Real Men Use Wood Bats in South Australian Baseball Leagues
The issue
Real Men Use Wood !
These pages do not expect public money, or any other material gain by me, all I'm asking for is your support to ban these awful bats forever and to save innocent lives
https://www.todaytonightadelaide.com.au/stories/metal-bats
Here is the story I did to raise awareness, I think if over 95% of the baseball community that have spoken to me have been keen to ban them from all leagues, both seniors and even junior divisions, then why the hell are we still being forced to endure the hell of hearing the awful "ping" of death that these bats deliver.
I will be asking my club president to propose a new vote for the SABL clubs, and I will ask all players in the div 4,5,6 and 7 leagues and even U.19, and the lower junior divisions to all have a vote, whether "Yes" to banning these killing machines, or "No" to allow the league and the baseball metal bat makers to keep on making profits from deaths and lifelong injuries, and I'd expect to be able to speak on my behalf to the boards and the players, and give them a tiny little insight into my daily struggles with the pain and awful consequences that these awful killing machines have left me with, each and every living, waking second of my life.
I didn't do anything wrong, besides loving the sport of baseball, and now I've now been essentially handed a life sentence of pain, suffering and a far harder life, how is that fair, or just???? I am keen for the public help to get fairness and safety back in the forefront of our game, its amazing to me the league bosses don't seem to care much about the players safety? So what is there main reasoning? Something Nathan has been very eager to hide and not explain any further....
These pages are designed to highlight and explain the dangers of using metal baseball bats or even so called “safer” BBCOR bats.
I have designed a face book page, and a page in the site Change. Org to raise public awareness of this issue and compel Baseball South Australia to ban all dangerous metal bats and BBCOR bats immediately, and for the league to actually understand the clear and present dangers of allowing these deadly bats to continue to be used.
I have used the title of “Real men use wood”, because I believe if your aware of the risks and dangers involved to the opposition players by using the metal bats, and you continue to use them and risk injuring or killing opposition players, than I am saying that you’re not a real man, A real man wouldn’t risk his fellow man’s life to look good on the field, or to get a higher batting percentage or more home runs.
I’ve been keen to start up a more public campaign about this issue for years now and I’ve now decided I simply must start up this campaign right away to raise awareness of this issue. In a sense I have been inspired by the meeting of one of my life heroes, a Swedish singer by the name of Dennis Lyxzen last week. He is the front man of a few of my favourite bands, and his music is mainly about standing up to power, and challenging the system, if its broken or corrupt. Right now my friends, I am saying that Baseball SA is broken if they believe that metal bats are safe to use in any game!
These metal bats make every game a risk, a chance where the pitcher, or even infielders to be killed or left with lifelong disabilities. If everyone can remember back, they would have seen a number of comebackers to the pitcher, and with a metal bat, they are mainly going to be going too fast, from a perfectly hit pitch. This means that every time the pitcher throws the ball, they have a potential to die, or be severely injured, and if a brain injury occurs, their lives are always going to be extremely difficult and harder.
In a sense the true game of baseball, a battle between the pitcher and the batter is now, no longer the same as the way it was originally designed to be when the first baseball league was established in Australia back in 1910. It has been said the integrity of the sport and the true spirit of baseball is no longer there with the usage of metal bats and BBCOR bats giving the batters an unfair advantage and risking the lives of the pitcher every time a pitch is thrown.
I’ve been a big advocate for the removal of all aluminium and other metal bats in the local leagues, from senior grade, down to the junior tee-ball competition from my return back home in January 2004, after my rehabilitation finished in Los Angeles. Every league using metal bats risks the pitchers lives. There have been players killed in America as young as 12 or 13 from the use of these deadly metal bats. If people want to play professional baseball, they must get used to wood bats, so why not start our kids off swinging what they will need to master if they wish to go as far as possible with the baseball career?
In just over 10 at bats I’ve had this season, I’ve hit no less than three perfectly hit comebackers into the pitcher, thankfully for them, by me swinging a wooden bat, they’ve had enough time to protect and defend themselves and to either knock the ball down, or field it, and make the play. In fact just before the Xmas break, the pitcher I hit one too, came over to me, to thank me for using a wooden bat because as he said “If you’d been swinging metal, I would have been buggered!”. I said no worries, I’d much rather get thrown out, then to ever hurt an innocent player. So the league should understand, I’ve had 3 opportunities this season to seriously injure the opposition pitcher and I’m not that even a good batter right now!!
Passion destroyed is reborn in the passion for destruction
The Adelaide Baseball league seems to have lost track of the true game and the true spirit of baseball. In my current division 6, many new players are trying pitching for the first time. How the hell are they expected to keep themselves safe, if they haven’t ever been taught or trained in the pitcher defence moves or skills that all pitchers get taught as young players? I’ve noticed a number of pitchers both in our side, and the opposition teams we’ve played this year, who are pitching for the first time on the mound in a game situation, without even having the opportunity to practice infield pitching fielding practice and the skills needed. How can they be expected to be able to be “fielding ready” after they have just pitched the ball to a deadly metal bat? Essentially once again, it’s a recipe for disaster, and there will be no doubt, a pitcher killed, or left with lifelong injuries very shortly unless the league changes themselves, or is forced by public pressure (like on this facebook page and Change. Org) to ban metal bats once and for all, for all senior divisions, then for all junior grades as well. Once again the SA Baseball league doesn’t seem to understand, or seem to care about the real life dangers these metal bats create in every game situation when a batter is using one.
This for me is a huge issue, because I refuse to sit back and simply wait for another player to either be killed or injured so severely that their life path is altered forever. It seems the people who work for Baseball SA believe if they just simply close their eyes, and bury their heads in the sand, then this issue goes away. They haven’t met with me once in the many years I’ve been asking them to remove the bats. The only time I got a serious response, was when I threatened the league by going to the media. Then the CEO told me that he didn’t have the time right now, but “he would look into it for me when the season is finished in March or April”. I told him simply that’s too long, and if a person is either injured or killed in the meantime, then how does that work?
I’m very upset and extremely disappointed with the people who run Baseball South Australia for their inattention and lack of care for a clear and present danger to pitchers in the Division 4-5-6 and 7 leagues. They have been promising me they will look into it, and unfortunately it never gets the time it requires, or any time for that fact! All I’ve asked for is just 30 minutes of their time, and they kept on saying we don’t have time to spare right now.
Unfortunately I’ve been given a great big pile of nonsense and excuses from the heads of the Adelaide Baseball League. All I’ve asked for is just a 30 minute sit down meeting with all, or a few, or even just one, the main CEO to show him undeniable proof of the dangers of metal bats, and just how the latest bats hit the ball back at simply too fast, and the pitcher has no chance in the world to react or even to defend himself. I haven’t heard back from the other two heads, besides a few lines given me his email address, which he hasn’t replied to a single email from me, and nothing from the other head, and at least 4-5 emails from the main CEO claiming that he was “too busy during the season, but he promises to look into this matter at the end of this season in April”. Unfortunately the board has been given me the same bogus excuse since 2010, and surprising to nobody, nothing has been done, achieved, or even started! I would be willing to bet my bottom dollar that this wasn’t even entered into anything at the league office at all.
Yet after becoming so disgusted and annoyed at being ignored, that I had to constant Today Tonight, and spoke to a main headline reporter on the phone call, he promised me action would happen, suddenly, after the TV interview on last Friday 27th Jan, they tell me they are then going and interviewing the main CEO of the league??? How could this be? How could somebody who couldn’t spare just half an hour for me to go in there and have just a very informal chat, now have the time to prepare himself for a TV interview? When he would have needed to have gone over all the leagues metal bat rules, and the reasons behind them, he would also have needed to have looked at the metal bat figures and statistics the league uses to work out whether they are safe, or what level was “safe enough”. I hope he also had a look at the metal bat deaths and severe injuries statistics, and actually had enough common sense to realise that maybe the metal bat manufacturers aren’t telling us the complete truth about the dangers of these metal bats?? Strange that the league now suddenly has plenty of time to spare, yet couldn’t spare just 30 minutes for me under a week ago?? Yet I have absolute proof of me asking them on at least a minimum of 4-5 times for just a 30 minute meeting, yet there excuse was “we don’t have that time to spare!”
Very puzzling and peculiar my friends, I wonder if they had enough time to also go out and buy themselves a new suit for the TV interview??? (In case you can’t tell, I am now being very sarcastic about these pointless excuses, which only add to further risk players lives and safety!) If Baseball SA’s main concern isn’t that, then just what the hell is on their minds???
I wonder whether or not they can answer this question, online friends, knowing the clear and present danger, would you allow your loved one to pitch against a deadly metal bat? Would you feel comfortable knowing that they could be killed or left crippled with every pitch thrown? If they aren’t comfortable letting their loved ones pitch against metal, then why the hell are they risking our lives and loved ones??
Well public friends, it’s time to force them to make bloody time for such a crucial issue, and one of a very serious nature. I’m living proof that it can and bloody well does occur, and I do not wish to see any other player in Baseball SA and then hopefully baseball all around this country of ours be injured or killed.
These are the league rules from their website
Division 4-7
Barrel Size Maximum Length Rating Barrel Material
Division 4-7 2 5/8 Inch 36 Inches BBCOR Composite
Division 4-7 36 Inches BBCOR Wood/Wood Composite
What is BBCOR and what does it stand for?
BBCOR stands for “Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution.” This standard regulates how much energy is lost during the bat’s contact with the baseball. The higher the number a bat registers in the test, the more trampoline effect it has
However just because a bat has the BBCOR symbol on it, it doesn’t mean it’s safe one little bit! They are referring to the bats trampoline effect, which is essentially the big issue here. Why would someone use a wooden bat with no added trampoline affect, when they could swing a lighter, easier to swing faster bat, and have a far higher chance of getting a bigger hit, and therefore more likelihood of hitting a safe hit more times?
It seems Baseball SA has lost track of its roots and the roots of baseball, by still desperately clinging to the metal bat fantasy world, where more players can get bigger hits or hits more often? Either way, it’s a recipe for disaster, and leaves the pitcher and infielder’s wide open to death and serious injury from a comebacker.
Capitalism stole my virginity!
Distasteful, ugly and cheap, yeah that’s how you made me feel I said!
Unfortunately I have suffered a massive, near fatal acquired brain injury, which ruined my college baseball dreams, and potentially cost me a shot at professional baseball in the US Major Leagues, or any other professional baseball league worldwide.
In case people aren’t aware of my accident, I’ll give a very quick overview below now, and I’m hoping that will encourage you to sign the petition right away, so I can use public pressure to force Baseball SA and Australia baseball to act immediately!!
I have always loved the sport of baseball and loved pitching. I won my first division medal in a lower grade in my first season at West Torrens baseball club in the 97-98 season in the U.14 league. I kept on working on and improving my skills until I was given my first A Grade start in 2000 as a 16 year old boy. A Grade is the highest league in the SABL and I enjoyed pitching against the best the state had to offer.
I had always dreamed of going over to America, and in early 2003 against visiting college teams I threw the three best games of my life. Two complete 9 inning no hitters, (I had struck out well over half their side in both games) and in game three I had another good outing and got another Win.
I was then approached by their coach and he offered me a part scholarship to his college in Texas.
I turned that down to take an offer in a college in Los Angeles. I left late August, 2003 and had settled into college life very well. I was getting good grades, making heaps of friends and best of all pitching very well. I had best of all three Major League organisations already interested in signing me, and my favourite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers were first in line. Their head Scout had a good eye on me, and he told my Father that he was going to offer me a contract at the end of the season if I kept on improving and pitching as well as I’ve been.
Unfortunately on October 23rd of 2003, I was struck in the left temple by a comebacker off a dangerous metal bat.
I am 6-6 and weighed 102 kgs, and was flung ten foot back off the mound. My semi-conscious body began having seizures, and was accompanied by posturing and vomiting. I was extremely fortunate to have had two players parents present at the scene, who were both trained medically to save my life. I was then rushed to East LA ICU to have my life saved by an amazing and brilliant young 33 year old neurosurgeon. He had to perform a cranioplasty to remove a large 10cm-10cm portion of my skull to allow my brain to swell out. He also found and removed three strokes and a massive 1.4 cm blood clot.
That is why my book is called “Three Strokes, Not Out!”, a tongue in cheek poke at my injuries.
I spent the next month in the deepest coma and all the medical staff were convinced I was as good as dead.
I was then taken to an intensive neuro rehabbing facility which is where I walked my first steps and spoke my first words. I was essentially a 19 year old baby, who needed to relearn everything. How to walk, how to talk, how to shower safely, even how to use the toilet safely again! My life was nearly taken and then thrown into disarray due to this accident. I had to have my skull piece put back in on December 24th and everyone at the hospital was just blown away with my recovery. I’m still in touch with the surgeon who saved my life, and he calls me “his biggest miracle” success story.
I wonder how you would have felt if you were in my shoes? How would it feel to suddenly “wake up” one day in a strange room, not knowing where the hell you were, and the only thing you knew for sure, was that you had cancer, I mean how else could you explain you losing 35kgs of body muscle, and the big 10-10 cm lump in your belly? How the hell would that make you feel? It certainly still is very traumatic and heart breaking for me. How would you feel knowing that its now been over 13 years, and I still have chronic pain, agonising headaches, and extremely tight muscles that are so severe each massage therapist and chiropractor I see are just blown away by how tight my body is, and just how intense and huge my pain threshold levels are! It’s now fairly certain that I will have to suffer with this agony and tight muscles for the rest of my life. Imagine spending the next 60-70 years of my life being forced to suffer from this awful screwed up accident? Most people tell me “It isn’t fair on you there Leigh!” Yes, no shit it isn’t fair on me, not only was my professional baseball career taken from me, but it seems a regular, “normal” life is also being stolen from me, how is that fair??
How would you feel, if a loved one, a son, grandson, nephew, best friend or just a work colleague had this happen to them? How would you feel getting one of the worst phone calls of your life informing you that your second born son and brother was essentially dead on the other side of the world, and best to rush up to see them one more time before they died??? That’s what my parents and older brother had to endure, and also the horror and shock to my LA family. Imagine feeling so desperate and hopeless for a new member of your family and suddenly being told they are as good as dead. Imagine feeling so desperate that you become so brave, that you take it upon yourselves to be the one to hold my hand as I was dying, because a relative told you, you had too because if he died, his Mother would ask “Was someone holding his hand and telling him they loved him when he died?” That was just a tiny, little fraction of the heart ache that my family and LA family had to endure, yet it seems Adelaide baseball doesn’t seem to care enough to prevent this worst nightmare from occurring to someone else??
If my brain wasn’t ambidextrous, or left handed, then I’m afraid my future would be bleak. Either I would have died from the accident, or if I did survive, I would need 24-7 care, and wouldn’t be able to do anything for myself. I would have been wheelchair bound and not able to do anything for myself.
I came home to Adelaide where I spent two solid, draining , heart breaking months at Hamstead, being nursed back to close as possible full health by a lot of good therapists. I then had 9 months of home rehab, to fine tune my skills and life goals.
I’ve managed to conquer some pretty lofty goals, I have two university degrees and by the end of this year I should have my Masters of Rehabilitation Counselling from Griffith.
I may look very normal, and I don’t do anything weird or crazy in the public eye, but every single day of my life is chronic pain, headaches and extremely tight muscles. This is my biggest curse, since it impacts every single waking second, and I’d hate to count up the number of hours I couldn’t sleep due to this accident.
My short term memory is also significantly impacted by this injury which makes studying extremely difficult and I’ve had to learn tricks to improve my memory to learn University course material. For me to now be one subject and work placement away from my Master’s degree is nothing short of a miracle. I am still very worried that I may never be able to work a fulltime position in this area, or whether or not people would even give me a shot at this job, due to my brain injury. I’ve heard of a lot of friends with similar injuries struggling to find employment because of their disability and discrimination against them.
If the league can look me in the eye and say they understand my life, then they are absolutely morons.
If they believe they understand the hard road I am now walking, then once again they are morons.
If they can honestly tell me that they don’t believe these dangerous metal bats are a problem, then once again they are either morons, or living in a fools world or being paid to “look the other way”.
And if they say that, then I invite them all to have a feel of the massive dent, and scar that now sits on my left temple up to the middle of my scalp. I hope when they feel the big dent, and run their fingers along the 15 cm scar line and feel just where the ball impacted my head, they feel sick to their stomachs, and realise this isn’t some bullshit cause, this is a matter of life or death, and right now, they are placing so many innocent lives in danger.
Its happening all the time in American high school and college baseball games, kids are dying and being left with lifelong disabilities. Even players as young as 12 years are being killed!
Site about a player injured in college
http://abc7news.com/archive/7332465/
If people reading this don’t believe me, or the league bosses can say metal bats are safe and fine to use, would they allow their son, nephew, friend or brother to pitch against them in all the games? If not, because its too dangerous, then why are you placing so many other peoples lives in danger every game they pitch??
Just because the league allows it, it doesn’t mean they are safe, or safer if the league has approved them!
I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with Baseball SA because they have known about these dangers for years, yet continue to stall between season to season. I was told the league would have all metal bats removed from senior baseball grades at the end of the 2012 season. It is now 2017 and the use of metal bats remains in Division 4,5,6 and even 7. Some players in these grades can still hit the ball at extremely fast speeds off a wood bat, and for these players to be allowed to swing extremely powerful and precise metal bats is beyond a joke, and frustrates me, because I know that every game, a pitcher or infielder can be killed, or left with lifelong injuries and disabilities, more than likely far worse off than myself.
Many past A Grade champion players are now in these divisions, and many of them are still extremely fit and strong and can hit the ball just as well and fast as they did in the A Grade leagues. How does it make sense to the league, that they are now allowed to use these deadly metal bats, and hit more home runs, bigger hits, and more likelihood of hitting a perfect line drive into the pitchers head, throat or chest.
I’ll give you a few of the key findings, that my lawyer used in my case.
1. -Studies indicate that balls travel at a maximum speed of 93 mph off a wooden bat swung by an adult;
1. -Studies indicate that a ball travel at speeds of 100-123 mph off a high tech aluminum bat– Easton advertises its LS model as providing an “exit speed” of 115mph; --- (My lawyer entered evidence and proof of my impact speed of 250kmph, the defence lawyers didn’t disagree one bit!)
1. -An adult pitcher has 4/10ths of a second to react to get a glove up to protect himself;
1. - A ball travelling faster than 94 mph gets to a pitcher at 3/10ths of second.
That’s just one key finding that my lawyer entered into evidence, and they didn’t dispute it at all.
And here is a sampling of the injuries, and even deaths, that have occurred as a result of balls being propelled off of hi-tech bats at our youths:
-Fifteen-year-old hit above the temple batted by a 5'10", 140 lb. boy, which resulted in a skull fracture, bleeding in the brain, and numbness on the left side, Seattle Times, June 26, 1998;
-Pitcher hit by ball, underwent surgery to place 11 metal plates and 22 screws in his head, Time-Picuayune, May 13, 1998;
-Seventeen-year-old hit in the temple, brain dead, dies, Los Angeles Times, August 2, 1998;
-Fourteen-year-old hit in the temple, dies, Gonzaga Bulletin, Summer, 1998;
- High school pitcher hit over the ear, brain bruise/temporary hearing loss; ended season and prospective collegiate athletic career, Spokesman-Review, April 24, 1997;
-Sixteen-year-old second baseman struck in chest, suffered sudden cardiac arrest, regained consciousness two days later, Buffalo News, June 5, 1994;
-Fourteen-year-old Anthony Ricci, took a line drive to the face resulting in his teeth being knocked out, a wired jaw and forty stitches to the face, Staten Island, June 2001.
Passion destroyed is reborn in the passion for destruction!
This was from the 2005 findings, its now 2017 and a huge majority of the metal bats that are being swung in these divisions are even more advanced, even more powerful and can hit the ball back even faster than the 250kmph bullet speed ball that nearly killed me. Even in the lowest of grades against the slower pitchers, these metal bats have the potential to kill the pitcher.
Even a fully fit and healthy and good pitcher such as myself, can’t react in two tenths of a second. I’ve had about ten at bats this year, and on no less than three occasions I’ve hit a solid line drive back to the pitcher off the wood bat I’ve been using. Yes it has probably cost me three safe hits, but I don’t regret that for a second and even the pitcher right before the Xmas break came over after the game to thank me for using wood and as he said “Otherwise I could have been killed or seriously injured!” I told him all metal bats should be banned.
A huge majority of other players that I’ve spoken too about this issue have agreed with me, and say they would happily support a ban on all metal bats in every single senior division, so it looks like we need to raise our public voice up very high and tell the league exactly what we want to happen, and to make it happen as fast as possible, because as I’ve said many times, any pitch thrown, the pitcher can be killed, or left with lifelong disabilities, or even an infielder. Even players as young as 12 to 13 year old are being killed in the American leagues.
This isn’t surprising since a huge proportion of independent studies and tests have proved that the metal bats out now, are just simply too fast, hit the ball back at a dangerous speed, and simply cannot be protected from the impact speed of the ball. Yet the baseball league still allows them to be used? I’ve got no idea why, so that’s why we need to stand strong and stand together to force them into making this change right now!
The fundamental problem is of course deadly metal bats, that can turn an average hitter into a good one, a great hitter into an excellent one, and an excellent hitter into an unstoppable hitter. This doesn’t reflect the batters skills one little bit, a strong player can hit a big hit, without ever having picked up a bat before. So once again fundamentally baseball as a sport has been changed forever, and is no longer a fair battle between the pitcher and the hitter. If any sport has the potential to kill a player, that is something that needs to be looked at, and investigated as quickly as possible to prevent innocent lives being lost.
As I’ve said before, just because the league allows them to be used, it doesn’t mean they are safe or morally correct. I’ve had a few coaches and players comment to me lately “Oh Leigh, if the SABL allows metal bats to be used, it must mean there safe, right?” Unfortunately in this instance, the answer is a great big “NO!”.
It seems the metal bat stats conducted by the bat companies always come out with the figures they prefer, and these statistics are generally false, biased, or have been taken grossly out of context. When the bat company was using the bat exit speed of 115mph that is still very fast and can still cause great injury, and in the lower grades the pitchers reaction speeds and their ability and skill level is also down, so essentially a 185kmph hit can still kill or leave a player with lifelong injuries. As the stats suggest anything over 94mph gets to the pitcher faster than human reaction speed!
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I am very upset and disappointed with the board of Baseball SA. They have been made aware of my concerns since 2010 and in fact the general manager sent me an email back in April of 2010. I’ve got an email, which thankfully I’ve kept to prove to them what they have mentioned to me and promised me in the past, and the email goes as follows.
A number of years ago the Board approved the use of Wooden Bats in our Division 1 Competition. Over a number of years the Board has taken advice from various of sources regarding the use of metal bats in our lower divisions and based on this advice introduced a staged removal of metal bats from our lower divisions.
The result of this planning is that for our next summer season - 2010/11 – Senior Divisions 1 to 5 including the Under 18 youth division – metal bats are not allowed to be used. The following season – 2011/12 – metal bats will be removed from our entire senior competition.
So why the hell are we still seeing better, more advanced and more deadly bats in all grades from Div 4-7??
I’ve been asking them for many years now “What changed?” “Who stepped in to change this decision?”. It’s something that the current board and CEO have refused to answer to me, even though I’ve asked them in probably over the last 5 emails to them.
This to me was quite puzzling and the only thing I could think of, was due to metal bat companies sponsoring the league, when I asked the CEO this exact question, first one off the board, he swore to me that no, there are no metal bat companies sponsoring the league. So why the hell are they being so stubborn and have kicked their heels in and aren’t following their own boards advice and planned targets back in 2010??
Whatever doesn’t kill power, is killed by it.
Once again Baseball SA hasn’t warned the players once, that these metal bats are still being used. I was signing up to the last two seasons, and I was watching the site very closely to see if they mentioned the continuing use of these metal bats. Not one single mention of it on both occasions, then when I go to first training all the team mates are swinging these deadly bats, and all opposition batters are swinging the deadly bats.
Certainly I am hoping if the players are made aware of these added dangers, then they will choose to stand up, and say no I won’t be using these deadly bats and risk a possible death or injury to my fellow competitor. Unfortunately it appears most of the league aren’t aware of the deadly dangers of these bats, and I am doing this story purely to expose a deadly flaw in our wonderful sport, and will be campaigning for all metal bats to be banned and then hopefully thrown into the bin and to never be used ever again. It may cost the league teams a bit of money to buy the safer wooden bats, but I know in the long term it is the smartest and best decision to make. I am living proof of how deadly and evil these bats are, and I would hate to see anybody else have to go through the hell I experience every second of my life, and I will be fighting the league for as long as needed until these killing weapons are thrown out and never to be used again.
I’m sure certainly that there will be some people that do not agree with me, or may just simply not like me as a person. I’m not fussed either way, I’m doing this for the right reasons, to try to spare another innocent life, or save a family and baseball player of having to go through the hell I am going through each and every day of my life, and more than likely for the rest of my life, or until medical or pharmacy technology improves.
But certainly there is absolutely no way that people can still claim that “metal bats are safe” or “metal is just as safe as wood”, if you still believe that lie, then I challenge you to go onto any web site browser and simply search for “metal bat deaths” or “metal bat baseball injuries” and you should be suitably shocked to read the number of cases and the amount of deaths, injuries and destruction these bats have caused all around the world. And then I challenge you to still think that they are safe?? Once again if you think that, then you’re a very silly person, and I’d suggest putting your loved one out there in front of a metal bat, and see how long that stupid notion lasts for. And remember if you think your voice won’t be heard, or it doesn’t matter if you don’t sign this petition the old saying of “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is when good men do nothing”. In this matter I will do absolutely everything in my powers to change these rules forever and to have all deadly metal bats thrown into the bin and never used again in a game to endanger players lives!
A new morning, cold weather is changing!
I hope to get as many peoples signatures on my petition and it will be mentioned in the story I am doing on today tonight show probably late January, or early February this year.
If people have any questions or need me to explain anything more, please feel free to pop me a message, and I will try my best to help explain it to you.
I’m hoping Baseball South Australia can get a big dose of a reality check when it realises so many people disagree with its stance on metal bats and I aim to have all metal bats gone from senior grades in as fast as possible time!
Or if this doesn’t work, I challenge the three men in charge of baseball in South Australia to have a feel of my head injury. Feel the massive dent in the left side of my head, run their fingers along the entire length of my 15 cm scar in my left temple, and just feel how big the impression and dent the ball made, which unfortunately for myself will be a constant reminder of this horrible day for the rest of my life. I wonder how they would feel, touching the damage that a metal bat did to my body, seeing the scar in my belly where they had to store my skull and to see the big bald patch still remaining from the injury, I wonder if they could, without feeling so sick to their stomachs, knowing that their inaction and not making a move earlier, could have led to so many more other accidents.
Here are lawsuit documents my lawyer from Los Angeles used in our case,
I’d encourage everyone who still thinks metal bats aren’t too bad to have a read of them, you should be suitably shocked!!
Thank you for reading to the end, and I hope to have all metal bats banned from senior baseball in SA by the end of this current season of 2016-17 !!
All the best,
Leigh Symons #52
PS
Unfortunately I wasn't able to upload the lawsuit documents on here, but if you search for Real Men Use Wood bats on facebook, I'll have them uploaded there on that site
These are their own bloody rules from the website in 2010-11 season!
It begs the question why have they gone back and broken all their own promises and rule changes??
59.27 Bats
The following requirement for bats applies for the 2010/2011 season.
Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Wood or Wood Composite only
Division 6 – 7
Wood/Composite or Metal BESR -3
Masters
Wood or Wood Composite only
Under 18
Wood or Wood Composite/laminated as approved by ABF
Under 16
Wood/Wood Composite/laminated, aluminium, ceramic or carbon graphite. In accordance with IBAF rules, 115 decibels will be the sound emission limit standard for non-wood bats or Metal -3 or -5 with a maximum length of 33”
Under 14
Wood/Wood Composite/laminated, aluminium, ceramic or carbon graphite. In accordance with IBAF rules, 115 decibels will be the sound emission limit standard
for non-wood bats
Bats shall be not more than thirty-four (34) inches in length; nor more than two and five-eights (2 5/8) inches in diameter, and if wood, not less than fifteen-sixteenths (15/16ths) inches in diameter (7/8 inch for bats less than 30”) at its smallest part.
No weight differential will be considered.
LITTLE LEAGUE
The bat shall not be more than thirty-three (33) inches in length nor more than two and one-quarter (2 ¼) in diameter. It shall be printed with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.15 or less.
The following additional requirement for bats applies for the 2011/2012 season.
All Senior Divisions, including Under 18 – Wood or Wood Composite only
59.27 (2) Use of bats which are illegal
Use of illegal bat which does not conform to the weight to length ratios above will be illegal. The bat will be removed from the game. All advances on bases made by the illegal use of the bat will be nullified.
Continual use by any club using an illegal bat will incur a fine from BaseballSA.
Wed 14/04/2010 4:15 PM
Dear Leigh,
The Board of Baseball SA takes the safety of its players, officials and spectators very seriously.
A number of years ago the Board approved the use of Wooden Bats in our Division 1 Competition. Over a number of years the Board has taken advice from various of sources regarding the use of metal bats in our lower divisions and based on this advice introduced a staged removal of metal bats from our lower divisions.
The result of this planning is that for our next summer season - 2010/11 – Senior Divisions 1 to 5 including the Under 18 youth division – metal bats are not allowed to be used. The following season – 2011/12 – metal bats will be removed from our entire senior competition.
Attached to this email is an extract from our Local Playing Rules and Conditions that outlines what bats can be used.
On behalf of the Board of Baseball SA, I wish you well in your continued recovery from your injuries.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me on my contact details below if you require any further clarification.
Kind regards,
Paul
PAUL CHANDLER
General Manager
Baseball SA
So what the hell has changed?
The metal bats being used these days are most certainly not -3 in all of the games I’ve played in Division 6 this year??
It certainly is very interesting, the reasons behind this sudden change of bat laws in the league?
I can safely assume it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH PLAYER SAFETY, so what are the reasons??
Nathan swore to me on the phone the league isn’t being sponsored, or being given money by any metal bat manufactures, so it does beg the question, WHY???
It’s the reason why I have chosen to be the public face and voice trying to remove these awful, deadly metal bats, and if I need to do it by myself, than I am willing to stand up for my beliefs and for truth and honesty, and most of all for the safety of all players playing in lower grades in this state league.
Petition Closed
The issue
Real Men Use Wood !
These pages do not expect public money, or any other material gain by me, all I'm asking for is your support to ban these awful bats forever and to save innocent lives
https://www.todaytonightadelaide.com.au/stories/metal-bats
Here is the story I did to raise awareness, I think if over 95% of the baseball community that have spoken to me have been keen to ban them from all leagues, both seniors and even junior divisions, then why the hell are we still being forced to endure the hell of hearing the awful "ping" of death that these bats deliver.
I will be asking my club president to propose a new vote for the SABL clubs, and I will ask all players in the div 4,5,6 and 7 leagues and even U.19, and the lower junior divisions to all have a vote, whether "Yes" to banning these killing machines, or "No" to allow the league and the baseball metal bat makers to keep on making profits from deaths and lifelong injuries, and I'd expect to be able to speak on my behalf to the boards and the players, and give them a tiny little insight into my daily struggles with the pain and awful consequences that these awful killing machines have left me with, each and every living, waking second of my life.
I didn't do anything wrong, besides loving the sport of baseball, and now I've now been essentially handed a life sentence of pain, suffering and a far harder life, how is that fair, or just???? I am keen for the public help to get fairness and safety back in the forefront of our game, its amazing to me the league bosses don't seem to care much about the players safety? So what is there main reasoning? Something Nathan has been very eager to hide and not explain any further....
These pages are designed to highlight and explain the dangers of using metal baseball bats or even so called “safer” BBCOR bats.
I have designed a face book page, and a page in the site Change. Org to raise public awareness of this issue and compel Baseball South Australia to ban all dangerous metal bats and BBCOR bats immediately, and for the league to actually understand the clear and present dangers of allowing these deadly bats to continue to be used.
I have used the title of “Real men use wood”, because I believe if your aware of the risks and dangers involved to the opposition players by using the metal bats, and you continue to use them and risk injuring or killing opposition players, than I am saying that you’re not a real man, A real man wouldn’t risk his fellow man’s life to look good on the field, or to get a higher batting percentage or more home runs.
I’ve been keen to start up a more public campaign about this issue for years now and I’ve now decided I simply must start up this campaign right away to raise awareness of this issue. In a sense I have been inspired by the meeting of one of my life heroes, a Swedish singer by the name of Dennis Lyxzen last week. He is the front man of a few of my favourite bands, and his music is mainly about standing up to power, and challenging the system, if its broken or corrupt. Right now my friends, I am saying that Baseball SA is broken if they believe that metal bats are safe to use in any game!
These metal bats make every game a risk, a chance where the pitcher, or even infielders to be killed or left with lifelong disabilities. If everyone can remember back, they would have seen a number of comebackers to the pitcher, and with a metal bat, they are mainly going to be going too fast, from a perfectly hit pitch. This means that every time the pitcher throws the ball, they have a potential to die, or be severely injured, and if a brain injury occurs, their lives are always going to be extremely difficult and harder.
In a sense the true game of baseball, a battle between the pitcher and the batter is now, no longer the same as the way it was originally designed to be when the first baseball league was established in Australia back in 1910. It has been said the integrity of the sport and the true spirit of baseball is no longer there with the usage of metal bats and BBCOR bats giving the batters an unfair advantage and risking the lives of the pitcher every time a pitch is thrown.
I’ve been a big advocate for the removal of all aluminium and other metal bats in the local leagues, from senior grade, down to the junior tee-ball competition from my return back home in January 2004, after my rehabilitation finished in Los Angeles. Every league using metal bats risks the pitchers lives. There have been players killed in America as young as 12 or 13 from the use of these deadly metal bats. If people want to play professional baseball, they must get used to wood bats, so why not start our kids off swinging what they will need to master if they wish to go as far as possible with the baseball career?
In just over 10 at bats I’ve had this season, I’ve hit no less than three perfectly hit comebackers into the pitcher, thankfully for them, by me swinging a wooden bat, they’ve had enough time to protect and defend themselves and to either knock the ball down, or field it, and make the play. In fact just before the Xmas break, the pitcher I hit one too, came over to me, to thank me for using a wooden bat because as he said “If you’d been swinging metal, I would have been buggered!”. I said no worries, I’d much rather get thrown out, then to ever hurt an innocent player. So the league should understand, I’ve had 3 opportunities this season to seriously injure the opposition pitcher and I’m not that even a good batter right now!!
Passion destroyed is reborn in the passion for destruction
The Adelaide Baseball league seems to have lost track of the true game and the true spirit of baseball. In my current division 6, many new players are trying pitching for the first time. How the hell are they expected to keep themselves safe, if they haven’t ever been taught or trained in the pitcher defence moves or skills that all pitchers get taught as young players? I’ve noticed a number of pitchers both in our side, and the opposition teams we’ve played this year, who are pitching for the first time on the mound in a game situation, without even having the opportunity to practice infield pitching fielding practice and the skills needed. How can they be expected to be able to be “fielding ready” after they have just pitched the ball to a deadly metal bat? Essentially once again, it’s a recipe for disaster, and there will be no doubt, a pitcher killed, or left with lifelong injuries very shortly unless the league changes themselves, or is forced by public pressure (like on this facebook page and Change. Org) to ban metal bats once and for all, for all senior divisions, then for all junior grades as well. Once again the SA Baseball league doesn’t seem to understand, or seem to care about the real life dangers these metal bats create in every game situation when a batter is using one.
This for me is a huge issue, because I refuse to sit back and simply wait for another player to either be killed or injured so severely that their life path is altered forever. It seems the people who work for Baseball SA believe if they just simply close their eyes, and bury their heads in the sand, then this issue goes away. They haven’t met with me once in the many years I’ve been asking them to remove the bats. The only time I got a serious response, was when I threatened the league by going to the media. Then the CEO told me that he didn’t have the time right now, but “he would look into it for me when the season is finished in March or April”. I told him simply that’s too long, and if a person is either injured or killed in the meantime, then how does that work?
I’m very upset and extremely disappointed with the people who run Baseball South Australia for their inattention and lack of care for a clear and present danger to pitchers in the Division 4-5-6 and 7 leagues. They have been promising me they will look into it, and unfortunately it never gets the time it requires, or any time for that fact! All I’ve asked for is just 30 minutes of their time, and they kept on saying we don’t have time to spare right now.
Unfortunately I’ve been given a great big pile of nonsense and excuses from the heads of the Adelaide Baseball League. All I’ve asked for is just a 30 minute sit down meeting with all, or a few, or even just one, the main CEO to show him undeniable proof of the dangers of metal bats, and just how the latest bats hit the ball back at simply too fast, and the pitcher has no chance in the world to react or even to defend himself. I haven’t heard back from the other two heads, besides a few lines given me his email address, which he hasn’t replied to a single email from me, and nothing from the other head, and at least 4-5 emails from the main CEO claiming that he was “too busy during the season, but he promises to look into this matter at the end of this season in April”. Unfortunately the board has been given me the same bogus excuse since 2010, and surprising to nobody, nothing has been done, achieved, or even started! I would be willing to bet my bottom dollar that this wasn’t even entered into anything at the league office at all.
Yet after becoming so disgusted and annoyed at being ignored, that I had to constant Today Tonight, and spoke to a main headline reporter on the phone call, he promised me action would happen, suddenly, after the TV interview on last Friday 27th Jan, they tell me they are then going and interviewing the main CEO of the league??? How could this be? How could somebody who couldn’t spare just half an hour for me to go in there and have just a very informal chat, now have the time to prepare himself for a TV interview? When he would have needed to have gone over all the leagues metal bat rules, and the reasons behind them, he would also have needed to have looked at the metal bat figures and statistics the league uses to work out whether they are safe, or what level was “safe enough”. I hope he also had a look at the metal bat deaths and severe injuries statistics, and actually had enough common sense to realise that maybe the metal bat manufacturers aren’t telling us the complete truth about the dangers of these metal bats?? Strange that the league now suddenly has plenty of time to spare, yet couldn’t spare just 30 minutes for me under a week ago?? Yet I have absolute proof of me asking them on at least a minimum of 4-5 times for just a 30 minute meeting, yet there excuse was “we don’t have that time to spare!”
Very puzzling and peculiar my friends, I wonder if they had enough time to also go out and buy themselves a new suit for the TV interview??? (In case you can’t tell, I am now being very sarcastic about these pointless excuses, which only add to further risk players lives and safety!) If Baseball SA’s main concern isn’t that, then just what the hell is on their minds???
I wonder whether or not they can answer this question, online friends, knowing the clear and present danger, would you allow your loved one to pitch against a deadly metal bat? Would you feel comfortable knowing that they could be killed or left crippled with every pitch thrown? If they aren’t comfortable letting their loved ones pitch against metal, then why the hell are they risking our lives and loved ones??
Well public friends, it’s time to force them to make bloody time for such a crucial issue, and one of a very serious nature. I’m living proof that it can and bloody well does occur, and I do not wish to see any other player in Baseball SA and then hopefully baseball all around this country of ours be injured or killed.
These are the league rules from their website
Division 4-7
Barrel Size Maximum Length Rating Barrel Material
Division 4-7 2 5/8 Inch 36 Inches BBCOR Composite
Division 4-7 36 Inches BBCOR Wood/Wood Composite
What is BBCOR and what does it stand for?
BBCOR stands for “Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution.” This standard regulates how much energy is lost during the bat’s contact with the baseball. The higher the number a bat registers in the test, the more trampoline effect it has
However just because a bat has the BBCOR symbol on it, it doesn’t mean it’s safe one little bit! They are referring to the bats trampoline effect, which is essentially the big issue here. Why would someone use a wooden bat with no added trampoline affect, when they could swing a lighter, easier to swing faster bat, and have a far higher chance of getting a bigger hit, and therefore more likelihood of hitting a safe hit more times?
It seems Baseball SA has lost track of its roots and the roots of baseball, by still desperately clinging to the metal bat fantasy world, where more players can get bigger hits or hits more often? Either way, it’s a recipe for disaster, and leaves the pitcher and infielder’s wide open to death and serious injury from a comebacker.
Capitalism stole my virginity!
Distasteful, ugly and cheap, yeah that’s how you made me feel I said!
Unfortunately I have suffered a massive, near fatal acquired brain injury, which ruined my college baseball dreams, and potentially cost me a shot at professional baseball in the US Major Leagues, or any other professional baseball league worldwide.
In case people aren’t aware of my accident, I’ll give a very quick overview below now, and I’m hoping that will encourage you to sign the petition right away, so I can use public pressure to force Baseball SA and Australia baseball to act immediately!!
I have always loved the sport of baseball and loved pitching. I won my first division medal in a lower grade in my first season at West Torrens baseball club in the 97-98 season in the U.14 league. I kept on working on and improving my skills until I was given my first A Grade start in 2000 as a 16 year old boy. A Grade is the highest league in the SABL and I enjoyed pitching against the best the state had to offer.
I had always dreamed of going over to America, and in early 2003 against visiting college teams I threw the three best games of my life. Two complete 9 inning no hitters, (I had struck out well over half their side in both games) and in game three I had another good outing and got another Win.
I was then approached by their coach and he offered me a part scholarship to his college in Texas.
I turned that down to take an offer in a college in Los Angeles. I left late August, 2003 and had settled into college life very well. I was getting good grades, making heaps of friends and best of all pitching very well. I had best of all three Major League organisations already interested in signing me, and my favourite team, the Los Angeles Dodgers were first in line. Their head Scout had a good eye on me, and he told my Father that he was going to offer me a contract at the end of the season if I kept on improving and pitching as well as I’ve been.
Unfortunately on October 23rd of 2003, I was struck in the left temple by a comebacker off a dangerous metal bat.
I am 6-6 and weighed 102 kgs, and was flung ten foot back off the mound. My semi-conscious body began having seizures, and was accompanied by posturing and vomiting. I was extremely fortunate to have had two players parents present at the scene, who were both trained medically to save my life. I was then rushed to East LA ICU to have my life saved by an amazing and brilliant young 33 year old neurosurgeon. He had to perform a cranioplasty to remove a large 10cm-10cm portion of my skull to allow my brain to swell out. He also found and removed three strokes and a massive 1.4 cm blood clot.
That is why my book is called “Three Strokes, Not Out!”, a tongue in cheek poke at my injuries.
I spent the next month in the deepest coma and all the medical staff were convinced I was as good as dead.
I was then taken to an intensive neuro rehabbing facility which is where I walked my first steps and spoke my first words. I was essentially a 19 year old baby, who needed to relearn everything. How to walk, how to talk, how to shower safely, even how to use the toilet safely again! My life was nearly taken and then thrown into disarray due to this accident. I had to have my skull piece put back in on December 24th and everyone at the hospital was just blown away with my recovery. I’m still in touch with the surgeon who saved my life, and he calls me “his biggest miracle” success story.
I wonder how you would have felt if you were in my shoes? How would it feel to suddenly “wake up” one day in a strange room, not knowing where the hell you were, and the only thing you knew for sure, was that you had cancer, I mean how else could you explain you losing 35kgs of body muscle, and the big 10-10 cm lump in your belly? How the hell would that make you feel? It certainly still is very traumatic and heart breaking for me. How would you feel knowing that its now been over 13 years, and I still have chronic pain, agonising headaches, and extremely tight muscles that are so severe each massage therapist and chiropractor I see are just blown away by how tight my body is, and just how intense and huge my pain threshold levels are! It’s now fairly certain that I will have to suffer with this agony and tight muscles for the rest of my life. Imagine spending the next 60-70 years of my life being forced to suffer from this awful screwed up accident? Most people tell me “It isn’t fair on you there Leigh!” Yes, no shit it isn’t fair on me, not only was my professional baseball career taken from me, but it seems a regular, “normal” life is also being stolen from me, how is that fair??
How would you feel, if a loved one, a son, grandson, nephew, best friend or just a work colleague had this happen to them? How would you feel getting one of the worst phone calls of your life informing you that your second born son and brother was essentially dead on the other side of the world, and best to rush up to see them one more time before they died??? That’s what my parents and older brother had to endure, and also the horror and shock to my LA family. Imagine feeling so desperate and hopeless for a new member of your family and suddenly being told they are as good as dead. Imagine feeling so desperate that you become so brave, that you take it upon yourselves to be the one to hold my hand as I was dying, because a relative told you, you had too because if he died, his Mother would ask “Was someone holding his hand and telling him they loved him when he died?” That was just a tiny, little fraction of the heart ache that my family and LA family had to endure, yet it seems Adelaide baseball doesn’t seem to care enough to prevent this worst nightmare from occurring to someone else??
If my brain wasn’t ambidextrous, or left handed, then I’m afraid my future would be bleak. Either I would have died from the accident, or if I did survive, I would need 24-7 care, and wouldn’t be able to do anything for myself. I would have been wheelchair bound and not able to do anything for myself.
I came home to Adelaide where I spent two solid, draining , heart breaking months at Hamstead, being nursed back to close as possible full health by a lot of good therapists. I then had 9 months of home rehab, to fine tune my skills and life goals.
I’ve managed to conquer some pretty lofty goals, I have two university degrees and by the end of this year I should have my Masters of Rehabilitation Counselling from Griffith.
I may look very normal, and I don’t do anything weird or crazy in the public eye, but every single day of my life is chronic pain, headaches and extremely tight muscles. This is my biggest curse, since it impacts every single waking second, and I’d hate to count up the number of hours I couldn’t sleep due to this accident.
My short term memory is also significantly impacted by this injury which makes studying extremely difficult and I’ve had to learn tricks to improve my memory to learn University course material. For me to now be one subject and work placement away from my Master’s degree is nothing short of a miracle. I am still very worried that I may never be able to work a fulltime position in this area, or whether or not people would even give me a shot at this job, due to my brain injury. I’ve heard of a lot of friends with similar injuries struggling to find employment because of their disability and discrimination against them.
If the league can look me in the eye and say they understand my life, then they are absolutely morons.
If they believe they understand the hard road I am now walking, then once again they are morons.
If they can honestly tell me that they don’t believe these dangerous metal bats are a problem, then once again they are either morons, or living in a fools world or being paid to “look the other way”.
And if they say that, then I invite them all to have a feel of the massive dent, and scar that now sits on my left temple up to the middle of my scalp. I hope when they feel the big dent, and run their fingers along the 15 cm scar line and feel just where the ball impacted my head, they feel sick to their stomachs, and realise this isn’t some bullshit cause, this is a matter of life or death, and right now, they are placing so many innocent lives in danger.
Its happening all the time in American high school and college baseball games, kids are dying and being left with lifelong disabilities. Even players as young as 12 years are being killed!
Site about a player injured in college
http://abc7news.com/archive/7332465/
If people reading this don’t believe me, or the league bosses can say metal bats are safe and fine to use, would they allow their son, nephew, friend or brother to pitch against them in all the games? If not, because its too dangerous, then why are you placing so many other peoples lives in danger every game they pitch??
Just because the league allows it, it doesn’t mean they are safe, or safer if the league has approved them!
I am extremely disappointed and frustrated with Baseball SA because they have known about these dangers for years, yet continue to stall between season to season. I was told the league would have all metal bats removed from senior baseball grades at the end of the 2012 season. It is now 2017 and the use of metal bats remains in Division 4,5,6 and even 7. Some players in these grades can still hit the ball at extremely fast speeds off a wood bat, and for these players to be allowed to swing extremely powerful and precise metal bats is beyond a joke, and frustrates me, because I know that every game, a pitcher or infielder can be killed, or left with lifelong injuries and disabilities, more than likely far worse off than myself.
Many past A Grade champion players are now in these divisions, and many of them are still extremely fit and strong and can hit the ball just as well and fast as they did in the A Grade leagues. How does it make sense to the league, that they are now allowed to use these deadly metal bats, and hit more home runs, bigger hits, and more likelihood of hitting a perfect line drive into the pitchers head, throat or chest.
I’ll give you a few of the key findings, that my lawyer used in my case.
1. -Studies indicate that balls travel at a maximum speed of 93 mph off a wooden bat swung by an adult;
1. -Studies indicate that a ball travel at speeds of 100-123 mph off a high tech aluminum bat– Easton advertises its LS model as providing an “exit speed” of 115mph; --- (My lawyer entered evidence and proof of my impact speed of 250kmph, the defence lawyers didn’t disagree one bit!)
1. -An adult pitcher has 4/10ths of a second to react to get a glove up to protect himself;
1. - A ball travelling faster than 94 mph gets to a pitcher at 3/10ths of second.
That’s just one key finding that my lawyer entered into evidence, and they didn’t dispute it at all.
And here is a sampling of the injuries, and even deaths, that have occurred as a result of balls being propelled off of hi-tech bats at our youths:
-Fifteen-year-old hit above the temple batted by a 5'10", 140 lb. boy, which resulted in a skull fracture, bleeding in the brain, and numbness on the left side, Seattle Times, June 26, 1998;
-Pitcher hit by ball, underwent surgery to place 11 metal plates and 22 screws in his head, Time-Picuayune, May 13, 1998;
-Seventeen-year-old hit in the temple, brain dead, dies, Los Angeles Times, August 2, 1998;
-Fourteen-year-old hit in the temple, dies, Gonzaga Bulletin, Summer, 1998;
- High school pitcher hit over the ear, brain bruise/temporary hearing loss; ended season and prospective collegiate athletic career, Spokesman-Review, April 24, 1997;
-Sixteen-year-old second baseman struck in chest, suffered sudden cardiac arrest, regained consciousness two days later, Buffalo News, June 5, 1994;
-Fourteen-year-old Anthony Ricci, took a line drive to the face resulting in his teeth being knocked out, a wired jaw and forty stitches to the face, Staten Island, June 2001.
Passion destroyed is reborn in the passion for destruction!
This was from the 2005 findings, its now 2017 and a huge majority of the metal bats that are being swung in these divisions are even more advanced, even more powerful and can hit the ball back even faster than the 250kmph bullet speed ball that nearly killed me. Even in the lowest of grades against the slower pitchers, these metal bats have the potential to kill the pitcher.
Even a fully fit and healthy and good pitcher such as myself, can’t react in two tenths of a second. I’ve had about ten at bats this year, and on no less than three occasions I’ve hit a solid line drive back to the pitcher off the wood bat I’ve been using. Yes it has probably cost me three safe hits, but I don’t regret that for a second and even the pitcher right before the Xmas break came over after the game to thank me for using wood and as he said “Otherwise I could have been killed or seriously injured!” I told him all metal bats should be banned.
A huge majority of other players that I’ve spoken too about this issue have agreed with me, and say they would happily support a ban on all metal bats in every single senior division, so it looks like we need to raise our public voice up very high and tell the league exactly what we want to happen, and to make it happen as fast as possible, because as I’ve said many times, any pitch thrown, the pitcher can be killed, or left with lifelong disabilities, or even an infielder. Even players as young as 12 to 13 year old are being killed in the American leagues.
This isn’t surprising since a huge proportion of independent studies and tests have proved that the metal bats out now, are just simply too fast, hit the ball back at a dangerous speed, and simply cannot be protected from the impact speed of the ball. Yet the baseball league still allows them to be used? I’ve got no idea why, so that’s why we need to stand strong and stand together to force them into making this change right now!
The fundamental problem is of course deadly metal bats, that can turn an average hitter into a good one, a great hitter into an excellent one, and an excellent hitter into an unstoppable hitter. This doesn’t reflect the batters skills one little bit, a strong player can hit a big hit, without ever having picked up a bat before. So once again fundamentally baseball as a sport has been changed forever, and is no longer a fair battle between the pitcher and the hitter. If any sport has the potential to kill a player, that is something that needs to be looked at, and investigated as quickly as possible to prevent innocent lives being lost.
As I’ve said before, just because the league allows them to be used, it doesn’t mean they are safe or morally correct. I’ve had a few coaches and players comment to me lately “Oh Leigh, if the SABL allows metal bats to be used, it must mean there safe, right?” Unfortunately in this instance, the answer is a great big “NO!”.
It seems the metal bat stats conducted by the bat companies always come out with the figures they prefer, and these statistics are generally false, biased, or have been taken grossly out of context. When the bat company was using the bat exit speed of 115mph that is still very fast and can still cause great injury, and in the lower grades the pitchers reaction speeds and their ability and skill level is also down, so essentially a 185kmph hit can still kill or leave a player with lifelong injuries. As the stats suggest anything over 94mph gets to the pitcher faster than human reaction speed!
As I’ve mentioned earlier, I am very upset and disappointed with the board of Baseball SA. They have been made aware of my concerns since 2010 and in fact the general manager sent me an email back in April of 2010. I’ve got an email, which thankfully I’ve kept to prove to them what they have mentioned to me and promised me in the past, and the email goes as follows.
A number of years ago the Board approved the use of Wooden Bats in our Division 1 Competition. Over a number of years the Board has taken advice from various of sources regarding the use of metal bats in our lower divisions and based on this advice introduced a staged removal of metal bats from our lower divisions.
The result of this planning is that for our next summer season - 2010/11 – Senior Divisions 1 to 5 including the Under 18 youth division – metal bats are not allowed to be used. The following season – 2011/12 – metal bats will be removed from our entire senior competition.
So why the hell are we still seeing better, more advanced and more deadly bats in all grades from Div 4-7??
I’ve been asking them for many years now “What changed?” “Who stepped in to change this decision?”. It’s something that the current board and CEO have refused to answer to me, even though I’ve asked them in probably over the last 5 emails to them.
This to me was quite puzzling and the only thing I could think of, was due to metal bat companies sponsoring the league, when I asked the CEO this exact question, first one off the board, he swore to me that no, there are no metal bat companies sponsoring the league. So why the hell are they being so stubborn and have kicked their heels in and aren’t following their own boards advice and planned targets back in 2010??
Whatever doesn’t kill power, is killed by it.
Once again Baseball SA hasn’t warned the players once, that these metal bats are still being used. I was signing up to the last two seasons, and I was watching the site very closely to see if they mentioned the continuing use of these metal bats. Not one single mention of it on both occasions, then when I go to first training all the team mates are swinging these deadly bats, and all opposition batters are swinging the deadly bats.
Certainly I am hoping if the players are made aware of these added dangers, then they will choose to stand up, and say no I won’t be using these deadly bats and risk a possible death or injury to my fellow competitor. Unfortunately it appears most of the league aren’t aware of the deadly dangers of these bats, and I am doing this story purely to expose a deadly flaw in our wonderful sport, and will be campaigning for all metal bats to be banned and then hopefully thrown into the bin and to never be used ever again. It may cost the league teams a bit of money to buy the safer wooden bats, but I know in the long term it is the smartest and best decision to make. I am living proof of how deadly and evil these bats are, and I would hate to see anybody else have to go through the hell I experience every second of my life, and I will be fighting the league for as long as needed until these killing weapons are thrown out and never to be used again.
I’m sure certainly that there will be some people that do not agree with me, or may just simply not like me as a person. I’m not fussed either way, I’m doing this for the right reasons, to try to spare another innocent life, or save a family and baseball player of having to go through the hell I am going through each and every day of my life, and more than likely for the rest of my life, or until medical or pharmacy technology improves.
But certainly there is absolutely no way that people can still claim that “metal bats are safe” or “metal is just as safe as wood”, if you still believe that lie, then I challenge you to go onto any web site browser and simply search for “metal bat deaths” or “metal bat baseball injuries” and you should be suitably shocked to read the number of cases and the amount of deaths, injuries and destruction these bats have caused all around the world. And then I challenge you to still think that they are safe?? Once again if you think that, then you’re a very silly person, and I’d suggest putting your loved one out there in front of a metal bat, and see how long that stupid notion lasts for. And remember if you think your voice won’t be heard, or it doesn’t matter if you don’t sign this petition the old saying of “the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is when good men do nothing”. In this matter I will do absolutely everything in my powers to change these rules forever and to have all deadly metal bats thrown into the bin and never used again in a game to endanger players lives!
A new morning, cold weather is changing!
I hope to get as many peoples signatures on my petition and it will be mentioned in the story I am doing on today tonight show probably late January, or early February this year.
If people have any questions or need me to explain anything more, please feel free to pop me a message, and I will try my best to help explain it to you.
I’m hoping Baseball South Australia can get a big dose of a reality check when it realises so many people disagree with its stance on metal bats and I aim to have all metal bats gone from senior grades in as fast as possible time!
Or if this doesn’t work, I challenge the three men in charge of baseball in South Australia to have a feel of my head injury. Feel the massive dent in the left side of my head, run their fingers along the entire length of my 15 cm scar in my left temple, and just feel how big the impression and dent the ball made, which unfortunately for myself will be a constant reminder of this horrible day for the rest of my life. I wonder how they would feel, touching the damage that a metal bat did to my body, seeing the scar in my belly where they had to store my skull and to see the big bald patch still remaining from the injury, I wonder if they could, without feeling so sick to their stomachs, knowing that their inaction and not making a move earlier, could have led to so many more other accidents.
Here are lawsuit documents my lawyer from Los Angeles used in our case,
I’d encourage everyone who still thinks metal bats aren’t too bad to have a read of them, you should be suitably shocked!!
Thank you for reading to the end, and I hope to have all metal bats banned from senior baseball in SA by the end of this current season of 2016-17 !!
All the best,
Leigh Symons #52
PS
Unfortunately I wasn't able to upload the lawsuit documents on here, but if you search for Real Men Use Wood bats on facebook, I'll have them uploaded there on that site
These are their own bloody rules from the website in 2010-11 season!
It begs the question why have they gone back and broken all their own promises and rule changes??
59.27 Bats
The following requirement for bats applies for the 2010/2011 season.
Divisions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Wood or Wood Composite only
Division 6 – 7
Wood/Composite or Metal BESR -3
Masters
Wood or Wood Composite only
Under 18
Wood or Wood Composite/laminated as approved by ABF
Under 16
Wood/Wood Composite/laminated, aluminium, ceramic or carbon graphite. In accordance with IBAF rules, 115 decibels will be the sound emission limit standard for non-wood bats or Metal -3 or -5 with a maximum length of 33”
Under 14
Wood/Wood Composite/laminated, aluminium, ceramic or carbon graphite. In accordance with IBAF rules, 115 decibels will be the sound emission limit standard
for non-wood bats
Bats shall be not more than thirty-four (34) inches in length; nor more than two and five-eights (2 5/8) inches in diameter, and if wood, not less than fifteen-sixteenths (15/16ths) inches in diameter (7/8 inch for bats less than 30”) at its smallest part.
No weight differential will be considered.
LITTLE LEAGUE
The bat shall not be more than thirty-three (33) inches in length nor more than two and one-quarter (2 ¼) in diameter. It shall be printed with a BPF (bat performance factor) of 1.15 or less.
The following additional requirement for bats applies for the 2011/2012 season.
All Senior Divisions, including Under 18 – Wood or Wood Composite only
59.27 (2) Use of bats which are illegal
Use of illegal bat which does not conform to the weight to length ratios above will be illegal. The bat will be removed from the game. All advances on bases made by the illegal use of the bat will be nullified.
Continual use by any club using an illegal bat will incur a fine from BaseballSA.
Wed 14/04/2010 4:15 PM
Dear Leigh,
The Board of Baseball SA takes the safety of its players, officials and spectators very seriously.
A number of years ago the Board approved the use of Wooden Bats in our Division 1 Competition. Over a number of years the Board has taken advice from various of sources regarding the use of metal bats in our lower divisions and based on this advice introduced a staged removal of metal bats from our lower divisions.
The result of this planning is that for our next summer season - 2010/11 – Senior Divisions 1 to 5 including the Under 18 youth division – metal bats are not allowed to be used. The following season – 2011/12 – metal bats will be removed from our entire senior competition.
Attached to this email is an extract from our Local Playing Rules and Conditions that outlines what bats can be used.
On behalf of the Board of Baseball SA, I wish you well in your continued recovery from your injuries.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me on my contact details below if you require any further clarification.
Kind regards,
Paul
PAUL CHANDLER
General Manager
Baseball SA
So what the hell has changed?
The metal bats being used these days are most certainly not -3 in all of the games I’ve played in Division 6 this year??
It certainly is very interesting, the reasons behind this sudden change of bat laws in the league?
I can safely assume it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH PLAYER SAFETY, so what are the reasons??
Nathan swore to me on the phone the league isn’t being sponsored, or being given money by any metal bat manufactures, so it does beg the question, WHY???
It’s the reason why I have chosen to be the public face and voice trying to remove these awful, deadly metal bats, and if I need to do it by myself, than I am willing to stand up for my beliefs and for truth and honesty, and most of all for the safety of all players playing in lower grades in this state league.
The Decision Makers
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Petition created on 30 January 2017