"Shopdog" wrote in message
news:uFF1h.3662$B44.847@trndny07...
New Jersey lawmakers are trying to ban metal bats, stating that they are
more dangerous than wooden bats. A child was struck by a ball hit off a
metal bat and is now in a coma.

Oh--BASEBALL bats. I thought at first that they were on about some kind of
Halloween decor.

Now, I'm not trying to minimize what happened to the child, but isn't this
a bit too far? Its just another thing that someone is trying to take from
us. I was talking toour neighbor yesterday about how the place has
changed. He's well into his 70's and said that if I were around back then
I would be horrified of all the freedoms we've lost over the past 50
years. I remember when I was in elem. school, for show n tell I took 30.06
bullets, yes LIVE bullets. No one thought anything of it. We used to take
our guns to school for hunting afterwards across the street! I used to
ride in my parents cars IN the back windows! Yes I know its all for
safety, but its just another bit of life "THEY" take away. If "they" stop
telling us how to live safely then maybe we wouldn't have to be building
all these damn houses and projects and taking away all the land!

Classic example of idiot legislators going after the wrong end of the
problem, probably because "if it only saves one life" and "for the children"
(two of the scariest phrases in the English language when uttered by a
politician) can be combined to get votes and banning aluminum bats is
_easy_.

The real problem seems to be that kids are more vulnerable than adults to
"commotio cordis", a condition where a light impact to the chest at just the
right time can induce fibrillation, and when they're tired from exercise
they beome even more so. Doesn't matter if it was an aluminum bat, a wooden
bat, or a thrown ball, if it hits at just the right time and in just hte
right place the kid goes down and if he doesn't get prompt and competent
help he stays down. 50 mph on a softball will do it for a healthy
adult--that doesn't take an aluminum bat.

What makes more sense to me is a triple strategy--teach the kids to protect
themselves--that's as simple as holding your gloved hand in front of your
chest when the ball is in play and you aren't actively in the process of
trying to catch it (not a problem for fielders IMO, the runner shouldn't be
square-on to the ball anyway so if I understand the mechanism correctly he's
less at risk); teach the coaches and officials to administer CPR to kids
and require that they have a current certificate in order to coach or
officiate; require that _somebody_ have an automatic defibrillator available
at each game--how this will be paid for and who's responsible is why the
legislators get paid the big bucks.

Sorry had to rant. But there is wood content,, WOODEN BATS!!!

Anyone make they're own wooden bat?


Shopdog