Bats

Fine Vol · 07-01-2008, 02:03 PM

How do you feel about them changing the bats so that they do not injure umpires, players and fans? They are Oak now?

volfanbill · 07-01-2008, 02:19 PM

bats are made of either ash, maple or there just might be someone somewhere still using a hickory bat. Ash bats were the most common until people started using maple bats. I believe Joe Carter had the first approved maple bat, but don't hold me to that. The maple bats tend to break and shatter more easily than traditional ash. Ash bats can shatter, but typically they just crack because the wood is stronger. For the safety of the fans, players and boys in blue, I'm all for going back to ash.

Business · 07-01-2008, 04:05 PM

On a bigger level on the subject of bats, I think wood should be used from High School on. I know money is an issue but College Baseball has about gotten ridiclious.

It would also help out scouts as well. I've seen many a player that was a beast in college fail to succeed due to the change to wood.

**vols kick balls** · 07-01-2008, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Business

It would also help out scouts as well. I've seen many a player that was a beast in college fail to succeed due to the change to wood.

That is why summer leagues like the Cape Cod League are so huge. They are about the only live game situations you get to see a guy with a wood bat until he is in the minors. I think wood bats should be used in college too.

VOLNBAMA · 07-01-2008, 07:58 PM

the reason why more bats are breaking is because the players are trying to get the feel of a metal bat with their wooden bat which means the handles are much thinner and it makes the bat uneven, so it makes it easier to break. Also the quality of the wood is not as good as it use to be.

volfanbill · 07-01-2008, 09:01 PM

ash is ash. maple is maple. Quality of wood isn't the issue. You do have a valid point with the thinner handles though, although more maple bats are still breaking simply because the wood isn't as strong.

Vercingetorix · 07-01-2008, 09:06 PM

Somebody's going to get killed if they don't do something soon. Ash at least breaks into mostly harmless chunks. The maple bats are splintering into daggers; I've seen a bunch of plays this year where it's like the infielder is trying to make a play while somebody's throwing a knife at him. It's dangerous.

**vols kick balls** · 07-01-2008, 09:07 PM

Quote:

Knock of wood: Some worry about maple bats

KNOCK ON

By Kevin Clark
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 17, 2007
MIAMI GARDENS

The maple bat is no longer a growing phenomenon in baseball. It has literally exploded into the game.

"A maple bat is like a ceramic tile compared to regular bats," Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo said. "They just explode. There is stuff flying all over the place."

Durability is stressed by the maple-addicted. Maple bats don't chip away like ash bats, players say. They say they maintain their quality for months. In place of the chipping away, the downfall of ash bats, maple dies an explosive death after months of showing no signs of wear and tear.

"[The players' association] told us when they break, they break into no less than three pieces," Marlins catcher Matt Treanor said.

Typical ash bats break into two pieces, if they separate at all. Often they just crack.

Are maple bats dangerous? If they are, the danger is widespread. An estimate for usage of maple bats is hard to gauge, since many players use both maple and ash. But an informal poll shows a majority of Marlins and other major leaguers use maple at least part of the time.

"My concern is for the fans, especially the little ones," St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Mike Maroth said. "They won't be able to get out of the way. When the maple flies, it can hit and really injure somebody."

The general consensus from players is fear for those in the stands, admitting ducking shattered bats is part of their game.

"Fans can't go anywhere, they can't run, there is no mobility," Arroyo said. "All they can do is put their hands up. It could really hurt somebody."

The call to regulate the maple bat is coming from an unlikely source: one of its creators. Sam Holman is credited with the first maple bat business in 1997. He is part Henry Ford, part P.T. Barnum and calls himself the "Guru of Quality." The Sam Bat is the stick of choice for Albert Pujols, Barry Bonds and Alfonso Soriano.

Holman has profit margins to protect but also a reputation. He said the problem is not the medium, it is the details. He claims maple is tightly wound wood and that machinery is the cause of the problems.

"If you were turning out bedposts, you would want the machines they use to make bats," he said.

Holman says companies, including Louisville Slugger, use machines in some cases intended for furniture production and the machines add to the tightly wound nature of many maple bats.

"I've suggested to Major League Baseball that they use the same specifications as aviation," Holman says. "When you buy a piece of equipment, it meets certain standards."

Repeated calls to Louisville Slugger were not returned and Major League Baseball has not taken a side.

"We do not anticipate a change regarding our bats," MLB spokesman Mike Teevan said.

Many hitters, especially those who use maple, downplay its danger as an occupational hazard. Most maple users feel the positives outweigh the way the bats shatter.

"I don't know anything about breaking," Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. said in late July. "I've used the same maple bat, for batting practice and games, since spring training."

Some players use maple in the summer only because they've heard the bats break more easily in cold weather. Others claim it takes unpredictable hops off the bat, leaving infielders clueless.

But maple's hallmark is its explosive nature.

"When a maple bat breaks, you know it's going to go flying," Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla says.

In mid-July, Tampa Bay Devil Rays manager Joe Maddon was injured in the dugout by a ball hit off the maple bat of New York Yankees first baseman Andy Phillips. Even though he was hit by the ball, Maddon used the occasion to launch into a tirade, saying, "These bats are exploding all over the place, they're dangerous."

There is no overwhelming sense players want to rid themselves of maple, but controversy remains.

"If I were commissioner, I would really do some research," Maroth says. "I wouldn't go right in and get rid of them, but I would look at the hazard of it."

Basically a longer version of what Vercingetorix said.

volfanbill · 07-01-2008, 09:08 PM

at our game tonight we had two times where a batter on the opposing team lost control of their grip and sent the bat flying. One landed in the bullpen, just shy of the stands and the other bounced off the brick backstop (down the third base line).

Fine Vol · 07-02-2008, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by volfanbill

at our game tonight we had two times where a batter on the opposing team lost control of their grip and sent the bat flying. One landed in the bullpen, just shy of the stands and the other bounced off the brick backstop (down the third base line).

Tell them to drink more Gatorade.