It seems like every time I watch a baseball game lately I witness infielders diving and ducking out of the way…of the bat.
It’s not the batters fault that making contact has more risk involved these days. Blame the wood. Actually, let’s not blame all wood, that wouldn’t be fair. Blame maple.
Maple bats came onto the scene in the 1990’s. They were said to be harder than ash bats, produce longer hits and last longer. But it wasnt until our good friend Barry Bonds hit his steroid injected 73rd home run in 2001 that anyone really began paying attention to maple bats.
Maple bats are widely popular now and with that comes a new problem that the MLB needs to handle. Maple bats explode every day. The big end becomes a twirling dagger, hurtling toward dodging and ducking players, or into the stands, putting the fans at risk as well.
Jeff Ross, who has been the Toronto Blue Jays equipment manager for 27 years explained that ash bats are actually able to bend a little when contact is made, whereas there is no give to maple at all, causing the bats to shatter upon contact.
“Major League Baseball has got to do something,” says Toronto’s Matt Stairs. “Somebody’s going to get hurt.”
He’s right and someone already has.
Pittsburgh Pirates coach Don Long dived into the dugout to avoid a broken bat but was still hit by flying fragments and needed 10 stitches after a maple shard pierced his cheek. He was left with a scar, nerve damage and half a smile.
New York Mets first baseman Carlos Delgado needed four stitches when a maple sliver nicked his forearm while he was leading off third base in a spring-training game.
At the 2001 All-Star game, Tommy Lasorda, the National League’s honorary manager, was in the third-base coach’s box in the sixth inning when Vlad Guerrero’s bat splintered apart. Lasorda tumbled backward, heels over head.
And no one can forget Game 2 of the 2000 World Series…when Roger Clemens threw the jagged barrel of Mike Piazza’s broken bat in front of the Mets catcher’s path. (But he thought it was the ball-so I guess that makes it okay).
MLB has twice commissioned research on the problem. The latest scientific study was done in 2005, and confirmed what everyone could see: When they break, maple bats tend to snap in two, while ash bats usually splinter and stick together. That study also exploded a myth. It found that the ball does not travel farther off a maple bat. Ash, the old standby, is just as powerful.
So are we waiting for someone to get seriously injured before we do something? As a matter of fact, no. A meeting has been set in June where the players union will discuss what can be done about the maple bats.
Until then, be ready to duck.
****UPDATE****
After I wrote this post last night, I woke up to find the top Yahoo! Sports Story. It is about a fan who was hit by the barrel of a broken maple bat and required jaw surgery. Check it out.
1 Comment
June 21, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Totally agree ! When is MLB going to do something about this ?? Great post !