NEW YORK -- Although Commissioner Bud Selig has appealed for urgent action to resolve baseball's maple bat crisis, one of the players on the committee formed to resolve the issue said he could not promise that reforms would be implemented or even proposed this season.
"I don't know if we can realistically and fairly put a timetable on it," New York Mets pitcher Aaron Heilman said.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Thursday, July 17, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 44 words Type of Material: Correction
All-Star Game: An item in Tuesday's Sports section on the home run derby said a home run by the Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton traveled 518 feet and left Yankee Stadium. The ball hit a wall behind the right-field bleachers but remained in the stadium.
Selig is expected to address the issue today. In the three weeks since a committee of owners' and players' representatives first met, baseball officials have tried to collect every broken bat for analysis and have consulted with foresters and bat manufacturers, Major League Baseball spokesman Pat Courtney said.
Sam Holman, who designed the maple bats popularized by Barry Bonds, said he has not been contacted by baseball officials.
The urgency has arisen from an epidemic of flying bat fragments. When bats made of maple wood break, they tend to shatter into large chunks and take flight. When bats made of ash wood break, they tend to crack and fall to the ground.
Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki injured his hand when he broke a maple bat in frustration, with a jagged piece slamming into his hand and opening a gash that required 16 stitches to close. Pittsburgh Pirates hitting coach Don Long and fan Susan Rhodes were injured in separate incidents at Dodger Stadium, with each hit by a flying chunk of a maple bat.
The committee could recommend banning maple bats or imposing quality specifications upon manufacturers, and Selig could order netting that protects fans extended beyond the bases.
"We're in the process of collecting data and talking to different people, and getting as much information as we can before we start trying to make any decisions," Heilman said. "At this point, we really don't have enough information to even look at different scenarios of where we go from here.
"It's certainly not something we want to drag out any longer than it needs to be. At the same time, you don't want to make decisions based on half truths and circumstantial data.
"There's certainly a perception of what's happening. We want to make sure the perception is correct and look at every possible avenue of addressing what's happening, and find the least invasive method of solving whatever it is."
Late star
