Send in the lawyers.

[briancurtin]

Originally Posted by Sven K

These bats are know to shatter into some nasty, pointy shards. It's only a matter of time until a player gets seriously injured (I'm thinking impaled). MLB knows this and is taking a risk by doing nothing about it.

I am of the opinion that MLB will eventually be forced to modify or outlaw the maple bats.

Players like them so that certainly won't slip past the players union, competition committee (or whatever they call it in MLB), or any of those groups that have to agree before rules are changed.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by briancurtin

Players like them so that certainly won't slip past the players union, competition committee (or whatever they call it in MLB), or any of those groups that have to agree before rules are changed.

Assuming MLB would want these bats outlawed, it may welcome this lawsuit. It would allow the ban to occur regardless of what other entities may feel.

That's not to say that MLB wants these bats outlawed; just hypothesizing.

[GoodwillRef]

He will walk away with a boat load of money.

[jicecone]

Originally Posted by GoodwillRef

He will walk away with a boat load of money.

Most likely!

I believe in NY State, no matter what they print on the ticket or how many times they say it not their fault, a person still has the right to sue.

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Most likely!

I believe in NY State, no matter what they print on the ticket or how many times they say it not their fault, a person still has the right to sue.

You can sue anybody for anything anywhere. Doesn't mean you'll win. Doesn't mean it won't get thrown out of court.

[cbfoulds]

Originally Posted by GoodwillRef

He will walk away with a boat load of money.

Not likely.

There is a precedent court case; from NY iirc, and maybe even involving the Mets [I'm too lazy to get out my Torts text and look it up]; to the effect that getting hit by flying objects is a known and accepted hazard of attending a BB game, and by the doctrine of "assumption of risk", no love for the earstwhile plaintiff.

[SAump]

Check out the shiny acrylic on those maple bats. You don't see that on ash.

http://www.woodbat.org/woodbat.pdf

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slu...troversy011809

Patent pending: "Bat Safety System is nothing more than Polymeric Tape applied to the lower 18" of a solid wood bat."

[justanotherblue]

Easy fix, extend the protective nets another 50 feet or 100 feet down the lines. It'll cost them what, five, maybe ten grand per stadium. Chump change for any MLB team.

[Sven K]

Nets will help the people in the stands, but the broken bats affect game play, which they should not. Some player is going to get seriously hurt.

I saw bats the other day (may have been Brett Brothers) which were bamboo. Light and strong. Also very interesting.

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by justanotherblue

Easy fix, extend the protective nets another 50 feet or 100 feet down the lines. It'll cost them what, five, maybe ten grand per stadium. Chump change for any MLB team.

Nets are lame. I would hate that.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by justanotherblue

Easy fix, extend the protective nets another 50 feet or 100 feet down the lines. It'll cost them what, five, maybe ten grand per stadium. Chump change for any MLB team.

Or just go ahead and enclose the field in netting and be done with it.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by briancurtin

Players like them so that certainly won't slip past the players union, competition committee (or whatever they call it in MLB), or any of those groups that have to agree before rules are changed.

MLB has already taken unilateral action in regards to Mape in the minor leagues and the major league Players Union is a partner in the study MLB began in 2008 in which over 2200 broken bats and every cracked bat from 2009 were collected and studied.

Already results have been seen...there were 30% fewer broken maple bats in 2009 than in 2008.

From MLB:

"This spring, MLB put into place new, more stringent regulations that banned several types of maple bats in the Minor Leagues. As part of the new rules, restrictions have been placed on the density of sugar maple that can be used to manufacture Minor League bats. In addition, bats made out of several types of maple will be completely eliminated by the companies approved to make bats, meaning the bat makers must use North American sugar maple.

"What has been negotiated between MLB and the union and approved for the Majors is the inspection of maple bats, none of which can be painted all black so that the grain can be more easily inspected; bats with a lower density than .0219 pounds per square inch are not allowed, and any new players to the Majors as well as all Minor Leaguers cannot use bats lower than .024 pounds per inch; the barrel of all bats was reduced from 2.75 to 2.61 inches in diameter; any player who breaks 10 bats in a season must meet with a panel of experts to discuss possible reasons; and red and silver maple have been eliminated as materials used to make bats."

Additionally, both MLB and the players union have stated that further limitations on maple bats will be part of the negotiations for the new contract.

[tjones1]

This shouldn't go very far. But.... in today's system, who knows!