Posted on 04/23/2007 1:44:34 PM PDT by RedCell
NEW YORK -- Metal bats will be banned in high school baseball starting this September in the nation's largest school system after the City Council on Monday overrode a mayoral veto of the bill.
The measure outlaws metal bats under the theory that they produce harder and faster hits, risking injury to young players who have less time to react. Opponents, who include Little League Baseball and sporting goods makers, say there is no evidence metal bats are more dangerous.
Youth leagues and lawmakers are proposing similar bans in other areas, including New Jersey, where a 12-year-old boy went into cardiac arrest and suffered serious injuries after a batted ball struck him in the chest.
In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the bat ban earlier this month, saying the issue should be left up to those who run the youth leagues, not the government. But the City Council overwhelmingly knocked down the veto by a vote of 41-4.
"What we're trying to do is reduce risk," said Councilmember James Oddo, the sponsor of the bill.
Opponents argue that there is no scientific evidence proving metal bats pose a greater danger than wooden bats, and that the anti-metal movement relies on emotional anecdotes over concrete data. Some have said they plan to challenge the matter in court.
In 2005, an American Legion Baseball study found no substantial scientific proof to support the argument that wooden bats are safer than metal bats.
I tried to lookup the NYC Counicl to see who sat on it but the page wouldn't come up.
Why don't they ban baseballs and move to wiffle balls while they're at it? Sheesh!
They can make the wooden bats with all the trees we save from only using one square of toilet paper. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
When bats are outlawed, only outlaws will have bats. Oh, and A-rod and the other Yankees. But I repeat myself.
Emotional appeal still works over science and facts. The Dims and the GW crowd demonstrate this constantly.
Nobody NEEDS a wooden bat. Wooden bats are designed to do only one thing and that is to kill people.
When I first saw this, I thought this was in response to the rash of homocides committed with bats.
I see it’s not, and I don’t understand why we aren’t banning bats because they are killing people.....
Wiffle balls are too hard. Let's go straight to nerf balls.
Went to a tournament this weekend and there were no problems with aluminum bats, but they were 8 year old Texas girls.
“We don’t need no stinkin’ Scientific evidence - it’s for the children...!”
yeah - I say let them use wiffle balls...all the Cuban highschools probably do
My personal opinion aside -- why is the City government wasting time on this issue? Have they solved all other problems so that they have time to address the burgeoning metal bat crisis? If that's the case, they ought to cut their hours and staff by half, and refund the money back to the taxpayers...
Ok... the City Council page finally came up. Here are the members and their party. See a trend? The vote was 41-4, by the way. I could be paranoid but there are exactly 4 non-Democrats on this list (although the total is over 45 so my theory already has holes in it but it’s fun anyway).
“Oh, those poor children. We must protect them from those nasty “metal” bats even if their parents think otherwise. What do they know anyway? It takes a village!”
Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. 32 Queens Democrat
Maria del Carmen Arroyo 17 Bronx Democrat
Tony Avella 19 Queens Democrat
Maria Baez 14 Bronx Democrat
Charles Barron 42 Brooklyn Democrat
Gale A. Brewer 6 Manhattan Democrat
Leroy G. Comrie, Jr. 27 Queens Democrat
Bill de Blasio 39 Brooklyn Democrat
Inez E. Dickens 9 Manhattan Democrat
Erik Martin Dilan 37 Brooklyn Democrat
Simcha Felder 44 Brooklyn Democrat
Lewis A. Fidler 46 Brooklyn Democrat
Helen D. Foster 16 Bronx Democrat
Dennis P. Gallagher 30 Queens Republican
Daniel R. Garodnick 4 Manhattan Democrat
James F. Gennaro 24 Queens Democrat
Vincent J. Gentile 43 Brooklyn Democrat
Alan J. Gerson 1 Manhattan Democrat
Eric N. Gioia 26 Queens Democrat
Sara M. Gonzalez 38 Brooklyn Democrat
Vincent Ignizio 51 Staten Island Republican
Robert Jackson 7 Manhattan Democrat
Letitia James 35 Brooklyn Working Families
Melinda R. Katz 29 Queens Democrat
G. Oliver Koppell 11 Bronx Democrat
Jessica S. Lappin 5 Manhattan Democrat
John C. Liu 20 Queens Democrat
Melissa Mark Viverito 8 Manhattan Democrat
Miguel Martinez 10 Manhattan Democrat
Michael E. McMahon 49 Staten Island Democrat
Darlene Mealy 41 Brooklyn Democrat
Rosie Mendez 2 Manhattan Democrat
Hiram Monserrate 21 Queens Democrat
Michael C. Nelson 48 Brooklyn Democrat
James S. Oddo 50 Staten Island Republican
Annabel Palma 18 Bronx Democrat
Christine C. Quinn 3 Manhattan Democrat
Domenic M. Recchia, Jr. 47 Brooklyn Democrat
Diana Reyna 34 Brooklyn Democrat
Joel Rivera 15 Bronx Democrat
James Sanders, Jr. 31 Queens Democrat
Larry B. Seabrook 12 Bronx Democrat
Helen Sears 25 Queens Democrat
Kendall Stewart 45 Brooklyn Democrat
James Vacca 13 Bronx Democrat
Peter F. Vallone, Jr. 22 Queens Democrat
Albert Vann 36 Brooklyn Democrat
David I. Weprin 23 Queens Democrat
Thomas White, Jr. 28 Queens Democrat
David Yassky 33 Brooklyn Democrat
moonbats are allowed however
So much for my paranoid theory. One of the co-sponsors of the bill is a Republican.
As I recall when playing Little League I swung a 30 oz. bat, My son is 10 and I find him swinging an aluminum bat of comparable size that weighs 19 oz. You can get a lot more bat speed with 11 less ounces.
I seen the reports of some deaths attributed (True or false) to this, I've always liked wood and you can't get that sound using metal.
I don't know if banning metal bats is the way to go but as a minimum they should faze in (Say a three year period) such a policy. Some of these things cost hundreds of dollars and I'd be some pi$$ed of if I had doled out that kind of green.
I wonder if these guys will comply?
“Moon bats ban metal bats early in the Century of the Fruit Bat; BATF* to enforce!”
*Batty Athletics Tampering Freaks
In related news, Mayor Michael Bloomberg stated that line drives will be taxed the same $8.00 as personal automobiles. The exception will be industry and office softball leagues which will be charged at the rate of $21.00 per line drive.
“We have to protect the air quality of Manhattan below 86th street. There’s just too much congestion in the air to attract new residents to Manhattan. These taxes will make the city more attractive.”
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