CAPITAL TIMES, October 5, 1990
Aluminum bats
threaten
America
Don Walters
Capital Times Sports Editor
The other evening while hopelessly
flipping from one channel to the
other (my TV only gets two) I
reluctantly decided to subject myself to
the morbid slants of the evening news.
So there I was sinking into the
comfortable oblivion of my divan
patiently anticipating weather and sports
when a particularly unsettling piece of
news caught my attention.
Are you ready for this? Better have a
seat first because this is unthinkable; it's
unimaginable - unbelievable!
Professional baseball may soon
switch from wooden to aluminum bats.
Can you believe it? That would be like
altering Grama's apple pie recipe or
celebrating the Fourth of July on Pearl
Harbor Day.
Allowing aluminum bats into the
major leagues would constitute a serious
degradation of the game. Heck, it could
ruin the sport. A sport that is the
symbol of our existence as a country.
First let's consider the aesthetic
quality of the game, more precisely
baseball's sounds. Because they are
important, and none are more evocative
than the "CRAACK" of timber striking
horsehide amidst the sizzle of a crowded
ballpark on a midsummer's day.
Replace that mighty "CRAACK"
with a distressing "PIING" and you
replace sacred tradition with nouveau
riche mentality - not a wise choice
America. There's enough of that going
on already.
Another reason for resisting
metallurgy in the majors is safety. An
aluminum bat is two maybe four ounces
lighter than a wooden one of the same
length. That means greater bat speed
which is the key to power. Put
aluminum bats in the hands of major
league hitters and the result will be a lot
of dead pitchers and third basemen.
Of course you could always move the
mound back a few feet or use softer
balls, but for what -aluminum bats? No
way, that wouldn't be baseball.
You see, baseball's environment is a
very complex, fragile creation.
Aluminum bats would unbalance the
perfect ambiance between defense and
offense, pitcher and batter. Their hard
texture would exploit pitchers by
making hitting too easy, defense too
dangerous and homeruns too common.
Let me say this Mr. Vincent. If you
allow this debauchery then you're not
only mocking our national pastime but
contributing to the deterioration of this
great nation. Baseball isn't just some
game, you know. It's a metaphor - like
the American flag. We just can't afford
to tamper with something which is so
important to our country's identity.
Besides, baseball is one of the few
things which remains genuine in such a
turbulent world. World War 111 could
break out and the stock market could
crash again, but one thing's for damn
sure. Somewhere across the land that
patriotic "CRAACK" will still ring out
to the delight of thousands of baseball
fans. Let's be sure to keep it that way.
SPORTS
Booters kickoff best season
lions outscore
Valley Forge,
edge Misericordia
Don Walters
Capital Times Sports
The men's soccer team hasn't kicked
off a season like this in ten years, and
suddenly after two winless seasons
they're boasting a 2-1 record.
There are several reasons why.
Assistant Coach Ed Trunk credits second
year Head Coach Mark Ashley as one.
"He is a very good soccer play . er/coach,"
states Trunk, "the players learn a lot
from him."
Fullback Rich Yotter (senior
accounting) supports that statement
saying, "Coach Ashley works well with
the team, especially inexperienced
players. He devotes a lot of time and
effort."
Head Coach Ashley reasons that
because PSH is a two year college,
building a solid cohesive team is
difficult but goes on to state, "this year
we've managed to recruit some hungry
dedicated soccer players."
Miller's Corner
Virginia and Notre Dame matchup for NCAA crown
Eddie Miller
Capital Times Sports
THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL
SEASON is still young and my
prediction may be a bit premature, but a
Virginia-Notre Dame match up for the
National Championship is looking
better every weekend. Especially for
Virginia, who plays in the mediocre
ACC.
MY APOLOGIES to Pitt fans for
boasting their football team to be the
third best squad in the nation. I meant to
say 33rd.
PENN STATE needs a kicking game
as bad as the BOSTON RED SOX need
Roger Clemons and as bad as the
Pittsburgh Steelers need an offense.
SPEAKING OF OFFENSE, the
Steeler offense (oops, I mean defense) is
averaging 7pts/game after four games.
Their offense has yet to score a
touchdown this season.
AMAZING STAT: Steeler kicker
Gary Anderson has successfully kicked
76% of his career field goal attempts.
Here is a scary thought: Anderson
kicking for a team who plays all of its
home games in a dome rather than the
undomed, weather hazard of Three Rivers
Stadium.
BACK IN BLACK is Jerry Glanville
and the new Atlanta Falcons. The Falcon
general has brought life to a dead and
decaying club. Although there isn't
much good to say about the guy, he does
get the most out of his players (even if
it is bad).
AMERICA DOES KNOW
SOCCER! The U.S. Woman's soccer
team recently captured the soccer world's
most prestigous honor, the World Cup.
Soccer is no longer a secondary sport in
America.
HOW IN THE WORLD are the N.Y.
Mets the team of the 80's when they
only have won one world series? They
Two saturdays ago against a solid
Misericordia team Penn State showed
their appetite by scoring first and never
looking back, winning the match 2-1.
Last week the team traveled to Valley
are always the best team on paper, just
ask any Met's fan Unfortunately, the
Met's have to play a 162 game schedule.
HOLY LATE HITS AND PILE
ONS! How long are referees going to
allow N.D. players to tackle, hit, trip,
kick, punch and pile on after the ball is
blown dead?
THE RAIDERS HEAD COACH Art
Shell is undefeated in the L.A.
Coliseum. He now sports a record of 9-0
after the recent decapitation of the
inlo
Forge where senior forward Jeff
Berrigan's hat trick led the lions to a 4-3
victory.
Finally, this past saturday PSH lost
to a superior Goldey Beacom team 4-1.
Chicago Bears.
DID YOU SEE THE EAGLES
snatch defeat from the Colts jaws of
victory?
IN CASE YOU DID NOT KNOW,
the Penn State-Harrisburg men's soccer
team and women's volleyball seasons are
underway. The teams would appreciate
any support. Both teams are looking to
make noise in the Keystone Athletic
Conference.
ars