New York Athletic Official Opposes Aluminum Bat Ban
October 23, 2006

TESTIMONY OF MARTIN OESTREICHER
to the Youth Service Committee
New York City Council
October 23, 2006

INTRO # 341

Thank you Chairperson Fidler and members of the Youth Services Committee for giving me the opportunity to testify before you regarding the use of wooden and aluminum bats and Intro No. 341.

I am Marty Oestreicher, Chief Executive of School Support Services in the Department of Education. I oversee the Public Schools Athletic League (PSAL).

Let me say at the outset that safety of our students is our number one concern. The PSAL is committed to playing its over 12,000 games and matches under the safest possible conditions. We are extremely proud of our record in this regard and believe we have procedures in place to protect our student-athletes to the greatest extent possible from injury and harm. We have a vibrant league, the largest in the nation, with over 35,000 students from 183 high schools on 2400 teams competing in 44 sports. We have more games than major league baseball, the NFL and the NBA combined.

The Department fully shares the sentiments of the bill’s sponsors. We all are concerned with the safety of our student-athletes and we all love the game of baseball. We do not support this legislation because we do not believe the banning of aluminum bats will enhance the safety of our baseball players. Also, we worry that a wood only league will have a negative effect on the field of play and will make the league less vibrant, discourage students from playing baseball and quite possibly impact college opportunities for some of them.

The PSAL operates under the rules of the National Federation of State High School Associations. This group represents the overwhelming number of high school sports organizations throughout the country. We have worked closely with the Federation and have sought its advice on this issue as it has data on high school baseball throughout the entire country. It is the Federation’s opinion that aluminum bats do not represent a significantly greater risk than wooden bats. With very few exceptions, aluminum bats are used by high schools and colleges throughout the USA.

The Federation has reviewed the issue very carefully. Some years ago, after studies reported on the greater speed of balls hit with aluminum bats, it issued rules that established a relationship between the length and weight of aluminum bats. It believes this Ball Exit Speed Ratio standard effectively reduces the risks. Their records indicate that baseball is one of the safest sports. Moreover, the New York State Public High Schools Athletic Association has also conducted a survey in this regard in the years 2004 and 2005. They found that there were insignificant numbers of serious injuries, far below the level they would consider necessary for making such a sweeping rule change.

We acknowledge that the aluminum bats provide a greater opportunity for batters to quicken their swing speed, get around on the ball and subsequently hit faster balls than they would be capable of doing with wooden bats. But because of the weight restrictions in relation to the length of the bat, the ultimate speed is controlled.

We welcome the advantage the aluminum bats have provided hitters. Hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult tasks in all of sports. This advantage has enhanced the performance of many of our players. We are not talking about the stars, but the average player who might not have tried out for baseball or would have become discouraged because of the inability to hit effectively. We know a case in which aluminum bats were banned for a limited period and the result was a stunning drop in offensive performance. We appreciate a great pitchers’ duel, but there is a need for a combination of hitting, pitching and fielding to make baseball an attractive sport for our athletes who want to make a contribution to their teams.

Those of us who have been involved in high school sports in New York City believe that the enhanced ability to hit can make a difference in the number of students being accepted into college. I am not talking about the stars who receive scholarships to Division 1 schools or are drafted by major league teams. I am referring to good players who with this advantage get to the point where smaller Division 2 and 3 colleges seek them for their teams which uniformly use aluminum bats.

We believe the ban called for in this bill will have a negative impact on the quality of our games and the participation level of our student-athletes in baseball.

As I noted earlier, we share your valid concerns regarding the safety of children. Children always come first in the Department of Education and the PSAL is no exception. We are open to consider changes to our bat policy based on incontrovertible evidence. However, we do not believe the experience of our high schools and those across the country support the idea that the ban called for in this bill will significantly improve the safety of our players. We are happy to work with the Council to ensure that our students are playing under the safest possible conditions.

I will be glad to take your questions.