000 high school and college participants since 1982.

During the last five years a number of states, individual organizations, city councils, and others have proposed the banning of aluminum baseball bats on a number of different levels. These actions have typically been in reaction to a catastrophic injury as opposed to being based on creditable injury data or research.

In May of 2002 the Consumer Product Safety Commission stated, “The Commission is not aware of any information that injuries produced by balls batted with non-wood bats are more severe than those involving wood bats”. This statement was true in 2002 and it is true in 2007.

The Medical/Safety Advisory Committee of USA Baseball was initiated due to the lack of injury data needed to make decisions affecting the safety of baseball participants. Prior to 2005 there has not been significant research comparing injuries to baseball pitchers from aluminum bats versus wood bats. In 2005 the USA Baseball Medical/Safety Committee initiated a three year research project comparing line drive baseball injuries to pitchers from aluminum bats and wood bats. Aluminum bat injury data were taken from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance System and wood bat injury data collected from college summer leagues (NCAA recognized college summer league teams all use wood bats).

After two years (2005 and 2006) of collecting batted ball injury data to the pitcher from 93 NCAA college baseball teams and 246 college summer league teams, there have only been 17 injuries to NCAA college pitchers and 15 injuries to college summer league pitchers. There were only 32 injuries after 331,821 balls were hit into play. The injuries in the summer leagues, using wood bats, were more severe than the NCAA injuries using aluminum bats. One-third of the summer league injuries involved the head and face as opposed to none in the NCAA. The third year of the study will be completed in 2007.

As someone who began playing at the earliest Little League level and continuing through the college level, I have firsthand experience in the product evolution of the baseball bat. During my high school years (9th through 12th), I went through, at most, 6 wooden bats. At that time, the process for manufacturing bats was more uniform. Maple bats, with their harder and more brittle characteristics, were not in existance, nor were hollow-tipped bats. The bats then had much smaller sweet spots than today. Also then, using a bat weighing increasingly less than 33 oz. permitted more bat speed but seemingly less "pop." In today's metal/composite era, lighter weight with the same powerful material characteristics and a more comfortable barrel to handle weight balance has seriously enhanced the return velocity of a struck baseball. In support of one of my points, I am offering a challenge to anyone/everyone: Go to a sporting goods store, pick out a wood bat and a composite bat of the same length and weight and swing them in an open area. The ease and quicker bat speed will belong to the composite.

In my opinion, baseball should be played with wooden bats only. With wood, there is less of a sweet spot and it makes the kids rely more on fundamentals. Spanky, I agree with you when you write about the difference in the bat speed, there is an appreciable difference.

In the history of this website, I think we all finally found a topic in which we all agree. Let baseball be played the way it was intended......with wood bats. Good work everyone.

Wood is tooo heavy for kids periord

BS! Wood is good. Maybe you kid should be playing tennis.

This is scary:

The NCAA BESR bat performance standard does NOT regulate the maximum batted-ball speed for a bat. In fact, the BESR standard does not even measure batted-ball speed at all. And, for that matter, it doesn't measure the ball exit speed either. What the standard does measure is the ratio of the ball exit speed to the combined speeds of the pitched ball and swung bat. Knowledge of the Ball-Exit-Speed-Ratio along with the Moment-Of-Inertia of the bat can be used to calculate the batted-ball speed. In fact, the 97-mph hit ball speed usually associated with the BESR standard is a calculation based on a measured BESR for a specific 34-inch wood bat, [b]an assumed bat swing speed of 66-mph and an assumed pitched-ball speed of 70-mph.[/b]
My son is 13U and throws the ball 77 MPH on a radar gun (thank god he is finally playing on the big field). I'm reasonably sure that most 13U kids who are good hitters can swing a bat faster than 66 MPH. Conclusion: Aluminum bats are dangerous unless the BESR is calculated using more realistic pitch velocities and bat swing speeds.

Bad advice! Tennis and golf have also been corrupted by the same "technical advances." Speaking to the game of tennis, the power element has eclipsed the finess factor, but at least safety issues are not involved.

I don't think I agree with the power element has eclipsed WHOOOOOOOOPS!!!!
I originally read this as eclipsed the fitness factor but I think you might have meant finesse not fitness. Which was it?

Thank you for pointing out my misspelling. "finesse" is what I intended to type.

Yeah, but the racket is lighter than wood bats.

OK we are talking about finesse. Interesting that technology inovation is incremental in most sports. Sticking to tennis and golf, Jimmy Connors and the Wilson T2000 were revolutionary but did not cause a massive embrace of the Wilson T2000 technology by tennis pros in general. I can understand why, because it was indeed very similar to Tiger Woods and the Nike driver, extremely hard to control where the ball was going to go in relationship to the boundaries (lines in tennis, out of bounds in golf) imposed by the game. What it did bring to golf and tennis is the power game and the ability for a greater number of people to play at the outer margins of the sport but as you have pointed out unlike baseball the technology did not increase the potential danger to the competitors that aluminum and other composites bats bring to the game of baseball. I hope that wood bats become the mandated type of bat and the sooner the better.

The next thing in wood bats is the Radial bat . Invented by a MIT prof with a constant sweet spot and virtually unbreakable . It's also made of less than the solid wood used in a traditional bat .

Is that the bat that uses maybe 12 pieces of wood glued in a radial pattern? I can understand it being stong because of no single continuous grain, but the weight has to be about the same.

I'm not sure it's 12 pieces or not . It may be 6 or 8 , but that is the design . The weight is the same and it can be custom shaped . Pretty cool idea . I'm sorry I didn't think of it . Probably years away .

Here's the website. BTW, they have some great training bats.

http://www.radialbat.com/en/index.html

Then what do all the people do with there composite bats? will there be a trade in policy? or do you just eat the $400 you spent on a new bat.. What bat is your son swinging is it wood?

Lets say they change to all wood bats, your already loseing the interest of kids playing baseball, take away the bats and there will be more kids going to play LAX how many kids have been hurt? do you think a line drive from a wood bat back to the pitcher would be safer by how much..

Hmmm, let me think over these last few comments. For the person that pays $400 for a bat, he will never have to incur that expense per item again. Regardless of their durable construction, children grow, get stronger, and require bats of different lengths and weights as they mature. As in my home, disgarded metal/composite bats accumulate in a scrap heap that takes up part of my garage. As far as kids losing interest in baseball, and the trend accelerating if wood bats are mandated, I just don't see your point. Lastly, if any kid gets hit in the head by a linedrive by any means, it's a problem. However, you can't equate the risks of using wood and metal as being equal.

Louisville Slugger, Hillerich & Bradsby Co lost $850,000.00 in a case of a baseball hit with an aluminum that lead to the death of a 16 year old pitcher. The average reation time by a pitcher to a line drive hit back to the mound is about 400 milliseconds, the pitcher in this case had about 376 - 378 milliseconds response time. So in this case, now being appeal;ed by Louisville Slugger, 22 milliseconds equalled $850,000 vs 1 dead kid. Aluminum has to go or BESR has to calculated using realistic game pitch velocity and bat swing speeds.

The average reation time = The average reaction time

Then what will be the next problem your talking about, the wood bat shattered and impailed in the pitchers neck, now were going to sue the maple industry for faulty wood. There is always going to be something that someone will sue for thats the American way..

Splintered and shattered woods bats is just reaction and attempted comeback from the metal bat companies. Cmon everyone, of course this situation may arise, but the frequency of pitchers getting hit is much more common than a wood bat shattering. How many MLB highlights to you witness with wood shattering and causing a LIFE threatning injury. The game was invented to be played with wood. Metal bats were made to MAKE MONEY. Argue your cause and reasons all you want, WOOD is the choice.

Wood is a better choice, the only problem is that because of the weights involved in wood bats thay are not an options until the player is swinging a -3. Anything smaller will break constantly and most kids under 12 can't handle the weight of wood bats.

. A shattered bat is not moving anywhere near the speed of a baseball coming off of an aluminum bat. The estimated speed of a a large piece of bat (most of the bat above the handle) is about 40 mph, far less dangerous than a ball trevelling 100+ MPH.

As far as impaling in the pitcher's neck, I can cite no such instance. Interesting the only impaling I can cite is that of Dodger catcher Steve Yeager, who was struck in the neck by a broken bat and absent quick acting and thinking trainers, might very well have died. All catchers began wearing mask that included a extra attachment protecting the throat areas. Also note new rules for manufacturing wooden bats are now in effect. I see no reason why the rules for aluminum bats can not be adjusted to mitigate the safety obvious problems they pose.

In response to bb101, previous generation have use wood bat, so we do have a real life history to measure and compare against. Back then, little league teams up through high schools supplied bats for each respective team and kids shared in their use. Rarely was there a situation when a player bought a bat for his own personal use and there never seemed to be shortages. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones, I began playing baseball at the age of 6 and didn't break my 1st bat until the summer of 10th grade. Back then, those using super thin handles were more at risk. I feel pretty confident that with the cooperation of manufacturers, wood bats could be made more durable. History is proof that wood bats can be made without the exaggerated risk factors stated above.

It has to be a trickle down effect start at the collage level, then to the high school level.. I feel 8 thru 12 is no danger.. just my opinion.

Two years ago while at Baseball Heaven, I walked past and stopped to briefly watch a 12U game being played on one of their intermediate fields ( 75 foot long basepaths). The L.I. Riptides were at bat and the L.I. Sluggers were in the field. At one at bat, the big 3rd baseman from the Riptides drilled a linedrive toward the face of the Sluggers left-handed pitcher. Luckily, the pitcher was able to pull his glove up to protect himself to avoid a health disaster. How many incidents and near-incidents like this do we need to witness and hear about before we take decisive action? I am in full agreement with BeenAround's earlier statement that kids are better off playing with wood because learning to hit using bats with smaller sweet spots will make them better players.

Riptides are no more. Broke up; RIP.

Yesterday I watched a JV1 high school scrimmage game between Commack and St. John's The Baptist which contrasted the team uses of metal versus wood. Anyone watching could see the significant difference in striking power. The way I see it, 3 factors contribute to this: (1) Metal/Composite bats can be swung with greater bat speed. (2) the high tech materials absorb and return the striking energy from the ball more efficiently. (3) The metal/composite bats are much more forgiving on "off-hits."

An "off-hit" by metal/composite bat standards is either a foul tip or a hit off of the handle.

Agreed. Or at least prohibit 'big barrel' bats. They don't make kids better hitters.

it seems they are changeing the rating on metal bats for high school for 2012 so it doesn't seem like metal bats are going away.. just don't buy any new minus 3 bats unless you need one for they will be no good for 2012.

Metal must go. Baseball should only be played with wood.

Just left Connetquot/ Lindy game today-pitcher took serious line drive to the head-GET RID OF THESE BATS ALREADY>>>

More details if you can. Did the pitcher require an ambulance? This is horrible.

Does anybody know what happened today at the Connetquot/ Lindenhurst game? Did they finish the game??

Did anyone get seriously hurt at Lindy/Connetquot game?

Bat manufacturers, enabled by selfish consumers, have hijacked the beautiful game of baseball for too long. We need to recognize and take responsibility for our passive acceptance because, collectively, we helped usher in a playing environment that carries within it much greater potentials for catastrophic health risks. Today it may be someone else's kid, tomorrow it may be one of ours. What I am referring to is beyond the inherent risks of wrist and ankle sprains or arm and shoulder strains. It's time we come together with the help of a few local politicians to try to force change.

Newsday.com has the story online.

Just read the article on the Lindy pitcher - Thank god he will be ok. What a scare. Paul Gibson is quoted saying this is the second one he has seen in LI HS sports this season (only a couple of weeks old) and mentioned a career ending blow of a college prospect. THIS HAS TO STOP. We are leaving it up to the leagues?? Go wood this summer - Write to your league, NJBL, BOS, BBH - DEMAND WOOD BAT LEAGUES. It could be your son next time. Is the 350' HR for a 13u player that important??

There are plenty of other leagues in NY state and around the country to support the metal bat companies. This should not be our problem as responsible parents and coaches on Long Island. Every LL, school and travel league should switch to WOOD. Lets keep our kids safe and at the same time separate the true good hitting kids from the ones swinging $400 metal bats.

SO - All this said - How do we force the schools and leagues to go with wood?
BOS schedule meeting is this Wednesday - BBH meeting is the 21st. COACHES - DEMAND WOOD BAT -

Anyone have a clue how to get High Schools to go wood?

Thank god he will be okay addresses the physical side of this horrible event. What about the psychological trauma this young man is likely to suffer, perhaps forever? A very sad incident.

What about the feeling of guilt/trauma that may impact the kid who struck the ball. Realistically, there is no incentive for 1 public school system to act independently in transitioning to wood. "Winning" at the high school level, kids vying for scholarships, and others wanting to attract a scout's eye would resist such a move. To get where we need to be requires a mandated rules change.

A valid point. Unfortunately the kid who was hit has to suffer both sides, the physical and psychological traumas. New York City PAL opted to go wood last year but then opted to posepone enactment for 1 year of play. My assumption is they will be playing wood this year. Hopefully this will influence Suffolk and Nassau Counties to get on board.

posepone = postpone

Real baseball is played with wood!

Credit to the Long Island Catholic schools for making the switch. I know there were some politicians in NYC trying to spearhead a change, but I don't know to what extent they have succeeded. We have to move forward and piggyback those who have made inroads on changing to wood. If we don't, the interest and focus will wane. I'm wondering whether we have a broad and deep enough support to start a petition.

The standard for Major League baseball is wood. As for the danger that modern composite and metal bats pose, there is no doubt that the ball jumps off these modern high tech bats faster than wood bats increasing risk. Being that said, the NCAA will be altering its standard for metal bats next season, with public high schools following in 2012. New York City Public High Schools and the Catholic Schools have already banned metal and composite bats and have returned to good old fashion baseball with the wood only rule.

While I am a kind of a purest when it comes to wood bats and think that metal and composite should go the way of the dodo bird. However, I think that sensible measures can be taken to allow metal bats to continue to be utilized in youth baseball by restricting the specs in these bats. I also am not naive, I fully understand that wood bats also create a risk when they shatter, especially maple bats. I also think that maple should be removed from the game.
Kids and parents alike utilize metal and composite bats because everyone they to see home runs and increased stats. Wood reduces batting and offensive statistics. No kid wants to feel the sting when they mishit the ball with wood. Young players can develop bad habits and a false sense of superiority when using metal or composite. Pitchers do not have enough time to react! Go to a Long Island High School game and watch a Catholic School Team play a Public School Team and tell me who hits the ball further, but then watch the Catholic Team play more fundamentally sound offensive small ball.
Another factor to consider is that today’s kids are stronger and more powerful today compared to years past due to more attention and detail given to better conditioning, weight training, and instruction. Bigger and better players produce pitchers who throw the ball harder with more velocity and hitters with greater bat speed resulting in a well hit baseball that has a lot more velocity off of the bat resulting in the increasing risk of injury.
This is an interesting debate, but my opinion is that we should return to wood only for the sake of safety!

Spanky, I believe that the PSAL has a wood only rule in effect. BTW, nice posts!

I believe that LIBA has banned full composite bats.

Catholic High Schools-Wood Only-How about everyone going to wood at High School Level-I still cant believe they use metal/composite for college ball--oh that's right dimarinni and easton give them huge amounts of $$$ to use them on national t.v.-go figure...
was at Lindy game-if kid didnt get his glove partially in the way it wouldv'e been much worse-was scary enough.

I agree with your assessment, that things could have been worse.

Are mizuno bamboo bats allowed in wood bat tournaments? Jw

Bamboo bats are not allowed in most tourneys

Yesterday I spectated a 9th grade baseball game. The buzz on one bench was that a dad bought his son a $400 bat that he was anxious to put to use. Now why would he pay $400, when he can pay $200 for a decent bat? Do you get the idea? He is paying for performance enhancement. Aside from foul balls, most balls struck into the playing field were hit with authority. Is it the players or the bats? What is the realistic lifetime use by the same player of this $400 bat?For the same money, someone can buy 8 $50 wood bats on an "as need basis" and have the opportunity to change lengths and weights if preferences change.

Sometimes the bat being used helps the player psychologically more than physically. If the father has that kind of money to pay than more power to em. You still have to put the bat on the ball. If a major league player will do steroids do you really think they don't enhance their equipment in some way or another. Over the years players have been accused of using illegal bats and some have been caught hollowing out wood bats and inserting objects to lighten bats. Do you really think that some HS players or their fathers don't send their kids bats out to be rolled or shaved to create an advantage for their kid. I know of at least 3 HS parents that have had bats that minus 3's shaved down so they are only -8 so that their son's can swing the bats. This is more of a problem than the equipment being sold off the rack nowadays.

It wont change till parents put their kids [and other kids] health ahead of ego's...besides the oodles of sponsor money that companies pay to utilize their equipment. And what I'm seeing out there its not going to change for awhile. Show your kid the bat Babe Ruth used-probably 50 oz monster at Cooperstown-their was no shaving on that stick.

Is the 1st made and bought $1000 bat that far away. Regarding comments above, since when is deceitful actions the standard to follow? Bonds is hiding in a hole somewhere and McGuire ruined his image forever, and looks pathetic in trying to resurrect an extended career in baseball. Sosa and Palmiero know better than to show their faces in public. Long live the spirits of Ruth, Aaron, Williams, DiMaggio, although some have accused The Babe of using PED's - the nitrates from all the hot dogs he ate.

These new bats are dangerous plain and simple nothing will change until more kids get hurt. Bring back wood safety of our kids come first.

Manufacturers are looking out for themselves, not our kids. I wonder what the profit margins are for each bat.

imagine the uproar from these bat companies if the change to wood was ever made.

wood bats are the way to go