by GloveGypsy » December 18th, 2008, 9:18 pm
I am sure the result of this will be fewer home runs.
MLB will have some difficult decisions to make.
Many big leaguers use bats that have handles that are very thin to reduce weight and increase "whip." I believe these thin handles on rock maple bats easily explode in splinters and shards of wood, rather than crack.
In a way, I don't blame the players. Fat contracts and media adoration goes to the sluggers of the game. When a player hits a home run, it is shown from four different camera angles.
On the other hand, when and inning ending bang-bang double play is made, the action is cut off with the mumbling game announcers and a break for some commercial about a product that I have absolutely no interest in purchasing. When the coverage resumes, barely a mention of the last sensational defensive action, just who are the batters and will they hit a home run. Hardly ever a replay of the double play or single "put-out."
The economics of the game are geared toward the sluggers, not the defensive players, and that's unfortunate.....Baseball is leaving half the game on the plate, unappreciated.
-Glove Gypsy