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In the 1970s the aluminum bat began to replace the wooden bat on baseball fields across America.
The bats were economical because they were lightweight and durable and a cheaper alternative to the dozens of wooden bats that would be needed in the event of a single bat breaking.
Ever since, the aluminum bat has been a staple of every organized ballgame short of Major League Baseball.
But in recent years the call to replace the aluminum bat in college ball has grown. Many doctors believe the power of today's athlete coupled with the quick exit speed of a ball off of a metal bat is potentially debilitating, if not deadly.
Dr. Robert Sorrell an Orthopedic Surgeon in Homewood says that the argument is not a new one and that aluminum bats are in fact more dangerous for bigger athletes than the wooden alternative.
But fans are divided. Sean Casey says that the big hits tied to aluminum bats make for a more interesting baseball for fans. But he adds it may not be the best thing for the athletes. "In my opinion they should start going to wooden bats because it's more dangerous because the ball comes off a lot quicker, you never know what's going to happen, there haven't been many deaths as far as that goes but still..."
Casey adds that he feels the wooden bat would also better prepare todays college stars for the next level.
Ron Johnson says he's heard the arguments against metal bats for years prompting him to do a little research. He says what he found is that today's metal bats are much different than the ones introduced in the 1970s. "In the first 90 feet they come off a little faster, so you do get a few more hits to the infield, but you don't get that big pop... We're not having home-run derby's like we used to."
Johnson says that's because manufacturers are working to make the aluminum bat more equal in performance to wooden bat, while preserving the strength of aluminum. He believes in the next few years athletes will find no advantage to swinging a metal bat in place of a wooden bat.
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