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Killer Bats? The debate over wood vs. aluminum
OpinionJournal.com ^
| July 31, 2007
| SKIP ROZIN
Posted on 07/30/2007 9:06:00 PM PDT by gpapa
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1
posted on
07/30/2007 9:06:03 PM PDT
by
gpapa
To: gpapa
If the bats were made from rubber or plastic, no one would get hurt.
To: gpapa
"Why is it when there's an injury from a ball hit from a non-wood bat, people blame the bat?" asks Jim Darby of Easton Sports, a leading bat manufacturer. "When there's an injury from a ball off a wood bat, people say that's part of the game."
Either way it is part of the game. Most of life has inherent risks. A life without risks would not be worth living.
3
posted on
07/30/2007 9:10:01 PM PDT
by
RobinOfKingston
(Man, that's stupid...even by congressional standards.)
To: gpapa
Think about it.... These coaches, without gloves, are closer to the hitter than anyone, other than the pitcher.. They should be wearing batting helmets.
4
posted on
07/30/2007 9:10:27 PM PDT
by
b4its2late
(If you can remain calm, you just don't have all the facts.)
To: b4its2late
He was hit in the neck, not the head.
5
posted on
07/30/2007 9:13:32 PM PDT
by
razorback-bert
(Posted by Time's Man of the Year)
To: razorback-bert
I think it ruptured a blood vessel in his neck.
To: gpapa
"Why is it when there's an injury from a ball hit from a non-wood bat, people blame the bat?" asks Jim Darby of Easton Sports, a leading bat manufacturer. "When there's an injury from a ball off a wood bat, people say that's part of the game." Because there are moonbat liberals everywhere. If fields were covered with foam matting, bats ere made of stiff foam, and the balls were NERF balls, nobody would get hurt, and everyone would have fun, IF nobody kept score and every one went home a winner. /s
To: gpapa
Some people just like to friggin’ ban things.
8
posted on
07/30/2007 9:20:45 PM PDT
by
SIDENET
("IT'S A COOKBOOK!!!")
To: gpapa
shoot, aluminum... I just think kids should get baseball guns and shoot them where ever they want the ball to go...
Losers.
9
posted on
07/30/2007 9:23:48 PM PDT
by
Porterville
(I'm an American. If you hate Americans, I hope our enemies destroy you. I will pray for my soul.)
To: gpapa
There are risks involved no matter the composition of the bat.
The topic of risk and injuries aside, I far prefer both the sound and feel of wooden bats. In fact I’m still using actual wooden (persimmon) woods on the golf course for the same reason. Just makes playing both games more enjoyable for me.
10
posted on
07/30/2007 9:25:34 PM PDT
by
Mr. Mojo
(There are four types of homicide: felonious, accidental, justifiable, and praiseworthy)
To: gpapa
The real issue isn’t the bat, it’s the game.
If the field was a rectangle , and if there were eleven players on the field from each team, and if the players could *tackle* each other, then baseball wouldn’t be as dull as dishwater.
Getting killed by a foul ball almost seems preferrable to having to sit through the entire game.
11
posted on
07/30/2007 9:27:00 PM PDT
by
Triggerhippie
(Always use a silencer in a crowd. Loud noises offend people.)
To: Porterville
shoot, aluminum... I just think kids should get baseball guns and shoot them where ever they want the ball to go... I like where you're going with that! Especially if you could "tag" a player out by just hitting him (or her) with a launched ball.
I could watch baseball (and *not* fall asleep) with new and improved rules like that!
12
posted on
07/30/2007 9:29:54 PM PDT
by
Triggerhippie
(Always use a silencer in a crowd. Loud noises offend people.)
To: Triggerhippie
I could watch baseball (and *not* fall asleep) with new and improved rules like that!
Then you would love my idea for hockey. Edged Weapons!
13
posted on
07/30/2007 9:36:22 PM PDT
by
Grizzled Bear
("Does not play well with others.")
To: Mr. Mojo
The topic of risk and injuries aside, I far prefer both the sound and feel of wooden bats. In fact Im still using actual wooden (persimmon) woods on the golf course for the same reason. Just makes playing both games more enjoyable for me. I agree that there's something 'real' about a wooden bat, but on the other hand aluminum bats are less likely to break. I wonder whether it would be possible to make a composite bat that would handle (and maybe even sound) like a wood bat, but be less prone to breakage.
14
posted on
07/30/2007 9:45:02 PM PDT
by
supercat
(Sony delenda est.)
To: Mr. Mojo
The topic of risk and injuries aside, I far prefer both the sound and feel of wooden bats. In fact Im still using actual wooden (persimmon) woods on the golf course for the same reason. Just makes playing both games more enjoyable for me. I agree that there's something 'real' about a wooden bat, but on the other hand aluminum bats are less likely to break. I wonder whether it would be possible to make a composite bat that would handle (and maybe even sound) like a wood bat, but be less prone to breakage.
15
posted on
07/30/2007 9:45:10 PM PDT
by
supercat
(Sony delenda est.)
To: supercat
Some of the new fancy composite metal (golf) woods sound/feel fairly close to real wood. ....although not quite. Expensive though. So I suspect similarly composed metal baseball bats wouldn’t be cheap either. And that would kind of defeat the purpose of going metal — saving money.
16
posted on
07/30/2007 9:53:32 PM PDT
by
Mr. Mojo
(There are four types of homicide: felonious, accidental, justifiable, and praiseworthy)
To: gpapa
All my arrows stick in the bales of excelsior!
Easton wraps my "Protour X-10's" with carbon. Same, that is, almost arrow used in the olympics.
Protours are compound only.........not barrelled, just tapered.
In other words, if a fast moving object hits your head, hope for the best and tell your kin not to whine!
<------<<<
To: RobinOfKingston
The argument is that a line drive struck off of an aluminum bat travels much faster than one from a wooden bat, with the result that some balls will head toward the pitcher at a speed impossible for him to avoid. Human reaction time, even to the degree possessed by an athlete, is not quick enough to allow the pitcher to duck or turn out of the way. Thus, if you use aluminum bats, pitchers will be hit by balls, and hit hard. Some will be injured; some will die. It’s okay with me if baseball allows aluminum bats — I’m a boxing fan and I favor lightweight gloves — it's just that you need to be clear about the trade off: it’s the certainty of an occasional injury and, or on some occasions, death.
18
posted on
07/30/2007 9:54:43 PM PDT
by
PUGACHEV
To: Nathan Zachary; All
Funny you suggest they use NERF. The move to Aluminum bats comes from the same attitude of elevating kids who couldn't hit a real homer to be just like those who could.
Aluminum bats are more likely to cause an injury than a wooden bat because they transfer so much more force to the ball. It's also a pretty cheap way to give childen a false sense of self-esteem.
The state and cities that are passing laws to change the bat type is the appropriate level of government to be making those decisions. These are government/public school leagues. What is the 'conservative' position on who would decide what is appropriate or not? This is a Democracy.
If you want to start your own private league of babies who play with aluminum bats (try making them out of TI instead - then your little angel will be an even BETTER slugger!) go ahead. But if there is a liberal/conservative line here, your with Mayor Bloomberg and the rest of the lefties.
19
posted on
07/30/2007 9:55:03 PM PDT
by
mbraynard
(FDT: Less Leadership Experience than any president in US history)
To: supercat
But what’s cooler than breaking a bat off of a fastball? Really.
20
posted on
07/30/2007 9:56:32 PM PDT
by
mbraynard
(FDT: Less Leadership Experience than any president in US history)
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