Baseball to address 'explosion problem' of bats

Last edited by GoGetEmTigers on Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:13 pm; edited 1 time in total

Thursday, June 26, 2008
Baseball EXTRA
Baseball to address 'explosion problem' of bats
They'll be tested while panel investigates risks of maple models
Ronald Blum / Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Baseball will start testing bats following Tuesday's meeting of a player-management safety committee, but the sport made no decision on the contentious issue of banning maple models.

Along with conducting field and laboratory tests, the panel will consult with manufacturers and experts, and also survey what protective devices are in place for fans and players at the 30 big league ballparks.

"We really didn't come to any conclusions," said New York Mets reliever Aaron Heilman, a member of the committee. "It's an issue that affects a lot of people, and it'd be a shame to kind of rush into things and make a decision based on not all the facts."

The sides didn't put a timetable on issuing recommendations other than to say "as quickly as is possible."

"I don't know if there's an immediate short-term solution to this because even the data that we do have, it's tough to quantify it," Heilman said.

Only hours after the meeting, plate umpire Brian O'Nora was hit in the head by a shattered piece of Miguel Olivo's broken maple bat, sending blood streaming down his face and forcing him out of Tuesday night's game between Colorado and Kansas City.

"They are very, very dangerous. I'm surprised that this is the first incident we've seen," Royals manager Trey Hillman said. "It could have been worse, a lot worse. It looked a lot worse than it was. There was a lot of blood. My understanding is that he is OK."

Olivo's bat snapped on a groundout to shortstop in the bottom of the second inning. With blood pouring down his face, O'Nora rushed to Kansas City's dugout, where Jose Guillen quickly covered the umpire's head with a towel.

O'Nora came out of the game and was treated by Kansas City trainer Nick Swartz. The Royals later announced that the umpire had a cut on his forehead and was taken to St. Luke's Hospital for evaluation.

Making the switch

After Kansas City's 7-3 victory, Olivo, the Royals' designated hitter, said he switched from a maple bat to ash following O'Nora's injury.

Commissioner Bud Selig said last month that shattering maple bats are "a source of concern for me" but wouldn't say whether the sport would consider a ban or regulating the thickness of handles. A joint statement didn't make any distinctions between ash and maple bats, which some say splinter with greater force.

"I don't think there is a disproportionate amount of breakage," Heilman said. "You can't deny the fact that the way in which they break is different."

Selig can't ban maple bats unilaterally because their use is a term and condition of employment and subject to collective bargaining.

"Sometimes they shatter even when guys square up on the barrel," Hillman said. "Sometimes they shatter, more often than not, when they are jammed."

Kansas City infielder Mike Aviles also said he switched from maple to ash for the rest of the game after O'Nora was hurt Tuesday.

"I go back and forth," Aviles said. "Honestly, I don't want them to get rid of it because I like using maple. I like the option of having both."

Follow-up testing

Universal Medical Systems Inc. says it plans to introduce portable, battery-operated CT scanners for bats on Saturday at the Society For American Baseball Research conference in Cleveland. UMS president David Zavagno said Tuesday the scanners would cost about $225,000 each for major league teams.

"We would recommend running bats after production, from a quality-control standpoint," he said in a telephone interview.

After that, he said a bat should be tested after it's made contact with a ball 10 times.

"No matter what you do to modify production of a bat, you can't see inside it," he said. "We need to introduce science to solve the bat explosion problem."

UMS said in its promotional materials that while maple bats are more dense, ash bats can absorb energy without crack growth, preventing violent breaks.

The committee, which will meet again this week to start collecting data, also includes Kansas City catcher John Buck, former players Steve Rogers and Phil Bradley, San Diego chief executive officer Sandy Alderson, Cincinnati general manager Walt Jocketty and Tampa Bay executive Gerry Hunsicker.

wonder if they could possibly do something green here?

Hope that ump was ok. I think when I get up there, Ill be using ash. Big Smile

like synthetics? or sustainable harvest?

Uhh, er, uhhh

AHHH, U dont do good with questions!!!! lol

Maybe they should switch to aluminum bats - those don't explode. Ping!

Spoiler:

Yeah, uhhh, aluminum bats hurt. Lets leave it at that- no stories, no questions.

gdennis59 wrote:: Yeah, uhhh, aluminum bats hurt. Lets leave it at that- no stories, no questions.

LOL. Aluminum bats suck!

Especially when its cold outside, its snowing and you left your batting gloves at home.

catbox_9 wrote:

Maybe they should switch to aluminum bats - those don't explode. Ping!

Spoiler:

more like *tink!*

Its a bit of both, but still, metal bats hurt worse when u get jammed.

Sad thing is, they used to use hickory, that really lasts. That is what Ty Cobb made his own bat out of. The jack asses on the Tigers, back then, destroyed as a prank!

No respect!

Last edited by GoGetEmTigers on Thu Jun 26, 2008 7:52 pm; edited 1 time in total

I looked it up (it is in our old players section), and his destroyed home made bats were ash...

Quote :: At first, it started with throwing wet wads of
newspaper at him from behind, then smashing the crowns out of his hats.
When they sawed his home-made ash bats in two, it hurt him deeply. He
had spent a lot of time boning those bats.

stupid MEN!! lol

Willie Horton used to nail his bats

If you are wondering about the term used "boning his bats," it is explained by Marucci Bat Company:

Quote :: Most impressive is the Bone Rubbing technique that The Marucci Bat Company™ uses. `Boning` bats began in the earliest days of baseball with players like Babe Ruth and Lou Gerig. These Hall-of-Famers would spend hours in their dugouts rubbing their bats with old cow femur bones. Bone Rubbing closes the wood`s pores, compressing it and making it harder. Marucci uses the same technique on their bats, rubbing before the finish is applied to seal and harden the wood. Just another example of how Marucci takes the same pride in their bats as our baseball heroes once did.

gdennis59 wrote:: Especially when its cold outside, its snowing and you left your batting gloves at home.

Oh yeah, that sucks Nod

GoGetEmTigers wrote:: If you are wondering about the term used "boning his bats," it is explained by Marucci Bat Company:

Oh my...

I really should drink more Rolling Eyes

GoGetEmTigers wrote:

If you are wondering about the term used "boning his bats," it is explained by Marucci Bat Company:

Quote :: Most impressive is the Bone Rubbing technique that The Marucci Bat Company™ uses. `Boning` bats began in the earliest days of baseball with players like Babe Ruth and Lou Gerig. These Hall-of-Famers would spend hours in their dugouts rubbing their bats with old cow femur bones. Bone Rubbing closes the wood`s pores, compressing it and making it harder. Marucci uses the same technique on their bats, rubbing before the finish is applied to seal and harden the wood. Just another example of how Marucci takes the same pride in their bats as our baseball heroes once did.

Glad you explained it. I had an entirely different mental picture in mind!!