Taking a swing at aluminum bats (IL may ban them for youth)

St. Louis Post Dispatch ^ | Feb. 27, 2008 | Kevin McDermott

[kc8ukw]

It's been three decades now since the ping of aluminum started drowning out the crack of a wooden bat on youth baseball fields across America.

But that older sound of summer is making a comeback on some grassy diamonds these days — not for nostalgia, but safety. Some Illinois lawmakers, in fact, want to ban metal bats from youth baseball.

[Red Badger]

Ban baseballs and go all-Nerf.

Whiffle Balls......

[Resolute Conservative]

What is sadder is the level of competition in Dixie ( 7-8 yoa ) and youth girls softball among the parents. The kids just want to play and the parents are all about playing “select ball” and if their kid does not get asked to the all star team they are offended.

My son was asked to play select after the season and I said no and you would have though I kicked someone’s grandma. This year the word was out that I am a non-team parent (??) so don’t bother asking my kid to play. The good thing is he is in the top 5 of players in the league so they need him.

[Red Badger]

Are you saying that the people are up against BIG ALUMINUM (Alcoa, Reynolds, etc)?............

[BikerTrash]

My two cents from personal experience...don't stir a campfire with one, at least not for very long.

They blow up real good!

[mad puppy]

Maybe there should be a weight limit or something. If a kid is over 100lbs he is big enough to swing a wooden bat. Granted, he might not hit as well with it, but he probably won’t kill the pitcher either. I don’t know what the solution is but those light bats are pretty dangerous.

[Eurale]

I know that this is straying off topic, but I coached youth leagues, high school and college summer leagues. Parents are often the worst component of youth athletics, and in fact often inhibit their kids’ ability to advance in their sport. Too much domestic conflict.

Tell your son to just have fun and try to get a little better each year. The college scouts won’t even look at him until his junior year of high school (even though some parents insist that their kid has been “booked” by an MLB team at the age of 10.) LOL. I’ve heard them all!

[Scotswife]

“Aluminum bats are great ... unless your kid is a pitcher!”

and my kid is a pitcher.
The older, bigger, stronger these kids get, the more nerve wracking the whole aluminum vs. wood issue becomes.

[Yo-Yo]

People often don’t realize that aluminum bats are very different than they used to be. The way they are engineered has the ball coming off at such a rapid speed that pitchers cannot react fast enough to defend themselves. This is particularly true in the younger ages.

In golf, the USGA sets tight limits as to the maximum COR that any driver face can have, thus limiting how lively any club can get.

If it's a problem, then have Little League, Pony League, and Babe Ruth League (all of which claim to have "approved" the aluminum bats my kids use) actually do their job and set strict limits on youth bat CORs before approving a bat for league play.

Banning aluminum bats totally is impossible, simply because there isn't enough wooden bat manufacturing capacity.

[Eurale]

No Red Badger - just EASTON, Worth and the other aluminum bat manufacturers (who by the way contribute to youth league programs — OR NOT.)

[Emperor Palpatine]

Thank god for this. baseball’s a game of tradition, anyways.

Now if they’ll only get rid of the stupid DH rule and take those @*&%^$%# lights out of Wrigley Field......

[Emperor Palpatine]

Than God for this. baseball’s a game of tradition, anyways.

Now if they’ll only get rid of the stupid DH rule and take those @*&%^$%# lights out of Wrigley Field......

[Richard Kimball]

My daughter's league would not allow wooden bats. She preferred The wood because of the feel. We should make the green argument: "How many aluminum trees are being cut down every year to provide these bats?" Heck, a lot of the greenies probably think aluminum comes from trees.

You're correct about the aluminum bat manufacturers. They do not want wooden bats to be legal.

[Publius Valerius]

so why use them in Little Leagues, schools and colleges?..........

Aluminum bats don't break.

[Intimidator]

I always preferred the wood bats in my youth growing up in the 70’s, just didn’t like aluminum bats and the sound they made. That being said, its stupid to ban them

[Emperor Palpatine]

Remember when all you had to do to “fix” a bat was cork the handle and use pine tar?

[Hemingway's Ghost]

Aluminum bats are easier to swing for kids.

They are? That's news to me.

[Eurale]

My son pitched in college (NCAA D-IA), and I can assure you that it can get really worrysome at times, especially against 230+ lb. #4 hitters! It’s almost impossible to react to a 110 mph “screamer” coming at your head afyer you’ve just delivered a pitch.

[CindyDawg]

Is this about bats or stopping baseball? Kickball was dangerous and it was stopped. Why not just ban all balls and bubble wrap the kids?

[Scotswife]

I’ll show your post to hubby.

Our boy has potential both as a catcher and as a pitcher.

Up until last year, I would have guessed catching was his thing.
But then he went to a showcase and was clocked at 83 mph at the age of 14.
Ever since then it’s been “pitcher pitcher pitcher”

I’d still rather have him stand behind the batter.

[hadaclueonce]

Can I carry one in my Truck?