Metal Bat Law Suit

[Jake Patterson]

It finally happened...

According to Wayne Parry of the Associated Press, Joseph Domalewski of Passaic County filed a law suit in state Superior Court against Little League Baseball, Hillerich and Bradsby (H&B) and Sport's Authority for the near-death accident of their 14 y/o son Steven. The line drive to the chest, batted by a Louisville Slugger TPX Platinum bat, left Steven a near vegetable after his heart stopped.

Steven Keener, president of LLI declined to comment.

Maybe this will get people to take the problem seriously. If a parent wins a law suit, that will be the beginning of the end for metal bats in youth baseball.

Jake

Source: Norwich Bulletin, Sunday, May 18, 2008, page C8.

[TG Coach]

With all due respect for the tragedy involved, if the family wins this lawsuit it will be due to an ignorant jury feeling the big bad corporations always are at fault. There are inherent risks with sports. The kids father was his coach. As a coach he had to know the risks. He choose to put his son on the mound.

Always follow the money trail. The anticipated annual costs of supporting the boy is extremely high. The parents are looking to bleed the costs from the corporations. Why else would they name Sports Authority as a defendant? All SA did was sell the bat.

Why would Kenner/LL respond? The injury didn't happen in a LL game. It happened in PAL game. But PAL doesn't have any money. LL has money. LL does not claim metal bats are safe. LL has provided per capita injury stats (regardless of opinion and testing) there haven't been more injuries with metal bats than wood bats.

My condolences to the family. But the dad could have told his son pitching isn't 100% safe and therefore he can't pitch. All that's happening here is a lawyer will get a lot of visibility he couldn't afford with an advertising budget.

[TG Coach]

If I'm the attorney for the defendants I'd say the boy is a little reckless and the family allows it .....

Less than two years ago, Domalewski was a happy, healthy star pitcher on a youth baseball team coached by his father. He loved martial arts, climbed every tree on the block and zoomed down his street on inline skates. He once shot an arrow into the wall of his basement rec room.

This is going to be ugly.

[Jake Patterson]

LL has provided per capita injury stats (regardless of opinion and testing) there haven't been more injuries with metal bats than wood bats.

And you truly believe that there are only "20-30" annual batted ball injuries with pitchers in all of LLI? 2.3M players.

[TG Coach]

And you truly believe that there are only "20-30" annual batted ball injuries with pitchers in all of LLI? 2.3M players.

I can only believe the data presented. I can't believe otherwise until credible sources prove without doubt the data is incorrect. Either way the lawsuit is a frivilous money grab. The parents understood the risks. They chose to allow their son to play baseball and pitch.

[jima]

TG, you are a smart guy and you have been around baseball. Its hard for me to believe that you can't see that metal bats are more dangerous than wood or composite. Regardless, of LL's so called injury stats, parents like you see first hand that the larger sweet spot and trampoline effect pose a greater risk. Clearly, wood bats hit the ball hard enough to be of risk also, by why ratchet up the exit speed to satisfy the pockets of the bat manufacturers? The question is how much risk do we want to take...by the way, LL are totally dimwitted on the subject...you should see the e-mail Kenner sent out to Va LL parents suggesting we sign up for a website called "don't take our bats away". It should be called, "don't kill the cash cow". Hope your boy had a good freshman year. jima

[CoachHenry]

LL Baseball has rules govering what bats are allowed to be used. If this goes very far it should stop right there. If I make a bat that allows you to send the ball to the moon, and LL Baseball allows it's use, then is the bat maufacturer to blame? Are they hiding anything? Not, the bat companies advertise and tout performace and if they are approved for LL Play then ..... well then LL is the first stop. However I don't think they should be blamed either. Inherent risks, etc.

[CoachHenry]

TG, you are a smart guy and you have been around baseball. Its hard for me to believe that you can't see that metal bats are more dangerous than wood or composite. Regardless, of LL's so called injury stats, parents like you see first hand that the larger sweet spot and trampoline effect pose a greater risk. Clearly, wood bats hit the ball hard enough to be of risk also, by why ratchet up the exit speed to satisfy the pockets of the bat manufacturers? The question is how much risk do we want to take...by the way, LL are totally dimwitted on the subject...you should see the e-mail Kenner sent out to Va LL parents suggesting we sign up for a website called "don't take our bats away". It should be called, "don't kill the cash cow". Hope your boy had a good freshman year. jima

I don't think he's saying they are or aren't more dangerous. It's not a matter of what is more dangerous in this lawsuit. Wiffle ball bats are less dangerous then wood and rolled up newspaper bats are less dangerous still. If the league allows it then everybody has the choice to participate or not.

[TG Coach]

Its hard for me to believe that you can't see that metal bats are more dangerous than wood or composite.

It doesn't matter what our opinions are. It's a lawsuit. The lawsuit is about LL, Sports Authority and Louisville Slugger's liability. I say they have none. It will be about facts. I have a choice of whether or not I allow my son to pitch. He pitches. I understand the possible risks. If he gets injured it's on me, not youth baseball and bat manufacturers. They aren't the one's deciding whether or not my son pitches.

Do you think the kid's father bought him son a wood bat? Or do you think he might have bought his son the best metal bat he could afford? What are the odds this question comes up in court?

I'm not defending metal bats. I'm discussing the lawsuit. Don't confuse the two.

[TG Coach]

LL Baseball has rules govering what bats are allowed to be used.

What are PAL's rules? This happened in a PAL game. If PAL defaults to LL rules, why should LL be liable for PAL's players? PAL made the decision.

[CoachHenry]

LL Baseball has rules govering what bats are allowed to be used.

What are PAL's rules? This happened in a PAL game. If PAL defaults to LL rules, why should LL be liable for PAL's players? PAL made the decision.

I didn't see PAL in the post. I seen that Little League Baseball was part of the suit. Have I gone blind?

[TG Coach]

The kid played in PAL. The parents are suing LL because they believe LL sets the standards for youth bats. PAL is responsible for the bats they allow, not LL. I say the lawyer is trying to connect LL to the situation because PAL doesn't have money and LL does. Always follow the money trail.

[CoachHenry]

The kid played in PAL. The parents are suing LL because they believe LL sets the standards for youth bats. PAL is responsible for the bats they allow, not LL. I say the lawyer is trying to connect LL to the situation because PAL doesn't have money and LL does. Always follow the money trail.

OK. I guess I don't know what PAL is.

[Riverbase]

PAL = Police Athletic Leage. Heres some articles reguarding metal vs wood, and the full story about the lawsuit, notice more deaths from wood than metal.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/24682296/

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/ban-safety.html

[jima]

TG- I agree with you re: the lawsuit...but since this is a baseball site, I prefer to deal with the "metal bat is more dangerous issue". And look, if a lawsuit gets someone's attention, than I'm not going to complain. jima