The Danger of Metal Bats

Since the 1970s, little league, high school, and college baseball have used metal bats. The bats have made significant advances over the years and are as powerful as ever, presently. Metal bats have a bigger sweet spot than wood bats and they are easier to hit a baseball with. Metal bats also have a lot more power than wood bats. A baseball bounces off a metal bat incredibly harder and faster than wood. The metal bats are hollow, so they cause a type of "bounce-back" effect that wooden bats don't have. Since the metal bats are so powerful, the game of baseball is a lot more dangerous when it is played with metal bats than when it is played with wood bats.

Last summer, a 16-year-old boy in Illinois suffered major brain trauma after being hit in the head with a line drive off of a metal bat. The boy's father wondered if his son would have been able to get out of the way if the ball was hit with a wood bat. That extra second could have saved him. There have been numerous incidents with kids getting hurt from metal bats. It's not that wooden bats don't cause problems, because they do. But, metal bats pose a greater risk than wood bats do.

I have played baseball since I was 4 years old and for the majority of my career, I always used a metal bat. Metal bats are lighter than wood bats and help you hit the baseball better. Metal bats also last longer than wood bats. I could use the same metal bat for a few years, as opposed to buying a new wood bat and it breaking the first game I use it. Wood bats are much cheaper to manufacture than metal bats.

Some organizations around the country have banned metal bats in their youth leagues. New York City banned metal bats from high school games last year. I think metal bats should be banned for two reasons. Obviously, one is the safety issue. The second reason is Major League Baseball players use wood bats, why not let everyone use wood bats? Yeah, you can hit the ball harder and better with a metal bat, but the real players use wood bats. Wood bats could be promoted to young players using their favorite Major Leaguers. There will always be safety issue with baseball and every sport. Converting from metal bats to wood bats in youth leagues will make the sport a little bit safer.

Jose Reyes Better than Derek Jeter?

I have been bothered by the fact that a number of people claim that Jose Reyes is a better baseball player than Derek Jeter. Let's look at both players. Jose Reyes is 24 years old and has played 3 full seasons in the MLB. Reyes batted .273, .300, and .280 in his first three seasons. Jeter, who is now entering his 13th full season, batted .314, .291, and .324 during his first 3 seasons. In Jeter's next 9 seasons, he batted over .300 7 times. Jeter has 2,356 hits all time, compared to Reyes' 715 hits. The main argument for a Met fan is that Reyes is more talented than Jeter. This is the only thing they can say because the stats speak for themselves. Jeter has played 9 more seasons than Reyes, so I don't understand the comparisions.

Reyes is an excellent base-stealer, stealing 60,64, and 78 bases in his 3 seasons. Jeter is an above average runner, stealing an average 22 bases a season. The main thing that I have been hearing is that Jeter is the WORST fielding shortstop in the league. This is simply blasphemous because Jeter has made some amazing plays throughout his career: The famous "flip" to home plate against the Oakland A's in the 2001 playoffs and the diving catch into the stands against the Boston Red Sox. Reyes is a great fielder, but it is mostly because of his pure talent. Reyes is still only 24 years old, so he has the potential to be as good as Jeter, but to say that he is better now is ridiculous

The main reason Derek Jeter is not the worst shortstop in the league can be described with one word: clutch. Jeter is known as Captain Clutch for his heroics at the plate in tough situations. Jeter can also secure a game with his defense and even make a game changing play at any moment. Jose Reyes has played his worst at the end of seasons and most importantly, in the playoffs. Jeter is going to be 34 years old this June, making him 9 years older than Reyes. It would be fair to say Reyes has more talent right now than Jeter because of the age difference. There is no one that can say Jeter is not a winner. With 4 World Series rings, Jeter puts Reyes' 0 to shame.

It is true that Jeter has lost a step or two over his 12 seasons, which is saying a lot about his durability. It is tough to be as consistent as Jeter over such a long period of time in the MLB. Jeter has a great chance at 3,000 hits in his career. It is just unfair to say that Reyes is better than Jeter at this point. Most of the people saying this are, in fact, Met fans. I don't care what kind of fan someone is. When a player has done what Jeter has done in 12 seasons, it is ridiculous to say a 3 year player is that much better than him.

Keep an Eye on Kimbo

(This image shows Kimbo Slice (left) defeating Bo Cantrell (right) 19 seconds into the match)

What a name. Kimbo Slice. Born as Kevin Ferguson, Kimbo Slice is a 34-year-old former street fighter. They call him the "internet sensation" because the street fights he performed in were taped and put onto YouTube. Kimbo is 6'2 and 250 lbs. Slice is simply a ridiculous fighter. He combines unbelievable strength with amazingly quick hands. I've watched the videos and the way Slice fights is incredible. He retired from street fighting and started training to become a professional fighter.

Kimbo was trained by former MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fighter Bas Rutten. Kimbo's first professional fight in MMA took place last November. The event was promoted by EliteXC. In the main event, Kimbo fought Bo Cantrell. I wouldn't call it much of a fight because Kimbo defeated Cantrell with a TKO 19 seconds into the match. I watched this fight last November and it was the greatest form of entertainment in the category of professional sports fighting.

Last night, I saw a commercial for a fight between Kimbo Slice and Tank Abbott. The event was on Showtime and Kimbo didn't fight until around 11:30 p.m. It was a very short fight because Kimbo knocked out Abbott 43 seconds into the match. Both of Kimbo's professional fights in MMA have been knockouts 19 seconds and 43 seconds in the 1st round. I don't think there has been a fighter as dominant as Kimbo Slice since Mike Tyson. I am interested to see if Slice continues to fight in MMA, or if he becomes a professional boxer. The matches are very exciting to watch if you are a fan of ultimate fighting or boxing. You can find Kimbo's fights on YouTube.

The Single Sport Spectator vs. The Multiple Sport Spectator

It is the middle of February. Football season is over and baseball season still has over a month before it gets underway. Basketball and hockey are right at the mid-point of their seasons. If you are a sports fan who only watches one sport, this time of the year could be tough.

There are all different types of fans in sports. Some fans watch anywhere from 2 to 4 different major sports. There are other fans who just stick to one single sport. So, for a baseball fan the season ends at the end of October. The next season doesn't start until the following April. For a baseball fanatic, the winter months can be boring. Same goes with the football, hockey, and basketball off-seasons. Baseball and football are my favorite sports to watch so this is the worst time of the year for sports in my world. Hockey and basketball can cut it for a little while, but the beginning of April means it's time for baseball.

Sports fans who like more than one sport probably enjoy sports in general more than a fan who only watches one sport. Of course, the individual fan chooses what sports to watch depending on their own personal level of enjoyment. A fan who enjoys a variety of different sports never gets bored as a spectator. I just feel that for baseball and football fans like myself, February and March are the worst months for sports. Basketball and hockey don't get interesting until the playoffs, and by then baseball will be in full swing. The only thing that makes an offseason enjoyable is when your team wins. For New York Giant fans, this will be a memorable offseason.

The Rocket's DNA

As we all know, there has been an investigation on steroids in the MLB for a couple of years. Senator George Mitchell led his own investigation which led to the Mitchell Report. The biggest name on the Mitchell Report was Roger "The Rocket" Clemens. Clemens' former trainer Brian McNamee gave most of the names which appear in the report. Almost all of the players on the list admitted to steroid use after being caught, except Clemens. Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against McNamee. Clemens was furious that McNamee gave Clemens' name up to steroids.

This whole situation and the events surrounding it are very strange. About a month ago there was a recorded phone conversation between Clemens and McNamee. It didn't reveal much because both men were under their lawyer's supervision and couldn't elaborate on things. Clemens and McNamee were good friends which makes me wonder why McNamee would do this to Clemens. Even if Clemens is indeed guilty, wouldn't his pal save him by not giving up the name? Or maybe McNamee was threatened by Senator Mitchell to give up every name or else he would be arrested. The story gets stranger when McNamee recently turned in evidence of Clemens' steroid use.

McNamee turned in a plastic bag full of syringes and bloody gauze pads to Congress. He claims that Clemens' DNA is in all of this evidence. First off, what kind of psycho saves this stuff? The syringes and blood were from the year 2000. Eight years later, the guy still has all of this. Clemens now has to turn in a sample of his own DNA to see if both match. I think this is just ridiculous for a number of reasons. McNamee could have saved Clemens' blood and somehow added traces of steroids into it. This means McNamee was framing Clemens from the beginning. He knew that the players would eventually get caught for steroids, so he kept proof of it. I don't know what to believe because if it turns out that it is indeed Clemens' blood, I don't know if he really did the steroids. Clemens was known to take shots of B12, which is a normal and legal vitamin. Clemens could have had his B12 shot and McNamee could have planted traces of illegal substances. I hope that the truth comes out and we find out who is really lying. The Rocket- A Hall-of-Fame pitcher, or Brian McNamee- A drug dealer.

Giant Upset

In what most would consider the biggest upset in Super Bowl history, the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. The Patriots end one of the best seasons ever with a loss in the biggest game of the year. The Super Bowl was a struggle in defense all game long for both teams. It was the opposite of what everyone presumed the game to be. Eli Manning, who was criticized for all four years of his career, won the Super Bowl MVP. Eli finally became the quarterback who the Giants thought they had drafted four years ago.

This game was extremely ironic and weird in so many ways. Eli Manning won a Super Bowl a year after his brother Peyton won with the Colts. Peyton also won MVP of the game last year. There were a few of amazing plays, including a play dubbed "The Catch." Of course, the Patriots were undefeated coming into the game. They finally lost and will now be remembered as losing the big game. The game was an upset in so many ways. The Giants played like a team who wanted the game more than the other team. This game will be remembered as one of the best games in NFL history.

Super Bowl XLII was the most-watched Super Bowl of all-time. The game had 97.5 million viewers, making it the second largest event in American television history. In 1983, the "MASH" finale attracted a still-standing record of 106 million viewers. Super Bowl XLII may be one of the most profound and historic games in football history.

The Best Team of All-Time?

The New England Patriots are one win away from completing the perfect football season. They are 18-0 and will play the New York Giants in the Super Bowl tomorrow night. The Patriots seem to always be in the news. It might be because quarterback Tom Brady dates supermodels and has already won three Super Bowls. But, at the beginning of this season they were in the news because they were caught cheating. What the NFL refers to as Spygate, the Patriots were caught filming signals from their opponents' sideline during the first game of the season. They went on to beat the Jets in that game, beginning their perfect season. Head coach Bill Bellichick, who has the personality of a coconut, took the brunt of the punishment when he was fined a half million dollars. The Patriots were also fined an additional quarter million dollars. They were also deprived of two draft picks in next year's draft. When asked about the incident, Bellichick declined to comment. Give the guy a break, he was cheating and got caught. He apologized to the Patriots organization for getting caught, but he didn't apologize to the Jets. Why should he? The NFL already glorifies Bellichick as the best coach ever and Tom Brady the best quarterback ever. So, the Patriots cheated the first game of the season and went on to win 17 more games, up to this point. The first game of this season was the only time the Patriots cheated right? Wrong.

With two days left before Super Bowl Sunday, Spygate came back into the picture. Yesterday, Senator Arlen Specter jumped into the Spygate scandal. Specter wants to know why the six tapes that the NFL confiscated from the Patriots were destroyed. That's right, the only evidence that we had of the Patriots cheating was destroyed by NFL commisioner Roger Goodell. Why would Goodell destroy this evidence? He responded to the Senator by saying that the Patriots told him these were the only tapes they had and he felt that there was no further use for them. Goodell also commented that the great coach Bill Parcells once said that if you think your signs aren't being stolen on the sidelines, you are dumb. Numerous insiders have also said that everyone tries to steal the opposing team's signs. Even so, no one ever got caught with a video camera stealing another team's signals. The Patriots were cheating, and they were caught doing so. Now, it is all over with. The six tapes that existed are destroyed and there is no more evidence that the Patriots cheated on any other occasion. C'mon, this story wouldn't be so interesting if it ended there.

On the same day, February 1st, 2008, as Senator Specter came foward asking questions, another man came into the picture. Former Patriots video department employee Matt Walsh. Walsh claims that he has tapes of the Patriots stealing signals dating back to 2002, when the Patriots played the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI. Walsh said that a camera man for the Patriots taped their own practice a couple of days before the Super Bowl that year. It was the last practice before the Super Bowl. The camera man stayed behind when the Patriots were done and filmed the Rams final practice. The Patriots went on to win 20-17. This Super Bowl started their so-called "dynasty." There were also numerous reports that the Patriots did the same thing to the Eagles when they defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX. Walsh said that he has all the information and if ESPN agreed to cover his legal fees, he would tell them everything. The only thing holding Walsh back is that him having the illegal tapes, may be illegal. It's funny how the Patriots illegally did something, but it is illegal to expose them for it.

Now, you might ask the question, how much can a team really get out of stealing a team's signals and taping their practices? Well, I'm not a professional quarterback and I'm not a proffesional coach. But, I do know enough about football that if I saw what the defense was doing on the next play, I could take Tom Brady's place and throw a touchdown everytime, granted my receiver makes the catch. What I am baffled by is that all these analysts and experts continue to say the Patriots are the greasest team EVER. There is no proof yet. Matt Walsh has not shown any proof as of yet, but he also said that no one has contacted him for information. Not even the thorough investigation of the NFL contacted him for information. Is this some kind of huge conspiracy involving the Patriots and the NFL? Could the NFL be helping the Patriots by destroying tapes and not to mention the referees handing the Patriots numerous calls throughout the year? Or, are we just overlooking things? Maybe everyone is so jealous of the perfect Patriots that they are making up these claims of cheating. I don't think you can make up a story like this. The Patriots were actually caught cheating. They were caught red-handed taping the other team's signals. What makes you think this was the only time? In the 2005 season, Nick Saban was coach of the Miami Dolphins. He had an interesting take on the whole thing when he said he was convinced the Patriots knew what play he was calling. He said the Patriots guessed every single play correctly. No one guesses every single play correctly. The Patriots went on to win that game against the Dolphins. But, the Patriots are the best team ever, right? How do you beat a team that knows your play, on every play?

Just to show you what kind of person Bill Bellichick is, I will leave you with this statement he made yesterday when asked about Spygate. Keep in mind, he is the one who admitted to ordering the camera man to tape the other team's signals. "It's a league matter, I don't know anything about it."