Page 133 - Phoenix1999-2000

SPORTS Thursday, March 9, 2000 - Page 13 Terror baseball team feels the power of aluminum bats DAN GAOl) favor, and the number of runs be- came wary of lawsuits. the conference's ERA leader fin- bat. That's the only reason the StafJWriter ing scored was making a mockery In reaction to this, some confer- In August 1998, the NCAA of the game. ences outlawed aluminum bats for ished with a 2.08 ERA. beat that pitching stars got better as far as he said. I'm concerned," In '99, six pitchers made a relatively simple statement The second reason for these the 1999 season, until the new re- mark, including the leader's 0.50. The new. buts did more than just that turned 1999 into a statistical modifications was players' safety. quirements went 'into effect, and In fact Western Maryland, Get- reduce the offensive statistics, how- freak show for the Centennial Con- With increasing exit velocity off manufacturers had time to make the tysburg, and Ursinus all finished in ever, they changed they style of play ference. of the bats, it was becoming more certifiable bats. the top ten nationally in team ERA. in the Centennial Conference. At that time, they announced and more difficult for players, es- The Centennial Conference was the Western ''The wood bats definitely Maryland, made that beginning on August I, 1999, pecially pitchers, to defend them- one of these. switch For to wood bats meant a big changes. We had a lot of one run aluminum bats would have to un- selves. Anyone questioning the differ- drop in home runs more than any- games, especially down in Florida dergo some minor modifications, While the NCAA questioned ence between aluminum bats and thing. (where the team plays during and be certified by the NCAA in the safety of these bats, they did not wood ones need only look at the In fact, the team didn't hit a . springbreakeveryyear),weplayed order to be used in competitive outlaw their use for the 1999 sea- Centennial Conference's 1999 sta- single home run in '99. down from at least three or four...where it came play. son. tistics, and compare them to eight in '98. down to a sacrifice bunt in the last These modifications would sup- This caused a problem for many 1998's. Several disparities jump But in the process, Brent Fuchs inning, or moving the runn.er, and posedly make aluminum bats per- colleges and universities. out 1.01 ERA broke a team record for it didn't come down toa homerun, form more like wood bats, and re- The minute they made that In 1998, for instance, the single season ERA with at least 50 or a slugfest," senior outfielder duce their power. statement, a lot of schools started conference's home run leader had innings pitched. Ryan Legge said. They did this for two reasons. saying 'wait a minute, if you're nine. be no For Seibert, there t"is difference While in style For one thing, it was felt that the telling us the bat's not safe, we Just one year later, four was all other reason for decrease can in offen- may not please some hitters, it suits increasing technology used to cre- shouldn't be using it now' ,"WMC it took to lead the league. sive numbers. Seibert just fine. ate these bats had shifted the bal- Manager Dave Seibert said. The most glaring difference "I think the only difference in "1 like the game with wood bats. ance of the game into the hitters' Schools and conferences be- comes in pitchers' ERA. In '98, the game last year was simply the continued. on page 15 Classified Help Want~cf • BEST SVMMER Jon YOU'I L EVE,R HAVE! Top-notch Maine ,ummer'camp for boys seeks counselorstomsrruct euher baskcrbatl, (ennis, l~crosse. baseball, hockey,golf,hiking,ropescQurse. a:~;~~t~~~~;r- video. music. June B--August i6<-i~I---'- Highest camp salaries plus travel, roomboard.Laundry service, internship credit. Gm31facilities, beautifullake-Jront sentng. we seek fun, dynamic, responsible rotc- cover your butt. models who enjoy working with children. Ca11410-337-9697or email$kylcmar99@aol.com better yet, help cover your Escape to the Shenandoah Mountains ofwest Virginia. TIMBER RIDGE CAMPS, [t.uition]" coed,seekingcnergetic, fun-loving staff to work with children this coming summer. 90 miles from Wash DC. 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