Posted on 05/17/2008 10:20:12 PM PDT by MissouriConservative
WAYNE, N.J. — A New Jersey couple, whose son was struck in the chest with a line drive, is planning to sue the maker of a metal baseball bat used in the game.
An attorney says Domalewski will need millions of dollars worth of medical care for the rest of his life.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Sue the NBA? The National Basketball Association?
They’re not steel, they’re aluminum.
Some hitters have found that maple bats perform better than ash bats. Maple bats tend to burst into pieces while ash bats splinter with less dangerous effect. I believe the meeting will take up this issue and, perhaps, the maple bat will be discontinued.
You are joking, of course.
I can see a whole new movement of “Bat Control” on the horizon.
It’s very rare, if it you get hit just right in the chest, with a baseball or a fist, it stuns the heart into stopping. It’s tragic, but an unavoidable risk of being a human being. The parents ought to sue God, nature, gaia or Darwin, according to their faith.
Makes sense to me. If kids can’t handle a wooden bat, maybe that says something about the suitability of the game for children.
It ends the bat controversy.
Agreed. When I used to play softball (underhand pitch no less) I was a pitcher. During one game while my team was up to bat my friend hit a line drive straight into the pitcher - it hit the poor girl square between the eyes breaking her glasses in half and breaking her nose. They took her to the hospital and we finished the game. I have to admit I was a little shaken when I went to the mound - but as you pointed out. This is probably the biggest risk when pitching. The reaction time is split-second - easier to get out of the way than attempting to catch a ball like that most times.
I absolutely cannot believe these parents are suing the maker of the bat! As you said, these parents do need to be shamed for their greed. It’s sad what happened to their son, but c’mon.
I’m pretty much speechless right now...
They have no case. When they entered the ballpark as spectators they assumed the “Element of Risk,” which can be extended in circumstances like this to manufacturers of sporting equipment.
“Actually the way they design the metal bats these days, it is a safety hazard.”
This is TRUE! This has been known for years. There have been a lot of kids especially pitchers hurt who just couldn’t defend themselves fast enough if the ball is hit right at them. This has been happening for the last 20 plus years. I know...my son was one of those pitchers. Luckily he had fast instincts and was always able to defend himself but it made me a nervous wreck all the way through college ball.
Oops! The kid was a pitcher. Still, the “Element of Risk” applies to that as well.
Too many people are willing to jump on the gravy train of legal "redress".
.......Too many people are willing to jump on the gravy train of legal “redress.....
The phrase “ambulance chaser” wasn’t developed for nothing. Starving lawywers might hangout at little league ball parks too
Some of the MLB players have switched to maple bats, rather than the regular ash bats. The maple bat break and shatter more often than the ash and some people are concerned about the flying debris. The switch to maple by some players, notably Barry Bonds in ‘89, is the perceived increase in hits due to bat speed. I read the article last week and may have mangled to reason but the maple bats have thinner stems and the whole thing shatters instead of the old bats that are thicker and usually break in two.
“Studies in the American Sports Medicine Journal indicate a pitcher’s ability to react to a ball hit from 60 feet, 6 1/2 inches away (the major league regulation distance) stops after 155 km/h.”
Yes, the rubber is 60’ 6” from home plate, but a co;;ege pitcher (for example) with proper mechanics will be approximately 58’ from the plate at the point where he releases the pitch.
It is far worse at youth league distances, and where some of the youngsters don’t possess the skills necessary to defend themselves. They just haven’t developed yet.
While the NCAA’s Baseball Rules Committee has established specific rules governing exit velocities and length to weight ratios, youth leagues and high schools haven’t. Thus, EASTON, Louisville Skugger and others can still sell their “hot” (unregulated) bats in these markets.
The reason why youth leagues don’t speak out is because these companies donate lost of money to support these programs, thus creating brand loyalty - all of which is fine - until someone gets killed or maimed. Product liability exists everywhere, especially in today’s litigious society. But EASTON, for example, might be hard pressed to explain why they market bats manufactured to the NCAA standards to colleges, but ingnore those standards when marketing to non-collegiate athletes.
Or the parents can chip in and provide their team with a portable defibrillator. Better yet, the players themselves can organize a car wash (or similar) fund raiser for either solution.
But you don't sue the bat maker. Or the ball maker. Or the Little League. Or the park. It's time to start taking personal responsibility, people.
” but a college pitcher (for example) with proper mechanics will be approximately 58’ from the plate at the point where he releases the pitch.”
Woops, I meant to say 52’.
For those of you in NJ who plan to move; I will be kind and share some advice: Lie to your new neighbors, and make up another state, where you are from.
The stigma from being from NJ, you will never live down.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.