Don't Take My Bat Away, the coalition of parents, coaches, baseball enthusiasts and batmakers that oppose the ban on non-wood bats in New York City high school baseball games, announced that it filed a motion late Tuesday to have the ban declared unlawful and be enjoined. If the motion is upheld, the ban would be prohibited from taking effect in September.
The motion is the latest development in the lawsuit over the bat ban, which the New York City Council enacted last month over Mayor Michael Bloombergs veto. According to the coalition, “the motion contains references, facts, and case law citations to support the plaintiffs arguments that the ban is unlawful and unconstitutional.”
“We are confident of our argument because all of the facts are on our side: baseball is plenty safe and its safe when played with either wood or non-wood bats. The ban is unlawful, illogical and while injuries in baseball are rare, they will still happen with wood bats,” said David Ettinger, chief counsel for the plaintiffs.
According to the coalition, the motion says the ban will cause “substantial harm” to city ballplayers and teams, noting:
- Players will be forced to use bats they do not like, resulting in lower hitting success for the majority of players with average and below average skills
- Participation in youth baseball (and the resulting drop in competitiveness) could drop as hitting is made more difficult and players quit the game
- Players would have fewer opportunities to get broader experience and exposure, since fewer interstate games would be played
