As most of you may know, New York City passed a law banning the use of metal bats for public/private high school baseball teams.
Now there's a bill in the New York State Legislature to ban metal bats in all baseball organizations that allow minors (under 18) to play.
There's two issues with this proposed bill.
First, there's the "Metal vs. Wood" argument.
There is an interesting paragraph in the bill.
Metals bats will be banned...... "but shall not include any wood, composite, laminated or composite-coated wood bat that shall be approved for play upon verified test data that these bats perform, weigh and are balanced like wood bats."
Why not include metal bats in this test, too? What if a metal bat meets the standard? It should still be disqualified because it's metal?
But what I find more alarming is government meddling in private baseball organizations. Its bats now, but whats next? Laws on RIF baseballs? Face covered helmets? Mandatory flak jackets? All of these allegedly make playing baseball safer, too.
If our government deems metal bats too dangerous for 17 year old players, wouldn't they be just as dangerous for 18, 21, 28 players? At what age do these legislators think using metal bats is safe? If metal bats are so dangerous, why not an outright ban on all metal bats?
Shouldn't an organization make this decision, not the government?
What do you think?
Here's a newspaper article: (copy and paste the links into your browser) http://www.nysun.com/article/55209
You can see the actual text of the bill here: http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menuf.cgi search for bill number A6691
In an attempt to keep current administration decisions out of this conversation, the Libertarian in me is appalled that government would intervene in such a situation. It seems to me that as grown men we should be able to make a decision on whether or not metal bats are safe or unsafe for our organization.
That said, the bottom line is, children in this country are granted very little in terms of "rights." Unfortuantely, the way our system is structured, a 17 year old person does not have "certain unalienable rights" and therefore a seemingly insignificant decision such as the use of metal or wood bats is left to the government IN THIS CASE. I sincerely doubt the ban will ever apply to anything at our level (over 28).
But, if the government ever does step in and ban metal bats at our level, we must remember that we don't know what's best for us.....the elected officials do.
Yeah, leave our f@#$ing bats alone Mr. Government official! Also, take away all those other stupid safety regulations in sports, like face masks and helmets in football! And banning steroids and other performance enhancing drugs? Foigettaboddit! Whats a little testicular cancer or liver disease when your kid can be a champion!!
Please let us never forget the old reliable " They can have my metal bat when they pry it from my cold dead fingers." Of course that would be right after I got drilled in the earhole for laying down a "perfect drag bunt to break up a perfect game" from three fr$%##in years ago but I'm okay with that because it is etiquitly correct according to Mike Girard Now if you can't take that as a joke.... I quit! And that right there is funny! I don't care who you are.
