In Defense of Wooden bats

[southsider2k5]

Are we ready to see the Louisville Slugger replaced by the aluminum ping dinger? . . . Any tree in America would gladly give its life for the glory of a day at home plate . . . If we forsake the great Americana of broken-bat singles and pine tar, we will have certainly lost our way as a nation."

 

Those words in defense of wooden bats were spoken on the floor of the House of Representatives in 1989 by then-U.S. Rep. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and are probably the wisest thing said by any politician from Illinois since Lincoln (sorry about that, Adlai). Patriotism aside, the return to wooden bats in Little Leagues, high schools and colleges is a matter of aesthetics, safety and cost.

 

This year, as an experiment, the Wilmette Little League, composed of nearly 300 11- and 12-year-olds, alternated games using bats made of wood or aluminum. Compared to metal, batted balls coming off wood travel less quickly by about 10 percent and this changed the dynamic of the games. With the switch to wood, line drives and ground balls were hit less sharply and the balls did not travel as far or as fast. Home runs hit over a 200-foot outfield fence dropped drastically. (Some parents actually thought we were trying to save money on baseballs since fouls and home runs were lost less frequently. Conspiracy theorists are everywhere, even in the Little League.)

 

Surprisingly, strikeouts increased with wooden bats. With no experience in selecting bats based on appropriate weight and length, virtually every child invariably selected a heavy war club, resulting in egregiously late swings. Metal bats had rendered choking-up a foreign concept. Kids were amazed to learn holding the bat higher increased bat speed and control and reduced strikeouts.

 

The switch to wood also altered the kids' approach and confidence. Most kids liked the excitement of something new and different. Good hitters especially liked seeing the marks on the bats where they got their hits, although some who did not hit well lobbied hard for a return to metal. On the whole, fielders developed a new sense of self. No longer afraid of line drives and sharp bounces, they were able to reposition themselves and field more confidently. It made for a crisper, better played game.

 

Safer too. Deep in the darkest recesses of their hearts, the greatest fear of parents of every pitcher is something called commotio cordis, a rare, but lethal heart rhythm that can occur after a child is struck in the chest, like by a batted ball. Line drives to the face, head or leg are not so rare and commonly result in serious injuries. Young pitchers simply do not have the reflexes to avoid line drives hit off aluminum bats (neither do adults--Major League Baseball does not use aluminum bats because of the danger of line drives). The slower speed of balls hit with a wooden bat minimizes the risk of line drives.

 

Why keep aluminum bats? Shifting production from wood to aluminum or mixed alloys creates a better profit margin; the markup on a $300 titanium bat far exceeds that of a $25 wooden bat. It is in companies' interest not only to stay with aluminum but to introduce new models annually (some players say these bats gradually lose their "pop" and have to be replaced each season). Youth baseball went to aluminum bats in the early 1970s due to the expense of replacing wooden bats, which broke frequently. No longer. Today, with the newest alloys going for nearly $400, there may be $5,000 worth of bats in dugouts at high school and college games. All told, during our two-week, 25-game experiment in early June, the total cost of all the wooden bats that broke was $200, less than the cost of one high-tech alloy. (Brief aside--one reason poor and inner-city kids may not play baseball anymore is the cost of equipment. The essentials, a bat and a glove, can easily run $300 to $500. No other sport, except hockey, costs a kid as much just to get on the field).

 

Can the clock be turned back? Young players will never again use tennis rackets strung with catgut or wooden golf drivers. Baseball remains the only sport where the equipment used by young players is not the same as that of professionals. If there is nothing as powerful as an idea whose time has come, then it's time for youth baseball in the United States to do the right thing,: end its 30-year affair with aluminum bats and return to wood.

[Obstacle 1]

rack that article. while umping i saw a 16 year old pitcher get blasted in the face with a line drive up the box. not cool at all.

[southsider2k5]

I thought it was an awesome article. I love the sound and feel of wooden bats.