With all the articles, news specials, blogs, emails, etc. going around about the metal bat vs wood bat issue that is now in our local and regional public consciousness, there are some things being egregiously missed in the discussion.  It is getting tiresome to hear the same info spouted about the difference in wood vs metal when tests are performed by machines and cost/durability concerns.  Look, if you took a poll of players beyond high school, those at the college and professional level, mixed in the coaches at those ranks and the scouts at the MLB level, there is NO doubt the response would be overwhelming that it is much harder for a player to swing wood than metal. 

I also have not read anything where composite wood bats are mentioned.  I have not read anything about the cost of a composite wood bat and the durability of a composite wood bat vs metal bats.  Honestly, I have not heard nor can I conceive even ONE rational point of discussion in favor of metal bats vs wood bats and this is not just about safety and I do not feel as I do just because Gunnar Sandberg was hit.  I am not the only one that feels as I do, but I am one of those that has a public forum to say what I believe.

In those tests the bat companies do on bats, they have a machine swing the bat.  The bat speed is set to the same for both metal and wood.  The pitched ball is at a constant speed, something like 77 mph.  That velocity is well below average speed at the major college level and obviously well below the pro level, and frankly, probably even slightly below average for half the varsity high school pitchers across the country. no comments

In an ongoing effort to bring to light more reasons wood bats should replace metal bats, today I want to focus on the player development aspect of the game.  Not every single player that is playing baseball in little league, PONY league, high school, junior college and four-year college baseball has a dream of being a big leaguer.  However, an awful lot of them do and even more importantly, they not only want to have fun playing the game, but they want to be the best they can while they are playing the game.

I mentioned yesterday about some of the physical differences between wood and metal bats.  The sweet spot on a metal bat is roughly six inches wide.  The sweet spot on a wood bat is barely two inches wide.  What does that mean?  It means a player with average hand-eye coordination can be as successful with a metal bat as a player with above average hand-eye coordination.  It means the technology of the equipment rewards lesser skill.  If a player only hits with metal bats through his main baseball development years, which for me would begin around 7th grade or so, certainly no later than 8th grade, then he has almost NO chance of being a successful professional ballplayer.

The weight dispersement is also a major issue with wood vs metal, as was mentioned yesterday.  Most swings break down with the very first hand movement, when most young players (high school and younger, but a lot of college kids too) allow the barrel to drop, which immediately creates swing length and then has to be compensated for in other ways that are not good hitting mechanics.  With a metal bat that first move flaw is not as damaging.  The light barrel can still get to the zone with some quickness and the large sweet spot allows for mis-hits to be rewarded.  There is almost ZERO chance of overcoming that first move flaw with a wood bat.  The barrel is too heavy to get it back on a proper swing plane and even if the hitter got the bat to the zone in time, the chances of making solid contact are VERY slim.  Using the wood bat hones and crafts hand-eye coordination at least 3x better than using a metal bat, just based on the difference in the sizes of the sweet spots. no comments

In my continued effort to bring to light all the good reasons to bring wood bats into prominence and trying to focus less on the injury factor (but not lessening the importance of decreasing the odds of injury by any amount), today I want to give you my thoughts on why wood bats are good for pitching development, at all levels.

This blog should be pretty short and to the point, but then again, there is the chance I go on for 2000 words.  Here is how wood bats are good for pitching development, in nutshell... pitchers use their fastball more when facing wood bats and that alone is the best way to develop better pitchers.  By using the fastball more, pitchers build arm strength and arm speed.  They learn to use the pitch that is THE PRIMARY pitch for every pitcher in the game, even those with lesser velocity.  They learn to command the fastball by using the fastball.  A pitcher with fastball control and eventually fastball command is a pitcher that can and will win games, no matter how hard he throws.

Pitchers that use the fastball more, use the breaking ball LESS.  They are not searching for trick pitches nor are they looking to trick hitters.  More strikes with the fastball actually makes the breaking ball and change-up MORE effective.  More fastballs located well are put in play and make games move more quickly, getting the fielders more involved.  Pitchers that face wood bats will learn to command the fastball on both sides of the plate, as well as up and down.  no comments

My opinions in the post are not based in science or machines or raw data or any of that.  As a matter of fact, nearly all of my opinions in the wood vs metal debate are grounded in common sense.  Today, my rant is about the reaction time pitchers have when facing wood bats vs metal bats.

One thing we keep reading from those that will actually admit that metal bats do increase the exit speed of the ball off the bat, despite all the assertions from the bat companies that it doesn't, is that if it does, it is only 4-5% more.  I have explicitly laid out all the logical and baseball related reasons (as opposed to machine testing data) that balls coming off metal bats is quite a bit different than off wood bats.  However, even if I were to accept that it is "only" 4-5% difference, isn't that enough, on its own merit, to make a change?

My point is that even if the difference is only 4-5% (and for a robot or machine swinging the bat I suppose it is), that is enough of a difference for a pitcher to turn his head or move his head just slightly enough to change a direct shot into a glancing blow.  It could be enough to get just the slightest bit of the glove on the ball.  Even 1% is enough of a difference for me. 

What I don't understand is why anyone wants to defend the bat companies?  We all love baseball and I dare say that if you are reading this or care about this subject, then you are a baseball "purist" or something along those lines.  If that is the case, metal has no business in your baseball world.

I am all for someone emailing me (if you have my email address) or posting a comment in favor for metal bats and doing your best to tell me why a metal bat is better to use than wood.  To me, there isn't one rationale reason.  

There are so many different angles that can be taken in regard to reasons metal bats have to go, at least at the high school level and above.  Truth be told, my son is four and in his first T-ball season and yes, we have a metal bat.  We also have a couple of wood bats and in due time he will begin to use the wood bats.  However, that is not my focus for this short blog.

A friend of mine that is in sales and deals with many overseas clients weighed in on another angle.  He said to me in an email last night, "Not only are they made overseas... probably now shifting to Vietnam, Cambodia, etc. because China is trying to clean up... but I'm assuming smelting these metals in third world countries is horrible for the environment.  And yes, we could use the jobs here in the good old USA."

Interesting angle, isn't it?  I thought so.  Now, not ALL the wood bats are made in the USA.  Some are made in Canada (many of the maple bats are Canadian, including the popular Sam Bat) and bamboo bats originate overseas (China, Burma, much of Southeast Asia). 

I had never thought of this angle before but it is yet another example of why metal bats fall short of good old fashioned wood. 

Was out watching some HS winter league ball at Marin Catholic HS on Sunday (1/10/09) and the discussion of wood bats came up between me, MCHS coach Mike Firenzi and even the umpire... and by the way, that umpire (Anthony Braggs of Umpires 24/7) was GREAT.  My position on wood bats vs metal bats is strong and on the surface would appear to be quite valid.  The most commonly made points in this topic are safety, cost, and quality of play.  Clearly baseball played with wood bats is safer for the players (and for that matter the fans in the stands). 

The old argument that metal bats are more cost effective really only holds water at the NCAA D1 level where many programs have contracts with bat companies and get free bats.  As for the quality of play part of the discussion, who would argue that pitchers are not more aggressive to the strike zone when facing wood bats?  Only an insane person. Many JC conferences West of the Mississippi swing wood bats (ACCAC, Scenic West, NWACC, Region IX) and most college players swing wood bats all summer (not to mention HS players too).  The JC programs in Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana all for the most part, if not entirely, swing wood bats. 

California, the state that produces more professional players than any state?  Metal bats.  Why?  There aren't any big bat contracts for the Commission on Athletics, which is the governing body of CA JC sports.  Not to my knowledge. JC players and JC programs do not have much money, for the most part, relative to their NCAA counterparts. 

From what I know, a new Nike Stealth bat is around $300+.  A new Louisville 2010 TPX Air Exogrid is $399.  Wow.  The walls in the metal bats these days are EXTREMELY thin.  JC players hit the weight room and take tons of BP.  They wear out those bats QUICKLY and have to buy another $350 bat (NCAA D1 guys get free replacements under warranties and contracts).  Do you know how long a composite wood bat, such as the Baum Bat lasts?  A LONG time and they cost a LOT less than a metal bat. If metal bats are more dangerous, more expensive, less durable and tend to cause a lower quality of play (with unaggressive pitching and its byproduct of worse INF play due to the rockets being hit at infielders), tell me again why are metal bats being used at the JC/HS level?

New York state high school baseball has legislated that only wood bats can be used and that is a GREAT thing.  California is a leader in so many GOOD things like a ban on smoking in restaurants, etc, and it would be wonderful to see the CIF become a leader in the fight to eliminate metal bats from high school baseball.  To suggest that the NCAA wise up and eliminate metal bats would be foolish because there is too much money involved for them and member schools from the bat makers to ever consider it and we know how much the NCAA loves money. 

It is sad that it will probably take a player getting seriously injured (and probably worse) on national TV in the college world series because of a metal bat before anyone does something about metal bats at that level.   To read in the newspaper about a player getting hurt or killed a couple thousand miles away does not sink home like seeing it happen on live TV will.  Obviously I hope and pray that NEVER happens. However, the COA and the CIF certainly do not have the financial stake the NCAA does and can do something big.  Save your players some money, create a higher quality of play, make the game safer and help train better ballplayers by getting rid of metal bats. 

There is one JC conference in the Bay Area that has at least a couple of coaches talking about making their conference a wood bat conference.  I sure hope that happens.  Maybe there will be a NCS or CCS conference (the WCAL or EBAL would be a great place to start) that will take on the challenge and be a leader.  Thoughts?

We have focused so much on the issue of Gunnar Sandberg and his injury (by the way, Gunnar is doing MUCH better, has even walked and is responding nonverbally quite well), which many of us are attibuting at least in some part because of metal bats, but there are other instances coming to public consciousness.  Vanderbilt redshirt freshman LHP Corey Williams recently had his kneecap shattered.  The play was captured on video and Vanderbilt has linked it to their baseball website.  The positive side note is that he made a courageous and great play in getting the out after he was struck.  Another positive sidenote is that he had his kneecap shattered and not his skull or face.  Those are sickening words and I wish Corey Williams a very healthy recovery.

Since Stanford has not heard or heeded my call or challenge to put down the wood bats and politely end their metal bat agreement with their vendor (doesn't matter which company it is with), perhaps Vanderbilt would like to accept the challenge?  Afterall, Vanderbilt, while not Stanford, is a great university, a worldclass university, in some respects the Stanford of the Mideast.  However, like Stanford, Vanderbilt is not just a great university, but it is a major athletic program in a power conference and is primarily interested in winning and there is no chance they turn away their bat contract and pick up the wood.  I wonder if they would feel differently if the ball that hit Corey Williams had struck him about four feet higer. no comments

Today I was interviewed (along with Charles Scott of Future Prospects Instructional Baseball) at the KCBS studios in downtown SF regarding this metal/wood bat debate.  Charles is a former professional player, even reaching the big leagues as a pitcher with the Indians.  After his playing career, he worked as a scout and eventually as a crosschecker.  His son Tyler is a close friend of Sandberg's and also plays and attends Marin Catholic HS.

Here’s the link to the podcast from today's interview on the Alice 97.3 website… It will also be posted on the Movin’ 99.7, Live 105.3, and KFRC-AM websites as well. The interview will air this Sunday morning, the 2nd of three interviews, so approx 6:20-6:40am, on Alice@97.3, Movin’ 99.7, Live 105.3, and KFRC-AM.

To do my part in this effort to end the reliance on metal bats, my event, Bay Area World Series, will forever be a wood bat event.  I was considering it for some time, for all the obvious reasons... safety, quicker games, lower scoring games, scout interest, etc. and if I didn't make this change, it would be hypocritical of me as I have publicly challenged local teams to put down the metal and pick up the wood.  My thoughts and prayers are with Gunnar and his family and all families that go through something terrible like this.  I applaud the MCHS program and their athletic league for making a change to wood bats.  I hope others follow. 

Recently there have been numerous tournaments that featured teams using wood bats, long standing tournaments.  Marin Catholic is currently at one of those events, the National Classic in Southern California.  In Petaluma, the Adam Westcott Tournament went to a wood format as well.  I am going to be following up with some of the coaches of teams in those tournaments to get their perspective on the games with wood bats.

UPDATE: Gunnar is doing MUCH better, including being able to walk, eat, etc.  Here is the link to a website at CaringBridge where you can read about his progress. 

Also, to assist the family with the medical bills, you can buy "got wood" t-shirts with 17 (Gunnar's jersey #) on the back (blue shirt w/white print) can be purchased for $25 and wristbands for $5.  They are blue and say "Gunnar 17" on one side and "got wood" on the other. To purchase, you can email Joy Geraldi at: joy1020@sbcglobal.net OR Chris Miller at : chris@marinroofing.com. Donations to the “Gunnar Sandberg Fund” can be made at any Bank of Marin branch.