A national controversy over youth baseball has hit home in Chicago’s City Council. Alderman Bob Fioretti introduced legislation to ban metal baseball bats for kids between the ages of eight and 18. He says wood bats are safer because kids don’t hit the baseball as hard. But Mike May says banning metal bats can ruin the game for some young people. May is a spokesman for a national group called Don’t Take My Bat Away.
MAY: Many youngsters who are eight years old don’t have the strength to pick up and properly swing a wood bat. It would decrease interest in the game. It would drive participation down because children are not succeeding in hitting the ball the way they’d like to.
The proposal to ban metal bats has been referred to a city council committee. Last year, New York City banned the use of metal bats.