by KPuck34 » Tue Apr 18, 2006 6:45 pm
Here is an interesting article I found in the Bismarck Tribune:
Wood bats make welcome return
Steve Thomas, Bismarck Tribune, Monday April 17, 2006
A return to wood bats awaits high school baseball in 2007.
On the basis of the metal-free baseball I’ve watched this spring, the change can only be positive.
I’ve seen the University of Mary play 35 innings this season against Dakota State and Dickinson State, enough action to form a few clear impressions.
First, a return to wood isn’t going to mean an endless stream of 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2 games. The average score of the games I’ve covered has been 7-4.
Second, wood bats don’t dictate the extinction of home runs. Dakota State’s two games with U-Mary were played with batters swinging into the teeth of winds in the 20-30 mph range. Naturally, no home runs. On Saturday, there were two round-trippers in two games at Municipal Ballpark. Anyone who’s watched baseball at the Bismarck park knows any four-baggers there are merited. Dickinson shortstop Adam Hurlbert nailed one that traveled a minimum of 380 feet.
Third, finesse pitchers with limited fastballs but unlimited control fare better against wood bats. When a pitcher beats a hitter with smart mound work, he’s likely to be rewarded with a groundball or popup for his effort. Too often a batter swinging a metal bat is able to fend off a good pitch and muscle a handle hit over the infield. Dakota State’s Jason Ciz and U-Mary’s Xavier Pizarro and Jeremy Seuss have pitched brilliantly while averaging a modest 2.4 strikeouts per seven innings.
Fourth, with more groundballs, double plays are back – 15 in 68 defensive innings.
Fifth, coaches aren’t going to lose sleep figuring out how to pay for all the broken bats. Today’s wood bat is not the same critter you used in Legion ball 30 or 40 years ago. Yes, I’ve seen a few broken bats this spring, one where the business end went halfway to third base. Consider, however, how many broken wood bats it takes to match the cost of metal bats that run anywhere from $100 to $375. Plus, a broken bat is usually the result of good pitching. Let the guy on the mound have his reward.
Sixth, pitchers are more aggressive when they don’t have to face hyperbats. The upshot is faster moving games. My game times: 1:57 (nine innings), 1:33 (seven innings), 3:46 (12 innings), and 1:52 (seven innings. That comes out to 15:40 per inning or about 1:50 for a seven-inning game.
Seventh, the danger factor is reduced. In the games I’ve covered, pitchers have either been zinged or deflected come-backers on about a half-dozen occasions. I don’t even want to think what some of those balls would have looked like after contact with metal.
I was talking to a slow-pitch player this spring who mused out loud that it might be smart for corner infielders to think about wearing protective masks. It’s no longer a novelty to see a slowpitch pitcher wearing headgear. That alone should send a clear signal that the game has been warped out of shape.
Positive though the shift to wood bats in baseball may be, it would be even more beneficial in slowpitch softball. A revival of wood bats would reduce the need for such artificial devices as home run caps to keep the offense under control.
Metal ball-launchers appeal to the vanity of hitters. In return, players are willing to shell out beaucoup bucks to have their egos stroked. That ought not be. Middle infielders who weigh 130 pounds aren’t intended to be home run threats.
Does anyone remember that quaint old phrase "table-setter?"
(Steve Thomas is a Tribune sportswriter).