BArs have been find at fault and sued and lost when they served too much to a drunk driver.

Not an accurate comparison.

Just got home from LL practice. One of my kids got hit in the mouth by a ball thrown by another kid. Should his folks sue the baseball maker or the parents of the kid that threw the ball, or both? These kinds of law siuts are stupid, and are part of what clogs our legal system. My heart goes out to this kid and his parents. Accidents happen. This would be like the family of the women killed when she was hit in the face with the sting ray suing the boat manufacturer or the engine company. Under this way of thinking, they made the boat more aerodynamic so it could glide across the water more effortlessly and made the engine with more horsepower so it could go faster. They are both at fault.

I don't think that this suit has a chance myself. will say that I do not like the metal bats, would much rather see all go back to the wooden bats. That is just me being old school more than anything else. There is no doubt that the ball jumps off of these metal bats much quicker and faster than a wooden bat. I just don't think that a suit against the makers of the bat would go anywhere.

 

This is a terribly sad situation and I honestly feel for the kid and his family. Maybe if anything this will have league's looking at going back to wood instead of the metal bats. I would love to see it but I don't think that it will ever happen if for no other reason the cost factor. Wooden bats obvously have to be replaced much more often.

 

Bring back the "Crack" Of the Bat instead of he "ping" of the bat. :ylsuper:

This is the same type of lawsuit that some use against gun makers.

Suing the manufacturer is a complete joke.

I played tee-ball, minor league, little league and senior league baseball and we never had anything like this happen. We ALL used metal bats.

 

To me, this sounds like a freak accident that, while unfortunate, is not something to go overboard about.

 

Yes, maybe wooden bats will hit slower or shorter, but they can also break and splinter which could potentially cause damage as well.

 

Like a lot of you, I don't think they should be suing the makers of the bat.

 

A kid was never hit with a batted ball because they couldn't react in time?

Comparing MLB to Little League is not fair, even with the difference in distance.

 

I would be very interested to know the reaction times needed from a sharply hit ball to 3rd in the ML's (90 feet bases, correct?) and the reaction time needed from a sharply hit ball in LL (60 feet).

I would be interested to know if this kid used a metal bat when he came to the plate.... These get rich quick lawsuits get on my nerves.

I think little league should just implement a weight differential limit like high school did. Swinging a -10, or more, bat is ridiculous.

This is not a new issue. It's been a while since I've been involved with Little League, but isn't there a limit to resiliency of aluminum bats? The answer is not in going back to wooden bats but in limiting the velocity of the ball coming off the bat. As long as there is competition among Louisville Slugger, Easton, etc, each is going to try to top the other. Folks, paying two or three hundred dollars for a little league bat is, IMO, a bit over the top. (Yes, I did it.) They may be even more than that now.

 

OK, I just found the rule. It's called BPF (bat performance factor), and it measures the velocity of the ball coming off the bat.

http://www.littleleague.org/rules/2005bathelmetrulechanges.asp

 

Maybe Sticky or Strike3 can explain this a bit better?

Basically, bat manufacturers were making bats that created too much of a 'trampoline effect' when contacting the ball. This rule limits that effect.

 

It's a formula based on a standard test, where all bats are tested within the same conditions. Anything that exceeds 1.15 BPF are not allowed to be used.

 

So, if the standardized test uses a 50 mph pitch, and the ball comes off the bat at a rate of more than 65 mph's, it may be over the 1.15 BPF. If it comes off at a rate 60 mph's, it may be okay.(I randomly pulled these numbers out of the air.)

 

People WAY smarter than me came up with the formula and target of 1.15, obviously...

^ Yeah, that's what I was referring to. The solution is simply to slow down the recoil of the metal in the bat. The downside for the manufacturer is that probably leads to a less expensive bat also.

^ Yeah, that's what I was referring to. The solution is simply to slow down the recoil of the metal in the bat. The downside for the manufacturer is that probably leads to a less expensive bat also.

 

But, because it's pushing the limits of the rules they can still sell it at an outrageous price. Sporting goods stores don't make much off the sale of a bat, even the bats over $200...

I can't vote in this poll because my selection would be some metal bats are unsafe for little leaguers. Anyone who has ever pitched BP to a group of kids knows that a ball comes back at you like a rocket from 60'.

I hate to say it but I do think they are unsafe.

I hate to say it but I do think they are unsafe.

 

As do I :thumb:, I just don't think that one could sue the manufactuer of the bat. Cvllecat said earlier that it was somewhat like a person suing a gun manufactuer for a crime commited with the gun and I agree in that this is basically the same logic......there is no logic to it.

I have said before that I do not like the metal bats for various reasons and safety (especially in youth leagues) being one of them.