NYC Bans Aluminum Bats

[Sicemhorns09]

From the NY Times

By RAY RIVERA
Published: March 14, 2007

The New York City Council passed a bill today banning the use of metal bats in high school baseball games, securing enough votes to override a potential veto by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and setting up a possible legal challenge from the metal bat industry.

Industry officials, who opposed the bill, said they believed the council was the first legislative body in the nation to pass such a measure. It also marks a long-sought victory for the bill’s original sponsor, James S. Oddo, a Staten Island Republican who began pushing for a ban that would have included Little League and independent leagues more than six years ago against intense opposition led by bat manufacturers. Mr. Oddo later narrowed his bill to draw broader council support.

“I know this is not the most pressing issue on the minds of New Yorkers,” Mr. Oddo said shortly before the vote, “but I really believe in this bill. There is risk in all sports, and there is risk in baseball playing with a wooden bat, but when the risk becomes unreasonable, people have to act.”

City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, who rallied support for the measure among council members, added, “We think this is an appropriate safety step for us to protect our high school athletes.”

The bill passed by 40-6 with two abstentions. It would need 34 votes, two-thirds of the 51 members on the council, to override a veto.

Speaking before today’s vote, Mayor Bloomberg declined to say whether he would oppose the legislation.

“I have been called by professional baseball players, who are friends of mine, on both sides of the issue and I’ll look at the data and try to decide whether or not it’s an appropriate thing for the city to do, to get involved, and if so, what the science says,” Mr. Bloomberg said.

The use of aluminum bats, which were first introduced in the early 1970’s, has been debated for years both from a competitive standpoint and increasingly for safety reasons. Critics of the bats say balls fly off them faster, giving pitchers less time to react. In 2003, Brandon Patch, an 18-year-old American Legion pitcher in Montana, was killed when a line drive off a metal bat smashed into his left temple. His mother and uncle were among people who supported the bill. The council also heard from Joseph Domalewski of Wayne, N.J., whose 12-year-old son, Steven, was critically injured from a ball to the chest in a game last June.

[GoOwls]

Well, then, let's outlaw hockey pucks, baseballs, pitching machines, lightning, walking outside while it's lightning, cars, driving cars, walking down a street where cars drive, constructing buildings, motorcycles, bicycles, skateboards, rollerskates, swimming, working on electrical stuff when you don't know beans about electrical stuff, letting kids stick screwdrivers in wall sockets, eating food, honey bees, wasps, seafood,.........

You get where I'm going with this.........?

All these things and many others have killed people.

Big Brother strikes again.

[CoveMom]

Not being a fan of the aluminum bat in the first place (simply because I like the c-r-a-a-a-a-c-k of the wood bat on the ball), I am in favor of this. Besides that, the professionals play with wood bats. I really don't know why that decision was made in pro ball, but there has to be a reason there. So, why would high schoolers (and collegians for that matter) want to use the metal bat if they are hoping for a MLB career? If they stick with wood they are at a disadvantage with their peers, right? And yet, they are just trying to perfect their craft early in preparation for AA or AAA or even (gasp) A ball as adults.


I say if there is science to prove this is just plain old more dangerous and the play of the game doesn't change (only the bat), why not?

jmo.

[slorch]

all I can think of is the movie "Warriors"

They used wooden bats pretty well.;)

[GoOwls]

The biggest reason for the use of aluminum bats is the cost factor. At the Pee-Wee level and up through college, the wooden bats break easy and must be replaced. It can get very costly for privately funded teams and prohibitive for educational institutions. The metal bat is almost indestructable, and if you want a particuilar bat to grwo up swinging, you get mommy and daddy to buy you one and it's yours for every game you play. You don't need to use one from the community bat pile or worry if you break it during the game. The pros can afford the high bat cost due to their high income from ticket and TV and Radio contracts, etc.

Let's just ban football practice since way more kids lose their lives there than with aluminum bats.

[Sicemhorns09]

I honestly believe that the city council was worried about the bats being used off the field... how many people in New York City use baseball bats for more personal use like beating someone's a$$ or having your kid ride around on a bicycle breaking car windows...i mean, there was a movie about this...gangs of new york.

[slorch]

gangs of New York is a must see.

Daniel Day-Lewis is wickedly sick in the head and funny in this flick.

I don't remember seeing an Adirondack bats in that movie, though. Pretty much billy clubs and butcher knives.

[Firebird]

I like it....wooden bats are old-school. I like old school.

[CKE]

so in other words college baseball players from new york are going to have to get used to playing with a aluminum bat again when they graduate hih school...thats not very fair but hey they are Yankees

[farmerfan]

I honestly believe that the city council was worried about the bats being used off the field... how many people in New York City use baseball bats for more personal use like beating someone's a$$ or having your kid ride around on a bicycle breaking car windows...i mean, there was a movie about this...gangs of new york.

they had aluminum bats in the 1860's?

[CyFallsMom]

I honestly believe that the city council was worried about the bats being used off the field... how many people in New York City use baseball bats for more personal use like beating someone's a$$ or having your kid ride around on a bicycle breaking car windows...i mean, there was a movie about this...gangs of new york.

LOL - my husband, born in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, says the scariest day to go to a Yankees game is Bat Day!! He won't even sit in the bleachers at regular games. I wanted to sit there last summer and when I saw that the "bleacher bums" have their own entrance and then saw some of the characters going in there, I was glad we had Tier seating:). You also have to be aware of flying D Cell's there:rolleyes: The seats we had last summer just happened to be in the "alcohol free" zone and he got a beer and was kicked out for an inning. The guys behind us were rolling over they were laughing so hard. I've sat in the alchohol allowed zone - not pretty and I can't tell you how much crap was spilled on us.

Don't get me wrong though - I LOVE NY!! I was up there by myself and was walking along Central Park West and some construction workers starting cat calling to me and trying to get my attention and I just yelled right back with a bit of a NY accent (can't tell you here what I said - it was profane) and they laughed and left me alone after that. Here, they would follow you and continue ragging on you or worse. NY is a state of mind just like Texas is.

[Sicemhorns09]

they had aluminum bats in the 1860's?

sarcasm

[Sicemhorns09]

LOL - my husband, born in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, says the scariest day to go to a Yankees game is Bat Day!! He won't even sit in the bleachers at regular games. I wanted to sit there last summer and when I saw that the "bleacher bums" have their own entrance and then saw some of the characters going in there, I was glad we had Tier seating:). You also have to be aware of flying D Cell's there:rolleyes: The seats we had last summer just happened to be in the "alcohol free" zone and he got a beer and was kicked out for an inning. The guys behind us were rolling over they were laughing so hard. I've sat in the alchohol allowed zone - not pretty and I can't tell you how much crap was spilled on us.

Don't get me wrong though - I LOVE NY!! I was up there by myself and was walking along Central Park West and some construction workers starting cat calling to me and trying to get my attention and I just yelled right back with a bit of a NY accent (can't tell you here what I said - it was profane) and they laughed and left me alone after that. Here, they would follow you and continue ragging on you or worse. NY is a state of mind just like Texas is.

WOW...slightly different than the Astros, Rangers, Baylor games that I usually go to... I definitely want to make a trip up to the Bronx before the close the stadium for good...although I hate the Yankees, it is a must see!!

[Firebird]

And completely different than the game I went to in Queens...for that other NYC team. We sat in general, alcohol allowed seating and had no problems. Just got a kick out of hearing that "New Yawk" accent.

Of course, they thought I "talked funny".

[CoveMom]

LOL - my husband, born in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, says the scariest day to go to a Yankees game is Bat Day!! He won't even sit in the bleachers at regular games. I wanted to sit there last summer and when I saw that the "bleacher bums" have their own entrance and then saw some of the characters going in there, I was glad we had Tier seating:). You also have to be aware of flying D Cell's there:rolleyes: The seats we had last summer just happened to be in the "alcohol free" zone and he got a beer and was kicked out for an inning. The guys behind us were rolling over they were laughing so hard. I've sat in the alchohol allowed zone - not pretty and I can't tell you how much crap was spilled on us.

NY is a state of mind just like Texas is.

Smart not to sit in the bleachers CFM. I too, have seen the "characters" going in there. As military ID card holders we get into any game free, but must find an unoccupied seat. That means when Mr. or Ms. Season Ticket Holder shows up, you smile, buy them a beer and MOVE YOUR *** quickly! :D It can be a challenge moving about the stands. I like the second deck seating behind home plate towards the first base line. My philosophical tidbit of the day: Isn't getting crap on you at a Yankees game like getting pigeon **** on you in the Plaza San Marco? Good Luck? Or is it just crap? Oh, well. Nothing like the Bronx on a Fall afternoon, huh?

And completely different than the game I went to in Queens...for that other NYC team. We sat in general, alcohol allowed seating and had no problems. Just got a kick out of hearing that "New Yawk" accent.

Of course, they thought I "talked funny".

That's "tawked" funny, FB. :D

[CoveMom]

The biggest reason for the use of aluminum bats is the cost factor. At the Pee-Wee level and up through college, the wooden bats break easy and must be replaced. It can get very costly for privately funded teams and prohibitive for educational institutions. The metal bat is almost indestructable, and if you want a particuilar bat to grwo up swinging, you get mommy and daddy to buy you one and it's yours for every game you play. You don't need to use one from the community bat pile or worry if you break it during the game. The pros can afford the high bat cost due to their high income from ticket and TV and Radio contracts, etc.

Let's just ban football practice since way more kids lose their lives there than with aluminum bats.


Thanks GoOwls. I hadn't even thought about cost. Excellent point. If they start buying cheaper wood bats to make up for all the broken ones, well, think about where broken bat pieces end up when they are broken by boys whose control over them is not necessarily up to "professional" standards. I see Johnny in the batters box, oops, nope, Johnny's on the ground now. Appears to have been hit by a piece of Jimmy's broken bat.

I have not changed my mind about my preferences, but I don't think this is such a good idea in the interest of getting as many young folks as possible into the game. I want kids playing baseball whether or not they can afford privately funded bags full of bats. If that means aluminum, so be it. Maybe a better class of batting helmet is the answer here. Or protection for pitchers (as much as possible) until they get to high school maybe?

[ktCarl]

Thanks GoOwls. I hadn't even thought about cost. Excellent point. If they start buying cheaper wood bats to make up for all the broken ones, well, think about where broken bat pieces end up when they are broken by boys whose control over them is not necessarily up to "professional" standards. I see Johnny in the batters box, oops, nope, Johnny's on the ground now. Appears to have been hit by a piece of Jimmy's broken bat.

I have not changed my mind about my preferences, but I don't think this is such a good idea in the interest of getting as many young folks as possible into the game. I want kids playing baseball whether or not they can afford privately funded bags full of bats. If that means aluminum, so be it. Maybe a better class of batting helmet is the answer here. Or protection for pitchers (as much as possible) until they get to high school maybe?

Cost vs Safety. Which would you sacrifice?

I don't believe in a government body making the rule or passing the law which is what I think GoOwls was mostly upset with. You would think people are smart enough to make these decisions through Little Leagues and High School administrations.

The game is designed around the wood bat. The kids need to learn to play real baseball.

[wide-e-wide]

And completely different than the game I went to in Queens...for that other NYC team. We sat in general, alcohol allowed seating and had no problems. Just got a kick out of hearing that "New Yawk" accent.

Of course, they thought I "talked funny".

The "new" Shea is long overdue because the Shea I went to was an absolute dump.

[CyFallsMom]

WOW...slightly different than the Astros, Rangers, Baylor games that I usually go to... I definitely want to make a trip up to the Bronx before the close the stadium for good...although I hate the Yankees, it is a must see!!

I believe this is the last season for old Yankee Stadium...they have already started on the new one. We are going to see a game on the afternoon of Aug 2nd before we head upstate.

Speaking of accents, my brother in law who is a cross, in looks anyway, between Joey Soprano and Rocky Balboa has the thickest accent. They will all be down here for the girls graduation next month and everywhere we go, people look at him - he seriously looks mafia but he is the most upstanding citizen in his little town - looks can be deceiving I guess. He's a sweetheart. Now, Uncle Dominic - definitely Mafia - he scares the bejeebers out of me. He has all this money and homes all over and dumb as dirt he is...or at least he appears to be that way:rolleyes:. My brother in law thinks my Y'all's and Big Old and Fixin' To's are just the funniest thing.

[too playa]

The biggest reason for the use of aluminum bats is the cost factor. At the Pee-Wee level and up through college, the wooden bats break easy and must be replaced. It can get very costly for privately funded teams and prohibitive for educational institutions. The metal bat is almost indestructable, and if you want a particuilar bat to grwo up swinging, you get mommy and daddy to buy you one and it's yours for every game you play. You don't need to use one from the community bat pile or worry if you break it during the game. The pros can afford the high bat cost due to their high income from ticket and TV and Radio contracts, etc.

Let's just ban football practice since way more kids lose their lives there than with aluminum bats.


how many pee wee kids are going to break bats? but cost is a big part of it....:eek:

[GoOwls]

how many pee wee kids are going to break bats? but cost is a big part of it....:eek:

I hear you, but when I played Pee Wee ball, we might have had 5 bats in the bag and they were of all different sizes and weights. If some clod held the bat wrong and broke it, you had to use a bat you weren't familiar with or was too big/small/light/heavy for you. You might not get another comfortable bat all season.

I personally wish we had aluminum bats back in the 60's. I do think wooden bats should be used in the big leagues, but aluminum bats are much more practical for use in the lower leagues and especially Pee Wee.

If they hit the ball too hard, make them have a bit less spring, by design, it really isn't too difficult, it just needs people with enough time and concern to make the manufacturers do it.