Statewide bat ban possible

[UNCTarheels]

The debate over metal baseball bats has reached Albany with bills that would banish non-wood bats from Little League play introduced in the New York Senate and the Assembly.

New York City's bat ban was passed last month and takes effect in September, limiting players in public and private high school games to the use of wood bats. A group of sporting goods companies, coaches and parents sued this month in federal court, calling the ban unconstitutional.

The Albany bills introduced by Sen. Andrew Lanza (R-Staten Island) and Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg (D-Long Island) would ban players under 16 from using metal bats in organized baseball games. Supporters say metal bats are more dangerous than wooden ones because they propel baseballs faster. Opponents counter that there is no evidence proving one type of bat is more dangerous than the other.-John Moriello NYSSWA Blog

[UNCTarheels]

Law could eliminate metal bats (http://www.nj.com/gloucester/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-4/118024558571240.xml&coll=8)-Sunbeam Salem New Jersey

[UNCTarheels]

Is a switch to wood affordable? (http://www.nj.com/gloucester/stories/index.ssf?/base/sports-4/118024573871240.xml&coll=8)-Sunbeam Salem, NJ

[UNCTarheels]

North Dakota -Tlhe North Dakota board of directors voted two years ago to ban non-wood bats, and this season became the first state in the country to switch exclusively to wooden bats.

Massachusetts--Catholic high school baseball teams bave used exclusively wood bats since 2003. Major injuries in consecutive seasons cause a vote taken in October 2002 that banned non-wood bats for 2003 high school tournament play. Three times since 2003 a statewide ban on non-wood bats has been proposed, then soundly rejected by the Massachusetts interscholastic Athletic Committee.

Illinois--Five Conferences volunteered for an illinois High Schoo Association experiement to use wood bats this season. The state gave each team 18 wood bats to be used only in conference games. Coaches fill out surveys after games with information on injuries caused by batted balls, as well as extra-base hits, scoring and broken bats. Early response has been generally positive, and after the data is analyzed by Illinois State University researchers, it will be released to the Media.

New Jersey - Several Towns in North Jersey-among the wealthiest in the area-have imposed at least a partial non-wood bat ban. Wayne, where then 12-year old Steven Damalewski's heart stopped after he was struck in the chest with a ball hit with a metal bat during a police Athletic League game, has stuck with non-wood bats, though it moved bases and the mound back five feet to provide more reaction time for players, Cherry Hill National and Margate Little Leagues have also made the switch to Wood bats, reportedly for safety reasons. -Sunbeam, Salem N.J

[philberry]

I tried for a couple of years to get the City Catholic league to go exclusively to wood for league games but as far as that got was they would be used if both teams agreed. We used wood in practice all the time. That is why we hit the crap out of the ball when we used metal. You really learn how to pick and hit good pitches on a cold spring day swinging wood, nothing like it. Those TPX wood composites (they are wood with fiberglass over them) are practically unbreakable and they hit just like a regular wood bat.

The bottom line is that bat companies are making millions selling a new model of the same bat every year with a different look and paint job, just like car companys do. That all goes away with wood. They aren't giving that gravy train up with out a fight. But the handwriting is on the wall, there is plenty of research that says metal bats are dangerous particularly in college. One of these days a highly publicized injury and a big dollar court case against a school will force everybody back to wood.

Wood is always Good

[cbellfan15]

Personally I like using wooden bats but alot of coaches don't like it unless there is a large lead. My only thing with this is during summer ball i have gone through multiple wooden bats and it costs a bit to get a good wooden bat even though they have them for $20 at Dicks. Who would fork over the money to buy the wooden bats where a $200 aluminum can be used by the whole team.

Personally i can't tell the difference between power behind wood and aluminum, it is the person swinging the bat thats gonna generate that power. Either way is great, if anything allow teams to choose and maybe go league by league.

[Rams15]

As an ex-pitcher, I love wooden bats. Regardless of the technology advancements with metal or wood, the fact remains that metal bats are much more advantageous. It used to be common place ( and still is in wooden bat leagues around the country ) for pitchers to learn to throw inside. Why ? It's obvious. Saw that bat off right in their hands. Metal bats today, allow for a good pitch to still be muscled into the gap in the outfield with an average hitter. I have seen mutliple examples of balls that should have been routine pop ups or weak ground balls get smacked into the outfield with a metal bat. Price the new composite, metal, bats. ( 2007 Easton or 2008 Demarini ) They run around $ 400/bat. Most public schools cannot afford too many of these, for sure. Many metal bat manufacturers will also tell you that there is a " limited " number of swings in each metal bat... and they state this right on the directions/warranty to " not share your bat with a teammate." ( because of this limitation ) Wooden bats did become costly for many schools in the past. So schools went to metal bats ( which at the time ) ran around $ 50-$75/bat. Teammates shared these and schools got a lot of mileage out these aluminum bats. Check out a maple bat now. They will run you anywhere between $ 50-75/bat. You can find discounts and specials, but they are also very costly and they break easier than a metal bat.

Our Legion team plays summer ball in Bath and 75% of the games and tournaments that we play in are strictly wooden bat tournies/games. The cost of a quality wooden bat is rising, also, and we are being forced to charge a higher " tuition " to play because of this. Many kids, today, buy their own bats but you cannot count on this to occur.

If it were up to me, I would go back to wooden bats. Call me nostalgic or whatever. I just believe that this was the manner in which the game was meant to be played. Any professional scout will tell you to take anywhere from .50 to .75 points off from a player's batting averege that uses a metal bat. ( when prediciting their success as a future hitter using wood ) It is that much of an adjustment. Look at Kirk Manwaring, ( Horseeads ) as one example of this. Kirk was an outstanding catcher for Coastal Carolina ( SC ) and later played with the San Francisco Giants for over 10 seasons. He hit tape measure shots while at Coastal using a metal bat. Granted the pitching in the majors is a big step up, but in the BIGS, he never averaged more than 6-9 HR's/season... and Kirk was a real player !!!!!

Safety is another factor. there have been numerous studies that show the increased speed that a ball comes off a metal bat. vs. wood, and the less reaction time a pitcher ( who is 60' 6" away ) has to respond to a ball hit towards him. This can be scary; especially for younger players in little league where the pitchers are 46' away. Safety is the number 1 priority for Williamsport. Look at the pitch count they instituted, but that's another story...

[superheroaj]

Personally I like using wooden bats but alot of coaches don't like it unless there is a large lead. My only thing with this is during summer ball i have gone through multiple wooden bats and it costs a bit to get a good wooden bat even though they have them for $20 at Dicks. Who would fork over the money to buy the wooden bats where a $200 aluminum can be used by the whole team.

Personally i can't tell the difference between power behind wood and aluminum, it is the person swinging the bat thats gonna generate that power. Either way is great, if anything allow teams to choose and maybe go league by league.

There is a substantial difference in speed that the ball comes off of a wooden or metal bat. Here's an example.... the letters below are supposed to make up a bat....

BBBBBBBBB
BBATABBBBBBBBBBBBHANDLE
BBBBBBBBB

Wood Bat - If the ball makes contact at the T, it will then slide up or down the bat and actually release off the bat at one of the A's. So essentially, the ball will hit, slide and release.

Metal Bat - The ball hits the T and immediately comes off at the same spot. The ball does not move up or down the bat coming directly off the bat.

What I like about wood bats is that it seperates good hitters from bad. A bad hitter can become decent with a metal bat. They can have an awful swing and still generate power. That doesn't happen with a wooden bat, you have the hit the ball well for it to travel.

[UNCTarheels]

Dealing with a batty situation: Wood vs. metal (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2007-06-03-bats-cover_N.htm)-USA Today

[UNCTarheels]

Right now it's going through the courts, no decision has been made official yet, there's some pretty good articles above, the USA Today artical from yesterday has tons of info.

[UNCTarheels]

If you read one of the first posts from John Moriello's NYSSWA blog that centers on New York and Section V. The articles from New Jersey is from when I was on vacation in Jersey over Memorial Day and the local paper I bought had a feature on it, a day after the Blog I read about New York.

What paper do you write for Dan? if you don't want to post it here, you can send me a private message, I'm curious if I know your work!

[UNCTarheels]

Baseball bat debate: Wooden or aluminum? (http://www.uticaod.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070618/NEWS/706180337/1001)-Observer-Dispatch

[UNCTarheels]

From the associated Press

Bat Ban upheld: A federal Court judge has upheld New York City's ban on non-wood and non-wood composite bats in high school, meaning the ban will take effect as scheduled on September 1st. The 11th hour decision in the closely watched case has set off a mad scramble for answers and sparked mass confusion among coaches, parents and players on how the ban will actually work.