Submitted by David Biddle, Aug 21, 2007 11:23

Hmmm. I don't know for sure, but I think if Ari Fleischer is hitting .200 with wood he may want to have a pro (someone who learned years ago that wood is the real deal) work with him on his mechanics.

Two weeks ago I was in East Cobb, Georgia at the World Wood Bat Championships for 15 and under players. I have never seen so many great games and such fantastic play by young amateurs. There were only a handful of homers hit in the whole tournament, but there sure were a lot of slashing doubles and well-placed singles. More importantly though outfielders made amazing catches deep on the warning track, infielders laid out and threw off of one knee, and pitchers were able to pitch with the confidence that their teammates were going to make plays behind them. The Championship game was a 3-3 extra inning nail-biter won on bunts, heads up baserunning, and a nasty gapper hit with a wonderful definitive CRACK.

Baseball isn't fun because you get to pretend you're Albert Pujols or Barry Bonds; it's fun because it's hard to play the game well (I tell the kids I coach that it's supposed to be a challenge). Ari, you're on the wrong side of the fence. Forget the safety issue. The data is very scarce, the methodologies very limited, and the reality of the situation can be found in your very claim that you hit better with metal.

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