The principal goal of anyone involved in sports medicine is to assure the safety of an athletic event for all the participants. Safety measures in sports like baseball and softball can have dramatic impact.
Recent conversations with Mike Turgeon, who has been teaching baseball skills in Norwich for 20 years, and the athletic training staff of the New York Yankees in Tampa have raised several safety issues worth noting:
• Field conditions. Many baseball injuries are the result of a “bad hop” off a stone in the infield or stepping into an unexpected sink hole in the outfield. Municipalities must maintain athletic fields if they wish to continue youth sports programs.
• Basic skills. Before allowing youngsters to play infield positions coaches must be sure that they possess the skill to handle a hard hit ball.
• Bats. The longstanding controversy over the safety of metal bats continues. The best way to avoid injury from a hard-hit ball coming off a metal bat is by using protective equipment like mouth guards, helmets, masks and devices that protect the genitalia.
• Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs). “Commotio cordis” occurs when the heart begins to beat erratically or ceases to beat entirely after being suddenly struck by an object. An appropriate chest protector such as those worn by hockey players can avoid this injury. When this life-threatening situation presents itself an AED can be used to immediately shock the heart back to normal rhythm. This year the New York Yankees are leaving nothing to chance and have purchased eight AEDs so that when on the road each minor league team has an AED available at all times. This action should serve as an example for communities to make AEDs available at all athletic events not only for athletes but fans as well.
Baseball can only become safer if parents and communities take an active role.
Anthony G. Alessi, MD, is Chief of Neurology at The William W. Backus Hospital and in private practice at NeuroDiagnostics, LLC, in Norwich. E-mail him at aalessi@wwbh.org, or listen to his podcasts, comment on his blog or buy his book at backushospital.org.
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Don't Take My Bat Away
6650 West Indiantown Road
Suite 220
Jupiter, Florida 33458
561-427-0657 (office)
561-427-0648 (fax)
mmay@sgma.com
www.dtmba.com
March 31, 2009
Dr. Anthony Alessi
Chief of Neurology
The William W. Backus Hospital
Norwich, CT
Dear Dr. Alessi:
It's always interesting reading about public opinion as it relates to the 'wood vs. non-wood' baseball bat issue. I represent a coalition in the baseball industry known as Don't Take My Bat Away, which is supported by players, coaches, fans, parents, bat makers, and associations such as USA Baseball, Little League Baseball, Babe Ruth Baseball, American Legion Baseball, PONY Baseball, among others. It is a group that supports "bat of choice" when it comes to selecting the type of bat one uses in the game of baseball.
The Don’t Take My Bat Away Coalition appreciates your interest in this baseball story, but we take exception to the comment by Mike Turgeon in your recent blog that:
"The longstanding controversy over the safety of metal bats continues. The best way to avoid injury from a hard-hit ball coming off a metal bat is by using protective equipment like mouth guards, helmets, masks and devices that protect the genitalia."
Those statements are FALSE and you are misleading the reader by implying that the non-wood bat outperforms its wooden counterpart. See the third-party research and statements below:
1) Since 2003, metal bats used in high schools and colleges have been scientifically regulated so that the speed of the batted balls off metal bats is comparable to that of the best major league wood bat. This standard has been adopted by the NCAA and the National Federation of State High School Associations.
2.) Bats used at the Little League level are governed by the BPF Standard which dictates that the rebound effect of the batted ball off non-wood bats cannot exceed the rebound effect of the batted ball off a wood bat. These standards (both BESR and BPF) are presented to bat makers which they must follow.
3.) A 2007 study on the "Non-Wood vs. Wood Bats" by Illinois State University concluded that "there was no statistically significant evidence that non-wood bats result in an increased incidence of severity of injury."
4.) In 2002 (before the current standards were implemented), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) stated "Available incident data are not sufficient to indicate that non-wood bats may pose an unreasonable risk of injury." (April 5, 2002) Obviously, since then, new regulations have been put in place to reduce the performance ability of bats even more.
Finally, the game of baseball is as safe with non-wood bats as it is with wood bats. Studies and statistics prove that. Many, many baseball coaches feel the non-wood bat helps make you a better hitter because you have better bat control with the non-wood bat. The decision to play the game with wood or non-wood bats should be made by the players. Did you know that the non-wood bat has been used for nearly 40 years? Did you know that major leaguers like Chase Utley, Alex Rodriguez, and Ryan Howard all grew up using the non-wood bat? The game of baseball is for the players and if the non-wood bat helps them enjoy the great American pastime by helping them make contact with the ball so they can run the bases in order to cross home plate, then that should be encouraged.
I would also encourage you to visit our website (DTMBA.com) for more information about this topic. As an aside, I have cc'd four of my associates at four of larger bat companies (Easton, Hillerich & Bradsby, Wilson, and Rawlings). It's important to note that those four companies make both non-wood and wood bats.
Sincerely,
Mike May
Don't Take My Bat Away
6650 West Indiantown Road -- Suite 220
Jupiter, FL 33458
p: 561.427.0657
c: 561.317.6111
mmay@sgma.com
www.dtmba.com
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