Original Post
Replies sorted oldest to newest
Somebody help me out here, how in the world did metal bats sneak into any kind of baseball in the first place ? What forced the NFHS to allow metal ? What year did it happen?
CV
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
Earl Weaver
CV
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
Earl Weaver
I thought they tried that with the colleges? Wood is the real game, but no sense if college is using metal.
I'm sure high school and college baseball went to the metal bats to save moeny. Wood bats get expensive when they keep breaking.
According to USA baseball staff at the ABCA Convention, there has been no study on the metal vs. wood debate. In fact, it was suggested that the state of Masschusetts would be a great place to do a study because they are using wood in half the state games.
Personally, as long as colleges use metal so will the high schools. My biggest fear is a player getting injured when a metal bat breaks and shapnle goes flying. I have seen a number of metal bats just split and go flying in different directions in the past year. It is because they are making these bats thinner and thinner to comply with the -3 standard.
Back in the old days the only thing that would happen to a bat is that the top would fall off or the bat would flatten with use.
But I would like to see a study done on the positives and negatives of both types of bats before we can really make an educated decision.
Bob Pincus
Head Coach
Central Florida Renegades
www.eteamz.com/centralfloridarenegades
RobPincus@aol.com
According to USA baseball staff at the ABCA Convention, there has been no study on the metal vs. wood debate. In fact, it was suggested that the state of Masschusetts would be a great place to do a study because they are using wood in half the state games.
Personally, as long as colleges use metal so will the high schools. My biggest fear is a player getting injured when a metal bat breaks and shapnle goes flying. I have seen a number of metal bats just split and go flying in different directions in the past year. It is because they are making these bats thinner and thinner to comply with the -3 standard.
Back in the old days the only thing that would happen to a bat is that the top would fall off or the bat would flatten with use.
But I would like to see a study done on the positives and negatives of both types of bats before we can really make an educated decision.
Bob Pincus
Head Coach
Central Florida Renegades
www.eteamz.com/centralfloridarenegades
RobPincus@aol.com
The weird part of all this is that studies have shown that there are just as many pitchers injured, if not more, due to comebackers off wood in the minors as there are with Aluminum in HS and youth leagues.
TRhit
TRhit
Tom,
Do you have access to the study?, if so link it up on here so we can read it. I have not been able to find any solid information on the subject other than what I've read in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper last year on protection for pitchers.
And Florida Baseball Guy you are correct, I've witnessed several metal bats shattering with pieces flying in all directions.
Thanks,
CV
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
Earl Weaver
Do you have access to the study?, if so link it up on here so we can read it. I have not been able to find any solid information on the subject other than what I've read in the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper last year on protection for pitchers.
And Florida Baseball Guy you are correct, I've witnessed several metal bats shattering with pieces flying in all directions.
Thanks,
CV
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
Earl Weaver
There have been many studies done. ESPN and HBO both had features about it. All the studies I have seen show that the exit speed is far greater off the aluminum bat. That is why they changed the legal limits of the metal bat instead of going to the most sensible thing, go to the wood. The only people arguing on behalf of the metal bat were oddly enough the metal bat manufacturers. They are the only loser if everyone goes to wood. Haven't they raked everyone enough already with 500% profit on a metal bat. They have enough money to do any scientific study they want to absolutely prove their safety. Yet most the studies are conducted by others. They don't need or want the studies because they buy out college baseball with free product to the big teams. Then all the others pay big dollars to make up for it.
On last comment before I have to go conduct a practice session (with wood bats of course) Doc Ball we are talking about why is it so important for the NFHS to allow metal. IMO if you can hit for average with wood if you get to college and have to use metal you should do just fine, so why metal in High School. Do the Bat manufactures pay money to High School Ball or to the NFHS? Why is metal in High School Ball?
I've seen the HBO segment, I've never heard more pitchers are injured with wood though.
CV
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
Earl Weaver
I've seen the HBO segment, I've never heard more pitchers are injured with wood though.
CV
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
Earl Weaver
cvisting, It goes back to what FBG said. If the major colleges use metal everyone below them in the educational system will use metal. They don'y have to give product to the lower levels. They raise the price because they know they have to buy. What ever Miami, LSU, Rice, Arizina State and the top dogs playing in the college world series use will be the biggest seller. Check it out. No one mentions that those school are not paying for those bats.
At some colleges the bats are only the tip of the iceburg as to what is given and then used. Look at the metal bat ads.
CV
I will do some digging and see if I can located--- I read it a year or two ago wherein they had figures on the incidents
TRhit
I will do some digging and see if I can located--- I read it a year or two ago wherein they had figures on the incidents
TRhit
quote:
It is because they are making these bats thinner and thinner to comply with the -3 standard.
It is actually the opposite. The walls were thinner when they allowed -5. They had to have the walls thinner to make -5 the walls are slightly thicker with -3. Bats breaking have more to do with different alloys than thinner walls. They are trying to ccomply with -3 and besr. So they are experimenting with alloys and obviously the genX1 is very br9ittle. That is the bat I saw breaking all year long.
the Florida Bombers
"I love the HSBBW"
The NWAACC is the governing body for Northwest Juco's in the Pacific Northwest uses wood exclusively.
I hear another conference in the South (Juco) is going to wood.
I hope this a trend that continues. There is NOTHING like the sound of a ball coming off a wood bat.
Seadog
The choices we make dictate the lives we lead.
I hear another conference in the South (Juco) is going to wood.
I hope this a trend that continues. There is NOTHING like the sound of a ball coming off a wood bat.
Seadog
The choices we make dictate the lives we lead.
BigHit15,
You caught a mistake I had in my post.
I meant to say "Is it because they are making these bats thinner and thinner to comply with the -3 standard?
However, I did not say that when I switched the words "It and is" and forgot to put in a question mark. As a professional writer I will beat myself up for a few minutes. But I could see why you thought I was making a statement when I mean to pose a question.
I do not profess to know the answer to why the bats are breaking more. I'd go with your alloy answer. But I have been told that the bats are thinner now than when the schools were using the -5. Now that could mean a thinner alloy as well...I really don't know.
I do know someone is going to get end up getting killed if something does not happen soon. The young man who lost his eye playing the sport he loves just sickens me. (See other thread)
I do not want to sound like a bat manufactorer (because I'm not), but before we blame the bats I do think we should do a complete study of metal vs. wood.
How about it USA baseball?
Bob Pincus
Head Coach
Central Florida Renegades
www.eteamz.com/centralfloridarenegades
RobPincus@aol.com
You caught a mistake I had in my post.
I meant to say "Is it because they are making these bats thinner and thinner to comply with the -3 standard?
However, I did not say that when I switched the words "It and is" and forgot to put in a question mark. As a professional writer I will beat myself up for a few minutes. But I could see why you thought I was making a statement when I mean to pose a question.
I do not profess to know the answer to why the bats are breaking more. I'd go with your alloy answer. But I have been told that the bats are thinner now than when the schools were using the -5. Now that could mean a thinner alloy as well...I really don't know.
I do know someone is going to get end up getting killed if something does not happen soon. The young man who lost his eye playing the sport he loves just sickens me. (See other thread)
I do not want to sound like a bat manufactorer (because I'm not), but before we blame the bats I do think we should do a complete study of metal vs. wood.
How about it USA baseball?
Bob Pincus
Head Coach
Central Florida Renegades
www.eteamz.com/centralfloridarenegades
RobPincus@aol.com
I know some things about aluminum. One thing that happens is that when aluminum is manufactured fast and not cooled properly, The molecules have a tendency to crystalize and become brittle.
If you have noticed that the bats that have broken have pretty much broken in the same spot.
One thing that I would say. Even though these bats are manufactured to -3 spects there is some playing around with them to optimize the trampoline effect. Creating this with the -3 spects has caused tolerances that are marginal at best for dependability.
Cryogenics does not help. I know this first hand. We tried it on a very expensive bat and It lasted one game before denting. It did not crack. Seemed that the cryo created a softer material the would not break but would deform.
So much for the sciences. lets go back to a more pure form of the game. Even composite wood bats would be better.
"There is among us a far closer relationship than the purely social one of a fraternal organization because we are bound together not only by a single interest but by a common goal. To win. Nothing else matters, and nothing else will do." Sandy Koufax
If you have noticed that the bats that have broken have pretty much broken in the same spot.
One thing that I would say. Even though these bats are manufactured to -3 spects there is some playing around with them to optimize the trampoline effect. Creating this with the -3 spects has caused tolerances that are marginal at best for dependability.
Cryogenics does not help. I know this first hand. We tried it on a very expensive bat and It lasted one game before denting. It did not crack. Seemed that the cryo created a softer material the would not break but would deform.
So much for the sciences. lets go back to a more pure form of the game. Even composite wood bats would be better.
"There is among us a far closer relationship than the purely social one of a fraternal organization because we are bound together not only by a single interest but by a common goal. To win. Nothing else matters, and nothing else will do." Sandy Koufax