Rawlings Power Forge bat?

Craig, the point you make is quite correct, a broken leg slidding is not the same thing as a possible deadly head injury due to a batted ball. I guess that I am saying where do we draw the line? Please hear me out concerning the following, although I am sure I am going to be labeled some kind of barbarian because of what I am going to say.

You said that a boy last fall should have been killed by the ball which hit him (thank God he was ok). The bat that was used was not a Redline or the Rawlings Forged bat since they weren't around. It could very easily have been a Easton Reflex. Should we outlaw last season's bats? Should we go back two years, three years? Where do we draw the line? Do we even know for a fact that these bats are as powerful as they are being rumoured to be? I know that when I purchased my Easton Reflex for my son and his teammates last year, I was really excited about it over the previous TPX bats we had been using. If we can't control the bats, it would be easier to control the balls. We can all go to a lower compression ball. I have been a youth coach for five years, and I have given my heart and soul to it, and nothing is more important to me than my boys. Not my win total, not tournament trophies, not local prestige, only my boys and their SAFETY and development (on and off the field). But let's keep going with this. When we first got into the 9/10 Minor's division, the batter could not try for first on a third strike wild pitch or past ball, and you could only steal second and third - not home. Even though we were not an in-house league, and every team was hand picked, the board thought it more fair and a lot less confusing to put in those local rules. That was fine, until we went to tournaments. All of a sudden both of our local rules went out the door, and we were left with a disadvantage because we hadn't attempted a steal of home, or tried to run on a past ball all season (I'm not saying this is the same thing, since my example doesn't involve a safety issue). Next season your league might rule that the Redline bat is too dangerous and is therefore outlawed. That is probably a good thing for you - until your first tournament where the other guys don't have that rule. Will you refuse to play (the only boys that could get hurt would be yours, since you are the ones who don't have the bat), or will you risk injury to your boys (and the definite disadvantage not having that bat may cause you)? Ideally you might find a tournament that has also outlawed these newer bats. Mabye I am in the minority, but as I stated in my other response, in five years I have only seen one pitcher hit by a batted ball. As I stated at the time, that was one too many. Have others seen this situation occur more often? In my three years of coaching player pitch, I have not seen, nor has any other pitcher in our league that I am aware of, been hit with a batted ball in the head area. Our league has some of the best hitters in the entire area, so I guess we have been extremely lucky so far. Do most leagues experience this situation more often?

I know our league will allow the bats, so it becomes a question of do we "keep up with the Jone's", or do we draw the line? If I can afford it, I'll probably purchase one for my son - or at least I will think about it.

In summary, here is what I am asking - we all agree that our boys saftey is paramount. Only a fool would say it wasn't. And in an ideal environment, there would be a ruling party with the power to outlaw certain baseball equipment if it felt it was a danger, and no one could use it. Right now it seems as if most of us are saying we should not purchase these bats - HOWEVER - how many of us will absolutely refuse to purchase them (even if they are indeed as powerful as they are being touted), if our league allows them (and you know that last year's powerhouse will have several)? How many of us will refuse to play in a tournament or league which allows these bats? What if your team gets in a tournament and makes it to the championship round, and then, for the first time, came up against a team that is using the Redline or the Rawlings Forged. Will you refuse to play on the grounds of safety? I guess these questions need to be addressed by those of us who play in the more competitive leagues. Most in-house leagues, with less emphasis put on winning, would either not allow a bat of this type, or certainly there wouldn't be too many parents who would fork over the money for something like that in a "fun" league. Let's not get into a discussion of the bat doesn't make the hitter, because it goes without saying that without proper technique, a player's career will be short lived. One last thought on safety - how many of us will teach our boys who pitch, when they are older, how to back a batter off the plate if he is a big strong kid who is digging in? No, you wouldn't want to hurt him, but don't you increase your chances of accidentally hitting him in the head by deliberetly going inside? Where do we draw line?