Posted on 02/27/2008 10:46:07 AM PST by kc8ukw
It's been three decades now since the ping of aluminum started drowning out the crack of a wooden bat on youth baseball fields across America.
But that older sound of summer is making a comeback on some grassy diamonds these days — not for nostalgia, but safety. Some Illinois lawmakers, in fact, want to ban metal bats from youth baseball.
(Excerpt) Read more at stltoday.com ...
As an aside, I can’t tell you how many fisted out singles I’ve seen come off of aluminum bats especially in college. Fisting a batter who’s holding a wooden bat typically results in a broken bat out. Thus, college offensive statistics are often referred to in terms of wood or aluminum era stats by baseball aficionado's.
Talk about legislators who would rather generate headlines than deal with real problems.
I think the drug problem would be solved tout de suite!”
I think all the drug problems are NOT in sports...
IMO, there are a few in Congress who cannot pass the Home Depot hiring pee test.
I don't know what school/league you played for, but our league/school didn't allow that type of behavior! :)
Seriously, I hit a coach with a line-drive before with aluminim bat and it split the web in between two of his pitching fingers. ...scared me to death, I was 15 or so.
Me too! I have a son in Little League and I couldn’t care less which team he is on, and last year he was offered to switch up to AAA from AA, and (after asking him, and he said no thanks, as he had already bonded to his AA team), I told the lady no thanks, and yes, it was like I had kicked her grandma.
I do like Little League better than CYO basketball as LL seems to place kids on teams based on ability and not age (CYO is by age). Better for my kids, who aren’t fabulous athletes.
IMHO, I believe 14 years old it too young for Showcase. There is puhlenty of time for that stuff when they hit 16,17, and 18.
When I coached a LL 12U All-Star team we played against a kid who was my size (5’9”) and threw 82mph consistently. There was a guy there with a JUGS radar gun and every fastball was 80-82. When they took that kid out, they brought in the relief guy that was throwing 77mph and he beaned my son on his helmet. Rung his bell pretty good but he was OK. Oh, and the really scary thing, the pitching mound in LL is only 46 feet away from home plate. SCARY!
I guess if we are going to get into a safety frenzy, as the Supremer Ruler of all things Youth Baseball, I propose we not allow any pitcher under 13 years old to throw more than 65mph!!!!! LOL!!!!
You have a point there....
Stay strong—you are right.
In 1965, I tried out for the local Little League. I didn’t make it—they put me on a “junior” league team—which in kid codespeak means “team for losers”.
I still played my heart out and the coaches taught me much.
Next year, I made the LL team, and went on to be an All Star.
Nothing like a major disappointment to stir up the drive of a young boy.
In every life, a little rain must fall.
Life is like a box of Cracker Jacks—if everyone gets a prize, the prize is meaningless.
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