Little League International Statement – June 4, 2007Today, Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Carroll introduced legislation that would ban non-wood bats by baseball players age 18 and younger in the commonwealth. The statement below, with regard to that proposed legislation, may be attributed to Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball. ----- We certainly respect Rep. Carroll and applaud his interest in the safety of youth baseball and softball participants. However, the introduction of this unnecessary legislation, and making it a crime to use a non-wood baseball bat, clearly will not serve that purpose. All of the empirical data and injury statistics indicate the measures taken by Little League more than a decade ago to restrict the performance of the bats, as well as the balls, have been, and continue to be, effective. As a result, we have seen a significant reduction in injuries since those standards have been in place. Simply, there is no evidence to support the position that the game of baseball would be safer if played with wood bats. ----- Little League Baseball and Softball is the world’s largest organized youth sports program, with more than 2.6 million children playing in every U.S. state and more than 70 other countries. The program is administered by more than 1 million adult volunteers, and boasts a safety record that is second-to-none in its 69-year existence. For more information, contact Lance Van Auken, Senior Communications Executive for Little League International. Office phone: 570-326-7872. Cell phone: 570-244-5383.
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