“Some day somebody is going to get killed or impaled” *UPDATED*

March 11, 2010 by Jason@IIATMS

If you’re sick of this running diatribe, please feel free to skip this. It’s become my “cause celebre”, if you will. Yesterday, Joe Maddon had this to say about the broken bat that injured (thankfully only minor) David Price:

Afterward, Maddon said maple bats are becoming the “Claymore mines of baseball.” A Claymore mine, just for reference, is a directional antipersonnel mine used by the U.S. military in ambushes and against enemy infantry.

Price escaped with just an abrasion on his right palm near his thumb. Maddon vented about the use of maple bats after the game, saying the next time, or sometime after that, someone else won’t be as lucky.

“Some day somebody is going to get killed or impaled,” Maddon said. “David was fortunate today.”

Studies by baseball’s Safety and Health Advisory committee in 2008 concluded that maple bats are three times as likely to shatter as traditional ash bats. The study didn’t outlaw the bats, just made suggestions about how manufacturers should create the slope of the bat.

And the maple bats still keep shattering, although it’s not clear if they are shattering less or more.

“I don’t know if [the use of maple bats] is because of a shortage of wood or what,” Maddon said. “But it’s my opinion that maple should be banned at all levels.”

What’s it gonna take, Mr. Selig? A fan getting speared? A player? What’s the impetus for change? Death? If so, that’s pretty sad.

(please “view full post” to read more)

I emailed my new friend, Phil Rauso at The BatGlove, for his thoughts on this latest incident and asked him what’s the barrier for getting his product into use at the MLB levels.  His reply:

“This didn’t have to happen, and it will happen more frequently as the season moves on. MLB had the opportunity to use this and at the last minute pulled it (the Bat Glove) from the players hands because of concerns that Rawlings presented to MLB… concerns that were already addressed with the multiple Lowell/UMASS tests and the on-field use of 200 bats last year by the AZ Diamondbacks.

Any injury caused by maple or ash bats could have been avoided this year. MLB has no excuse and Rawlings is the fuel on the fire.”

[If anyone from Rawlings would like to comment on the statement above, please email me]

I posted the results from the Lowell/UMASS tests here, if you’re interested. Or you can download it here: Lowell Report 12_15_09.

{In case anyone is wondering or questioning my reason for discussing The BatGlove, please note they are not paying me one red cent. I am merely discussing them because they have a SOLUTION to a problem that is transparent to the players and has no impact to the performance of the bats.  And the solution is dirt cheap.}

More on the bats:

  • Broken bats, again. This time, Price pays the price
  • Additional chatter on the maple bats and a possible solution
  • Finally! Maple bats face ban
  • Finally, the cry to ban maple bats is getting louder
  • Maple bat maker goes batty
  • Maple bats and minus 3.5
  • Seriously, can we do SOMETHING about these bats already?
  • A solution to broken bats, aluminum bats
  • It’s about the wood, stupid
  • Dunn switches to ash from maple

    • -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

    UPDATE 3/11/10, 3:05pm:

    I just got this email from Phil Rauso at The Bat Glove, as I had asked him earlier to explain the “Rawlings concerns” he mentioned above:

    “Rawlings said that even though our product keeps the bats from going on the field when they break it may cause a hinging effect and hurt the batter…. this issue was already addressed in the multiple Lowell tests and on-field tests with the DBacks as you have already seen in the videos, but Rawlings comment was enough to get the players union to squash it at the last minute.

    On another note, months prior to their “concerns” Rawlings approached us and said they were interested in the invention for themselves. We denied exclusivity to them because we want this to be put on every wood bat… not just Rawlings bats. If you watch the ash test video it shows a Rawlings bat hinging without the Bat Glove but it stops the bat from hinging when it is applied. Kerwin Danley was knocked out by a Rawlings ash bat last year because of the hinging effect without the Bat Glove. They are trying to say our product causes hinging?… I was born at night but it wasn’t last night.”

    As I said earlier: If anyone from Rawlings would like to comment on the statements above, please email me.

     
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