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NARR; It's turning spring in New York, WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN ONCE AGAIN HEAR THE SOUND OF Baseball bats THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
(BAT SOUND)
But THE PING of aluminum will likely be replaced by the thud of wood -- at least for high school baseball players. The ban on aluminum baseball bats passed 40-6, a large enough margin to override a possible mayoral veto.
Supporters of the ban say metal bats are more dangerous than wood bats because they hit the baseball with more velocity. But studies show no conclusive difference in risk between metal and wood.
Staten Island COUNCILMAN James ODDO HAD BEEN TRYING TO PASS THE BAN FOR SIX YEARS - But IT ONLY PASSED AFTER HIGH SCHOOL PITCHER STEVEN DOMALEWSKI WAS STRUCK BY A BALL HIT OFF OF AN ALUMINUM BAT LAST FALL. HIS FATHER, JAMES, SAYS THE ACCIDENT LEFT STEVEN WITH PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE.
AX:
He died on the field and he was brought back through CPR. My son is doing a sentence and to me the only thing he did wrong was pitch to a guy holding a metal bat.
NARR: There are other bans in the works as well. Recently, THE COUNCIL banned pedicabs FROM New York City parks -- but Mayor Michael Bloomberg decided at the last minute to hold off on signing it.
Daniel Elstein, OF the New York League of Humane Voters, says his group OPPOSES THAT BAN.
AX:
This would help the horse carriage industry greatly because it would eliminate one of their main sources of competition in the city
AND ELSTEIN SAYS THE CARRIAGE INDUSTRY IS CRUEL TO HORSES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, HIS GROUP ADVOCATES A DIFFERENT BAN
(Sound of people cheering and yelling for elephants)
Early Wednesday morning, 10 elephants walked across 34th Street as a crowd of 1000 turned out at midnight to WATCH.
(More sound)
THE PACHYDERM PARADE MARKED the arrival of the RINGLING BROTHERS Barnum and Bailey circus, which the League of Humane voters says SHOULD BE BANNED BECAUSE IT TREATS animals cruelly. Tomorrow, THE GROUP WILL hold a protest at Madison Square Garden, where ACTIVISTS WILL chain and "beat" a human in an elephant suit with the "bull hook" that is used to DISCIPLINE elephants. Councilwoman Rosie Mendez is the proposed ban's main sponser.
AX:
For us to say that we're an enlightened society, but we allow animals to be tortured and do things quite unnatural, jump through flaming hoops and big elephants sit on little chairs, it's just not appropriate.
NEW YORK ISN'T UNIQUE WHEN IT COMES TO BANNING THINGS: SAN FRANCISCO'S COUNCIL IS CONSIDERING A BAN ON PLASTIC GROCERY BAGS. LAST YEAR, CHICAGO BANNED FOIE GRAS.
NEW YORK COUNCILMAN ALAN Gerson OF LOWER MANHATTAN considerED proposing a SIMILAR ban.
AX:
We were approached by a responsible organization that made a claim of excessive inhuman treatment to both animals and the workers working with the animals
NARR: After a spate of media coverage, GERSON decided to hold off on the bill. THE COUNCILMAN SAYS REPORTERS PAY undo attention to the bans and ignore the council's other work.
GERSON DEFENDS A BAN THAT he co-sponsored, PROHIBITING smoking IN the Workplace - and BY ENTENSION, IN NEW YORK RESTAURANTS, BARS, AND CLUBS.
AX:
There's no question that has saved lives and saved health and I know I speak with clubs owners and club goes who are thrilled.
NARR: Gerson says first amendment and privacy rights are sacred. But --
AX:
... we also don't want people to be subject to the tyranny of the
marketplace.
Councilwoman Mendez says bans can serve the greater good…
AX: Sometimes that means infringing on someone's desire, maybe not their right, but their desire to do something
NARR: CRITICS OF THE BANS SAY THAT THE LAWS DON'T ALWAYS IMRPOVE CONDITIONS. Jacob Sollum IS a nationally syndicated conservative columnist. HE says city council MEMBERS TEND TO promotE THEIR personal beliefs over good policy WHEN THEY PROPOSE BANS.
AX:
They're basing legislation on their own pet issues, they seem to automatically assume that if there's something that upsets them personally that it should be banned. There's no further step for them.
NARR: Sollum says the BANS ARE paternalistic.
AX:
Trans fats are bad, they're unhealthy we should ban them. Smoking is bad people shouldn't smoke we should ban it. I think alum bats are more dangerous than wooden bats even though I have no hard evidence to support that impression, metal bats should be banned. They don't really have any sense of modesty about the proper role of government.
NARR: NEW YORK CITY COUNCILMAN ALAN Gerson says the role of government is something the council should discuss more often. Meanwhile, MAYOR BLOOMBERG HASN'T INDICATED WHETHER HE'LL SIGN THE BAN ON ALUMINUM BATS OR SEND IT BACK TO THE COUNCIL FOR ANOTHER VOTE.
Chris Bragg, Columbia Radio News