Bumped to the front page. Interesting topic for a Thursday night. --JB

As the CWS gets underway, I'm reminded once again that college players bring something to the plate that is alien to the tradition of The Game. Metal bats. Aside from stodgy old tradition, I think there are at least three good reasons college baseball (and softball) should be played with bats made of wood instead of metal:

1. Safety--Pitchers, as well as players and coaches at first and third base, are at the mercy of line drives accelerated to dangerous speeds by metal and composite bats.

2. Style of play--If you can propel the ball into the air, instead of at the heads of infielders, it's likely to go deep. Compared to wood bats, metal and composite bats produce more extra base hits and homers, cheapening them and changing the nature of The Game.

3. Professional leagues--If pro baseball uses wood bats, why should college players use metal and composite bats? In a game that emphasizes statistics, how can college stats be meaningful when driven by non-wooden bats?

The NCAA's moratorium on composites threatens those non-wooden bats with a ban, but I wish they'd go all the way and ban metal bats, too. Why not?