NEW YORK CITY – In a significant new development in the debate over metal versus wood bats, the author of the heavily-cited 2002 Brown University study, Dr. Richard Greenwald, said in a federal court declaration released today that the research in the 2002 study was on bats “which predated current NCAA and high school regulations on metal bats.”  Greenwald also said that “eyewitness observations don’t provide a scientific or reliable comparison between wood and aluminum batted ball velocities.”

The declaration is significant, because while the Brown study was released in 2002, it was conducted in a Frozen Ropes batting cage using bats from 1997 and 1998.  Using these old bats, the Brown study said that metal bats hit faster than wood bats.  Supporters of bans on non-wood bats regularly cite the Brown study to argue that metal bats are less safe than wood.

Greenwald’s declaration makes clear that the 2002 study was done on older bat models:

”The bats used in the Frozen Ropes study pre-date the establishment of the BESR standard and may not meet today’s performance limits for a given governing body such as the NYC Council.  Therefore the bats used in this study do not tell you how today’s bats perform relative to wood – recall that several of the bats tested were of larger diameter and higher weight/length differential (-5) than are typically allowed today. 

Stephen Keener, President and Chief Operating Officer of Little League International and member of the Don’t Take My Bat Away coalition, issued the following statement after reviewing Greenwald’s declaration:

“Dr. Greenwald’s statement means the Brown study is obsolete, because it tested bats that would be illegal today.  Using the Brown Study today is like citing a car-safety study that dates back to the time before seat belts became mandatory.  The fact is we have stronger rules in place today and injuries from batted balls are dropping.”

For a copy of Dr. Greenwald’s formal declaration in the New York City lawsuit, please e-mail Mike May at trent.duffy@cox.net