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View Full Version : Wood vs aluminum, composite, bamboo, etc.


TallPaul
05-09-2008, 08:26 PM
As nice as all these selections are, there is nothing like a wood bat IMO. I feel it is a very sad situation that HS and colleges went over to aluminum etc. bats to save on replacement costs. Also, while I realize you can get some pretty expensive wood bats and they do break, you also can get pretty decent wood bats cheap. The basic Rawlings Big Stick Adirondack model is a very servicible bat, easily picked up for $25 and I saw it at Kmart for $20. I suspect if a school ordered in bulk it might cost them all of $12 to $15 per bat. It also has a beefy 1-inch diameter handle to reduce breakage. I would think at that rate the cost of wood bats would not be prohibitive. It just seems absurd that guys spend years developing/improving their batting skills on a type of bat that they would not use if they make the minors/majors. The whole situation sucks in my opinion. I am not a sour HS or college kid (I am 50, never played baseball, but enjoy playing catch and hitting). Just my thoughts on the whole situation. Sort of a rant, so don't take it personally, but would love to hear other folk's opinions/comments.

sefarm
06-13-2008, 05:35 PM
I couldn't agree with you more. (I'm 52 and "grew up" with wood--there wasn't anything else!)
I play in an adult league here in Germany and "anything goes", ie, we can use -5 aluminum
bats if we want. (Some guys even use -7's!!!)

I keep planning to switch to wood exclusively, but I hate to give up the performance of
the non-wood bats. Especially, now that I'm 30 years older that the other "kids" here.:D
On the other hand, it's really annoying to see someone get beaten on an inside pitch,
hit it off the handle just over the infield.

TallPaul
06-14-2008, 06:03 AM
I don't blame you for using aluminum. If that is what the league uses then you don't have much choice. My wife's baseball coach plays on a wood only league.

Now I wonder if wood bats are imported to Germany, or are they also produced there? You would have a different species of ash I would guess.