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Originally Posted by TussAgee11
Wood bats would decrease the speed that the ball comes off the bat, hence increasing reaction times for players, hence keeping them safer.
So how are wood bats not safer? I like the other poster's analogy of Rifle vs BB gun.
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It was a good analogy, but think of a weapons safety timeline as if one exists. Start a child off with a toy gun, switch to the dart gun, add BBs, exchange for the 22 rifle, then move up to the 410 or 20 gauge, and finally the babe is ready for anything. Right? Life is good as you move up in the world. However, kids these days start with a NINTENDO rapid-fire blaster. Without any previous instruction, background check, responsibility or risk training; these young men are then allowed to own semi-automatic weapons. We live in a very dangerous world and it has very little to do with baseball.
Think of the evolution of weapons timeline. Fire off a wooden musket from the early 1800, then fire off a cold steel revolver from the early 1900, and finally fire a hard plastic resin 9-mm pistol a century later. Also look at another sport, tennis. Their racquets follow the same timeline of wood, steel and plastic resin polymers. The serves and volleys now reach speeds of 145 mph. I don't see anyone in the tennis circles demanding a reduction in serving velocity. I am sure plastic resins are cheaper and last forever. Now imagine the dangers of plastic resin polymer bat designs. There wouldn't be a need for steroids. We can make bats out of ceramic, if need be. However, the risks will always remain until we decide to redesign the ball.