CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Question of the day

Re: Question of the day

trafficmatt — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:40:10 -0000

How about if politicians do what they do best and muddle things up and let coachs and parents do what they do best and instruct children on how best to play baseball.

How about if we pass a law that says it is mandatory that politicians keep out of people's lives for 11 months and three weeks every year. We might be better off.

Re: Question of the day

wordslinger — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:28:26 -0000

Forgive me, but I'm a baseball fanatic and a Little League Dad (sorry Sarah, no lipstick).

Belle, I assume you're 92-mile an hour, accurate flamethrower has a passel of perfect games and has won every game he's pitched? And when's the Sports Illustrated cover story and ESPN profile coming out?

The best 10-year-old pitchers I've ever seen couldn't break 70 on their fastball. There's a thing called puberty, boy to man, that's been going on for quite some time.

Consider the reasonableness of your statement, Belle .Big Bad Bobby Jenks, The Big Unit, The Rocket, Kerry Wood, et al only reach 95 plus on their best days and generally in hot weather. 10 years old? Please.

Re: Question of the day

wordslinger — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:10:08 -0000

SCAM, where have you been? Classic, as always.

And Belle, I assure you you're 10-year-old nephew cannot throw 92 miles an hour. Unless he's Danny Almonte and he's 22.

Re: Question of the day

Rick — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:14:29 -0000

It is no wonder that our state is in such dire straits when our elected officials spend time on such worthless issues such as this and not on issues such as the budget, ethics, capital bill and on and on.

Quite with the nanny state bull and get to work.

Re: Question of the day

zatoichi — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:54:55 -0000

The agenda must be pretty slow in the GA to bring this topic up. Make those basketball hoops 1 foot higher so people do not cut their heads, lighten footballs several pounds pressure in case someone falls on one, make gym floors softer, do not allow any sports outside during rain because the the grass get too slippery, no headers in soccer, stop all hip checks in hockey. Makes a smuch sense for the state to decide this stuff.

Where are the various schools sports associations and insurance companies on this issue. They should be making the call for safety, not the GA. I would think higher insurance costs from injuries would suddenly bring more changes than legislation.

Re: Question of the day

cermak_rd — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:52:53 -0000

While I do think that metal baseball bats are an affront to the sport, I think the leagues can deal with this on their own.

Re: Question of the day

Fan of the Game — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:48:14 -0000

=== My 10 year old nephew can throw an accurate fast pitch at 92mph - CLOCKED.===

Is the car he's in travelling at 80 mph when he throws it?

Re: Question of the day

Fan of the Game — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:45:36 -0000

Eight years ago, I was behind the plate for a high school game. The pitcher threw, the batter, swung, and the ball hit the pitcher directly behind the right ear. He had absolutely no time to move. The ball caromed off his head and against the visitors' dugout.

The ambulance came and took the pitcher to the hospital. He was in a coma for three days and had processing problems for several years after.

I really wish the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS)would require that metal bats perform no better than wooden bats. They can be manufactured to perform to the same specs and with the same sized sweet spot as wooden bats. As it is now, the Ball Exit Speed Ratio BESR) is a little greater than that of wooden bats, but the sweet spots are so much larger, that a weak duck snort from a wooden bat becomes a screaming line drive from a metal bat.

When metal bats became lighter (increased bat speed) and with more pop (thinner metal walls), the NFHS created guidelines to decrease the BESR and to standardize the ratio of length to weight. Now a bat used in an IHSA event cannot be more than 3 ounces lighter than the bat is long in inches (a 32" bat cannot weigh less than 29 ounces). However, these changes don't seem to have slowed the ball enough.

Having said all that, the state should have little to no say in this. The NFHS, IHSA, IESA, SIJHSAA, and other state HS and JH sports associations should take the lead on lowering the BESR and decreasing the sweet spot of metal bats.

Re: Question of the day

Captain Baseball Bat Boy — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:35:25 -0000

Considering this same proposal got literally laughed out of a House law committee earlier this year when Bob Molaro was sponsoring it, I doubt anything will really change.

Re: Question of the day

Ugh — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:21:18 -0000

Is is really an issue? This state has hugh problems including financing, immigration, education, health care and crime but, we're talking about children's baseball bats?

Re: Question of the day

Publius — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:01:07 -0000

I never thought that I would live to see this glorious day!

Everyone who wants to work can find gainful employment at a living wage, the schools are educating our children well, access to good healthcare is universal, crime is non-existant, the roads are paved, gas is cheap, the environment is clean, utilities and corporations are responsible citizens, and all that remains for our government to do is to resolve those few small things that will make our blessed lives even better - like regulating the color of dog leashes and banning aluminum baseball bats for children! Hallelujah!

Re: Question of the day

Truth — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:39:22 -0000

The answer is Nerf Baseball.

Re: Question of the day

Snidely Whiplash — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:28:04 -0000

I favor a ban on the use of aluminum bats in kids' sports. The ball does tend to come off the bat at an unnaturally high velocity as opposed to wooden bats, and a little pitcher really has no reasonable chance to get out of the way of a line drive off of one of these things. What's more, the damage to their little faces is much greater due to the higher speed at which that projectile is hitting them.

I'm not big on banning much of anything, but this is a legitmate safety issue. I have personally seen too many kids with broken facial bones from being hit by aluminum-batted balls, but have never witnessed that where a wooden bat was involved (noses excepted, of course).

Re: Question of the day

BigDog — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:12:05 -0000

Kids get hurt in many different ways when playing baseball - ground balls taking a funny hop into a kid's face, jamming an ankle when sliding into a base, pulled groins, ruined arms from throwing curveballs. If Fioretti thinks on this a bit more I'm sure he'll come to the only logical solution - ban the game of baseball from the City of Chicago altogether! Hey, think of how many Cub fans will be spared their annual season-end misery!

Re: Question of the day

ivoted4judy — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:40:27 -0000

NEITHER the State Legislature or the Chicago City Council should mess with A. Little League B. Apple Pie. These are 2 of the most screwed up legislative bodies in the world. Why would ANYONE allow them to mess with this long standing institution. Has Fioretti or Molaro investigated the COST of wood bats?? Who is going to pay for the replacement costs when they break or shatter? FOOLS.............

Re: Question of the day

Excessively rabid — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:02:53 -0000

Why is the government involved in regulating sports? For that matter, why are taxpayers involved in building sports stadiums? Why are our major colleges and universities involved in operating what amount to minor league professional teams with players who amount to non-students in many cases? Is this the end of the Roman Empire (probably yes)?

Re: Question of the day

Belle — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:54:51 -0000

Wood bats are capable of killing if you get a kid that can really hit with it. Gonna ban those too? My 10 year old nephew can throw an accurate fast pitch at 92mph - CLOCKED. He could potentially hurt or kill someone. Gonna ban kids like him too?
Of course I'm against the ban. Somebody has too much time on their hands or too few solutions to the problems Chicago has.

Re: Question of the day

Black Ivy — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:32:03 -0000

Not certain of my position the ban on metal bats. I'm certain the same opposition at the state level will surface at the city level.

A bit distracted by my valiant White Sox...(pause for exaggerated nail-biting).

Re: Question of the day

Carl Nyberg — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:31:20 -0000

I saw a girls hs softball game a couple seasons ago. The batters and runners wore face masks. OK. Safety is important.

However, the third baseman played more than halfway to the plate to guard against the bunt. It seemed the third baseman was at more risk of catching a ball in the face than even the batter.

I don't think there needs to be a legislative remedy, but teams that have the third baseman positioned closer than the bag should send that player on the field with a mask.

Re: Question of the day

Truth — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:31:04 -0000

Skeeter
The answer to your question about which is the problem is nanny laws. Banning aluminum bats won't save any lives. Eavesdropping to identify terrorists who want to annihilate American cities, will.

Re: Question of the day

The Doc — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:29:17 -0000

Putting aside for a moment the notion that the city council has more relevant items on the agenda, why is this a city council issue at all? Individual leagues typically have enough structure and hierarchy to self-govern as needed.

Re: Question of the day

Arthur Andersen — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:17:52 -0000

I thought the redesigned bats were supposed to have solved the problem, as word noted. However, there well could be a number of "legacy" metal bats still around that could inadvertently be used and injure a player. Better safe than sorry; if a ban or some type of bat check is required, the leagues should be capable of enforcement with out any government intervention whatsoever.

Re: Question of the day

Truthful James — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:13:05 -0000

SCAM --

That was the most humongous laugh I have had through the courtesy of CF Blog.

A Mighty roar, a prize of some sort must be awarded.

Re: Question of the day

so-called "Austin Mayor" — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:05:37 -0000

Metal Bats must be BANNED!

How else can Illinois effectively combat the plague of Metal Vampires?

-- SCAM
so-called "Austin Mayor"
http://austinmayor.blogspot...

Re: Question of the day

Skeeter — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 14:04:22 -0000

Leigh,
Let me contemplate this:
Democrate have nanny laws like no aluminum bats.
Republicans have nanny laws like electronic eavesdropping without a warrant.
Now, which is the problem?