Articles labeled: aluminum bats

The Illinois legislature is proposing a bill that would ban the use of aluminum/metal bats by kids under 13 years old. Coaches, parents or teachers caught letting the kids use the bats would face a fine of up to $500. The reason is that the aluminum bats are supposedly more dangerous than wood, because the ball can be hit harder and faster. We don’t know enough about baseball to confirm or deny whether these concerns are valid, but it wouldn’t be the first time politicians have gone off half-cocked about an issue they know nothing about. One little league coach thinks this is one of those times:

Phil Rizzo, who runs Little League District 13 — covering 18 leagues in Bartlett, Hanover Park, Streamwood, South Elgin, Carpentersville and other suburbs — wants coaches, players and their families to speak out against a state ban on metal bats.

“If we didn’t believe it was safe, we would have gone to wooden bats a long time ago,” Rizzo said.

He’s been involved with youth baseball for nearly 20 years and says no complaints have come up about aluminum bats.

Wood bats reduce hitting averages and break more frequently than metal ones, forcing leagues and families to spend more money buying replacements, he said.

“This bill is a mistake based on bad information,” Rizzo said.