[Husker] PineTar and Aluminum Bats (fwd)

[Mike Nolan]

> >>What are you basing that reaction time upon?  According to most research,
> >>a well-conditioned athlete has a reaction time of between .11 and .18 seconds.
> 
> My mistake - I was paraphrasing roughly from what I remember of the episode that I saw last night and should have stated as such. The HBO piece goes very in depth in regards to the mathematics - I suggest one watch the program if they want the full scope - including opinions of the bat manufacturers, the NCAA, the Consumer Product Safety Board and the parents of at least one player who was killed by a batted ball that struck him in the temple. 

Part of the problem is that pitchers, even in HS, are capable of throwing
90 MPH but tend to do so by using a motion that leaves them somewhat
vulnerable afterwards.  I saw several pitchers in the CWS whose motion
leaves them nearly defenseless!  IMHO, they're sacrificing safety for 
a few MPH.  (I used to know a minor league pitching coach, he told me that 
in the minors one of the first things they teach pitchers is a proper 
defensive follow-through, it's considered at least as important as a 
good slider.)

I also think aluminum bat design has become a lot like golf club design, 
they meet the official standards during testing but outperform them in 
real-life use.
--
Mike Nolan