Baseball's broken-bat problem not fixed yet
BASEBALL
Commissioner Selig's committee has not gotten experts' answers on preventing injuries from shattered bats. The use of maple may be leading to more dangerous breakage.
The baseball season will come and go without any action on the broken-bat crisis.
Although Commissioner Bud Selig appealed months ago for urgent reform to prevent injuries, the committee charged with making safety recommendations indicated today that any decisions remain weeks away.
"The goal is still to get something done as quickly as possible," said Pat Courtney, a spokesman for Selig. "We're working closely with all these experts."
In a statement, the committee said it had collected more than 1,700 broken bats for analysis from July 2 to Sept. 7. The committee also has "begun a series of meetings" among bat suppliers and retained experts in wood quality, engineering and statistics to help with bat testing and data analysis.
The crisis became evident in daily video highlights months ago, as broken bats -- and their jagged edges -- started flying through the air rather than splintering and falling to the ground. Don Long, the hitting coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and fan Susan Rhodes each suffered serious facial injuries in separate incidents at Dodger Stadium this season.
In addition, Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki required 16 stitches to close a gash in his hand after he slammed a maple bat in frustration and the bat shattered. Maple bats are suspected of breaking into chunks and flying wildly when they break, but the committee is evaluating not only the rate at which various woods break but also how various bats are manufactured.
It is more likely that the committee -- made up of players, club executives and other management and union representatives--would recommend stricter specifications for bats and manufacturers than that it would propose an outright ban on maple.
Selig said in July he would not order clubs to protect fans by extending netting from behind home plate to beyond the bases. He could have mandated such a change on his own -- bats are considered tools of the trade and any changes involving bats require union approval -- but Selig said additional netting would not address the issue of why so many bats were breaking.
bill.shaikin@latimes.com
