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Family of boy hit by baseball holds onto hope By WAYNE PARRY, Associated Press Writer
2 hours, 28 minutes ago



WAYNE, N.J. - She wraps her arms around her son, gently raising the spindly 14-year-old boy off a couch to his feet. She hugs him and rubs his back, whispering "I love you" over and over.

Steven Domalewski moves his head to kiss his mother, but all he can manage are slurping sounds in front of her lips. His head flops onto her shoulder, spent from the effort.

Less than two years ago, Domalewski was a happy, healthy star pitcher on a youth baseball team coached by his father. He loved martial arts, climbed every tree on the block and zoomed down his street on inline skates. He once shot an arrow into the wall of his basement rec room.

Now Domalewski is severely disabled, left with brain damage after being struck in the chest by a line drive that stopped his heart while he was playing in a youth baseball game.

His family plans to file a lawsuit Monday against the maker of the metal bat that was used in the game, against Little League Baseball and a sporting goods chain that sold the bat. The family contends metal baseball bats are inherently unsafe for youth games because the ball comes off them much faster than from wooden bats.

There has been a string of injuries the past two decades involving metal bats launching balls that have killed or maimed young players across the country. The Domalewskis' lawyer claims bat manufacturers put speed ahead of safety; one even advertised a bat so powerful it is capable of "beaning the third baseman" with a line drive.

Attorney Ernest Fronzuto says Domalewski will needs millions of dollars worth of medical care for the rest of his life.

Other than the word "Yeah," which he repeats over and over, or "Dadada" which he sometimes utters when he sees his father, Steven cannot speak. He also can't walk or stand on his own, and needs help with everything from using the bathroom to eating.

"My son is serving a sentence, and the only thing he did was pitch to an aluminum bat," said his father, Joseph Domalewski.

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Steven Domalewski's life changed forever on June 6, 2006, an overcast evening in which his Tomascovic Chargers were playing the Gensinger Motors team on the Wayne Police Athletic League field.

Domalewski was pitching, on the mound 45 feet from home plate. He wasn't a hard thrower, but he had excellent control. In the fourth inning, the first two batters reached base. He went to a full count on the third batter.

What happened next unfolded in a flash, but has resulted in an agonizing, slow-motion purgatory for Steven and his family.

The batter rocketed a shot off a 31-ounce metal bat. The ball slammed into Steven's chest, just above his heart, knocking him backward. He clutched his chest, then made a motion to reach for the ball on the ground to pick it up and throw to first base.

But he never made it that far. The ball had struck his chest at the precise millisecond between heartbeats, sending him into cardiac arrest, according to his doctors. He crumpled to the ground and stopped breathing.

His father, a school teacher who had been on the sideline, and a third base coach from the other team ran onto the field. Steven already was turning blue.

Someone yelled, "Call 911!" Within 90 seconds, a man trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation who had been playing catch with his 9-year-old daughter jumped the fence and started to work on Steven.

Paramedics, who were a quarter-mile away doing a CPR demonstration, arrived within minutes. They placed an oxygen mask over Steven's face and rushed him to a hospital. But the damage had been done; his brain had been without oxygen for 15 to 20 minutes.

"Pretty much, he died," Joseph Domalewski said, wiping away tears. "It was just so fast. The thud, you could hear. When it hit him, that seemed to echo."

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The lawsuit is to be filed in state Superior Court in Passaic County, naming Hillerich & Bradsby Co., maker of the Louisville Slugger TPX Platinum bat.

The suit also will name Little League Baseball and the Sports Authority, which sold the bat. It claims the defendants knew, or should have known, the bat was dangerous for children to use, according to the family's attorney.

Hillerich & Bradsby said Domalewski's injury, called commotio cordis, happens more often in baseball from thrown balls than batted ones.

"Our 124-year old, fifth-generation family-owned company never wants to see anyone injured playing baseball, the game we love," the company said in a statement. "But injuries do occur in sports. While unfortunate, these are accidents. We sympathize with Steven and his family, but our bat is not to blame for his injury."

Stephen Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball, declined to comment on Domalewski's case, but said in a statement, "Little League will continue its strong commitment to player safety, and we feel our well-documented record of safety in youth baseball speaks for itself."

On its Web site, Little League denied that metal bats are inherently riskier.

"Little League International does not accept the premise that the game will be safer if played exclusively with wood, simply because there are no facts — none at all — to support that premise," the organization wrote.

Representatives of The Sports Authority did not return repeated telephone messages.

___

The suit touches on a hotly disputed issue that has been roiling youth and scholastic baseball programs for years.

In 2003, Brandon Patch, an 18-year-old pitcher for an American Legion team in Helena, Mont., was hit in the head by a line drive off an aluminum bat and died several hours later. In Pennsylvania, 15-year-old Donald Bennett was struck in the face by a line drive from a metal bat while pitching in a 2001 game, causing him to lose an eye.

New York City and North Dakota have banned metal bats for youth and school sports, and New Jersey is considering a similar ban.

Several states are studying the issue. Pennsylvania rejected a proposed ban, and Massachusetts did likewise last year — two months after a high school freshman throwing batting practice was hit in the head by a line drive that fractured his skull. He survived and is expected to make a full recovery.

The National Federation of State High School Associations lets its members choose whether to use metal or wood; most colleges use metal bats.

Metal bats are priced at as much as $300 but are considered more cost-effective than wood bats — which sell for under $100 — because they are far less likely to break and can last for years.

Domalewski was playing in a Police Athletic League game, but Little League was sued because the group certifies that specific metal bats are approved for — and safe for — use in games involving children.

Little League reached an agreement with the major manufacturers of metal bats in the early 1990s to limit the performance of metal bats to that of the best wooden bats. On its Web site, the league said injuries to its pitchers fell from 145 a year before the accord was reached to the current level of about 20 to 30 annually.

The league said that since it started keeping records in the 1960s, eight players were killed by batted balls, six of which were hit by wooden bats. The two metal bat fatalities occurred in 1971 and 1973, before the new standards were adopted.

In 2002, the U.S. Consumer Safety Product Commission ruled that there was inconclusive data to support a ban on metal bats in youth and high school baseball games. Its own study found that from 1991 to 2001, there were 17 deaths nationwide because of batted balls — eight from metal, two from wood, and another seven of unknown origin.

Joseph and Nancy Domalewski pray that their son will return to what he was before the injury. But no doctor has told them that is likely.

"I miss my boy, the way he was," his mother said. "You can't take away our hope."

"We describe our days as painful, and somewhat less painful," his father added. "Our hope is that he walks and talks and becomes a functioning member of society and has kids."

The Domalewskis have purposely left unfixed the arrow hole that Steven made in the basement.

"We're saving that for him to spackle when he gets better," his father said.



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Truly a sad story, and I feel for the family. But I just don't see where little league baseball, or a baseball bat manufacturer can be to blame here. Its an unfortunate scenario, and a lot of bad luck. Sports come with risk, as does everyday we get out of bed.

I think they should also sue the aluminum manufacturers for selling their product to a company making "child killing" bats. They should then sue the miners and their families for digging from the earth the metallic agent used in the damaging of their child. Then they should sue the earth for developing such a deady substance. One that is known to kill kids. Then I guess the last law suit should be against God for creating it all.

sheeeze....

I agree with your statement. Terrible accident, and I really feel for the kid, and the family. However, aluminum bats are not to blame.

I find it odd that they weren't blaming the PAL (in other words, there's no money to be had suing them), but rather went after the little league organization AND the bat manufacturer.

If this goes to court and they win, watch out for lawsuits against gm, ford, chrysler, honda, toyota, etc..........for manufacturing cars that can cause accidents. Or watch for people that get shot to start suing gun comapnies (wait....that already happens), or watch for smokers that get lung cancer to sue the manufacturer (wait, that also happens).

It really is a terrible situation, but the parents are just looking to place blame, and get money, in my opinion. Who's to say this wouldn't have happened with a wood bat?

Bats don't kill people, people kill people.

Wait that's guns. Seriously I feel for the family but don't see them winning the lawsuit. The metal bat debate has gone on for years, When I played softball for the USAF base team we were equipped with some great gear, and let me tell you something you haven't lived until you pitch a softball to a 6'5" 280 pound piece of muscle using a Demarini only to have that muscle smack that ball right back at your head. Good times.

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Who's to say this wouldn't have happened with a wood bat?

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I would say the numerous reports that a ball moves faster after hitting it with an aluminum bat then a wooden bat.

I agree with you but I think the family is using the reports as their ammunition for the lawsuit, I feel bad for the kid, but the family is going a bit overboard with this.

I don't disagree with what your saying, I really don't think the family is clearly thinking on this and in the long run is just going to add more pain and misery to the family as a whole.

This is one of the sadest stories I have read in a while.

Of course I would like to see this family receive money for the best medical care for their son. But, would the money really all be spent on medical bills? Did their son use an aluminum bat when he was up to bat? If the family dont have the millions of dollars needed for his medical care, then what happens to the boy?

Its sad that a young man was playing a game, having fun, doing what every young man should be doing- enjoy being an adolescent. Now, this is the result. I dont know how, but I hope he has some piece of mind and is happy inside. This is such a terrible thing to have happened.

This hits me pretty hard because I just got off the phone with my brother-in-law and we were making plans to see my nephew play for the first time tomorrow in a make-up game ,if the fields are even dry enough.

I'm all for free health care, where do I sign up?

"Free" health care is not free - it comes from increased taxes on those idiots like me that work for a living. And idiots like me cannot afford to pay more in taxes. Smart people can't afford it either. Rich people, poor people.......enough with the damn taxes.

Well when I was a kid and played youth sports, my parents had to not only sign a piece of paper stating that they give me permission to play they also had to show proof of health insurance and if neither was available I couldn't play. Don't try and make this something that it isn't. If the kids parents were not covered medically then the kid shouldn't have been playing, yes it would suck for the kid but it is the standard that the majority upholds, I know you will disagree with that since you think you should be entitled to things you haven't earned and everything should be handed to you no matter if you never worked a day in your life, basically you want everything though you might not have earned it. As stated earlier this lawsuit is frivolous and in the long run is going to hurt the family. Hell the kid who hit the ball is more liable then the damn bat, if you wanna be technical.

This isn't a damn government issue, I actually hold the family accountable since if they weren't covered medically then they shouldn't have put their son in harms way. I feel bad for the kid but I'll be damned to have to pay his medical bills as a taxpayer since his parents were irresponsible in the long run. I guarantee you that his parents didn't give a crap about the bats until this accident and that is all it is an accident. I feel bad for the guy but as I already stated this isn't a government issue.

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The batter rocketed a shot off a 31-ounce metal bat.

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Damn, that's a heavy bat for a twelve year old. My son is 12 (coach gave him a 23 oz. bat because he is always so far ahead of the pitch) and can really hit the ball hard. Little league fields are small, and they don't give the kids a lot of time to react. I personally think they should use wood. Especially in high school and college. With the technology they put into bats now it is unreal how fast the ball can come off of them. I know some of the kids in the league by bats that are well over $200. My son's bat probably cost $20, 7 years ago.

Small difference in MPH but that does translate to additional time he might have gotten out of the way. Although, we'll never know if a wooden bat would have done the same thing.

I played in some softball leagues when I lived in Cleveland. The field near Brooklyn with four fields and some bar in the center. One year, we lost two pitchers with broken bones from line shots. Scary stuff! We played with $60 Target bats....but the teams we were playing had those $400 bats that could orbit a softball around the moon.

I think all leagues under high school should be playing with those BP cages in front of the pitcher. If you hit the cage, you're out. That way, they can use the metal bats and save the money.

Or.....make them use wood bats.

Yup, that's it! Good times, good times.

I assume its still open.

I wonder what the specs were for the metal bats. My understanding is that there is a significant difference low end and high end bats.

Four miles an hour is a pretty big difference when you are talking about little league. The pitcher is only 46 feet away. One of you math wizzards can calculate how much less reaction time they have.

I should have waited to post. I still wonder if there is a difference between the higher end bats and lower end ones.

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I think all leagues under high school should be playing with those BP cages in front of the pitcher. If you hit the cage, you're out.

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You're out for hitting a line drive back up the middle? That would have been 10 years of wasted coaching because that is what I was taught to do.

The average speed of a hit off the fastest bat, a metal model, was 93.3 mph; the average off the slowest bat, a wooden model, was 86.1 mph. Only 2 percent of hits made with wooden bats exceeded 100 mph, while 37 percent of the hits with the fastest metal bat more than 100 mph, according to Joseph J. Crisco, associate professor of Orthopaedics at the Brown Medical School. However, researchers also found one metal bat performed similarly to wooden bats.

The findings were published in the October 2002 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Although there is a general consensus that metal bats outperform wooden bats, few scientific studies have documented performance differences.


In addition, the study confirmed the notion of a "sweet spot" associated with maximum ball speeds – those within the top 20 percent of the fastest hits from each bat model. The sweet spot was located approximately the same distance from the tip of wooden bats as it was from the tip of metal bats, according to Crisco.

Researchers concluded the metal bats produced faster batted ball speeds in part due to faster swing speeds, and, in part, to greater elastic properties found in nearly all of the metal bat models. In general, the lighter bats were swung faster and were associated with faster batted ball speeds.

Nineteen right-handed male baseball players at the level of professional minor league, collegiate and high school participated in the study. They used two wooden and five aluminum models from four manufacturers. Researchers measured batted ball speed, bat swing speed, bat impact location, and the elastic performance properties of the bats.

Each player faced 10 to 20 pitches from a pitching machine with each bat. Researchers surrounded home plate with scaffolding supporting four infrared-sensing cameras to track the three-dimensional trajectory of the bat before impact as well as the pitched and batted ball; the cameras sensed reflective tape affixed to the bats and the balls.

More than 1,000 pitches were recorded, of which about half were able to be analyzed. The others resulted in foul balls, pop-ups, missed pitches, or incomplete data.

The findings contribute to an ongoing dialogue about whether metal bats increase the chance of injury to a pitcher – something this study did not examine – and therefore should be regulated.

Currently high school and college players use aluminum and other metal alloy bats and wooden bats are used in major and minor league baseball. However that may change. A recent decision by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, which regulates high school play, requires wooden bats in the 2003 tournament.

Metal bats were introduced in the 1970s as a cost-saving alternative to wooden bats that were prone to break. A decade later, a general consensus had developed among players and coaches that metal bats could outperform wooden ones. In the late-80s, the National Collegiate Athletic Association implemented guidelines for weight and length of bats.



Crisco conducted the research with Richard M. Greenwald of the National Institute for Sports Science and Safety; Jeffrey D. Blume, assistant professor of research in community health at Brown; and Lorraine H. Penna, a member of the Class of 1998. The study was supported by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA), University Orthopedics Inc., and the RIH Orthopaedic Foundation Inc.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/11/021120065531.htm

This study was done in 2002. Bats have made huge advancements since then.

Here is another study that attempts to disprove the theory of metal bats being more dangerous.

http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/bats-new/ban-safety.html#metal

The one thing I noticed is that they talk about the length to wieght ratio being -3. Little league bats can be up to 31 inches long and as light as 16 oz. That might invalidate those arguements.

Some levels below little league are now wearing chest protectors. My son has to wear a batting helmet with a face mask.

My only question, was the boy who got hit using a metal bat when he batted or was he using a wood bat?

U guys can take your studies and place them where the sun don't shine ..

Florida Dawg and all the others that don't believe aluminium bats dont make a difference have either not been around the game enough lately or are very naive to the differences between wood and aluminim bats ...

I GAURANTEE u if the guys that did these studies had to go pitch 50 pitches to guys using aliminum and then the same 50 to guys using wood with no protectionother than their gloves .... there OPINIONS WOULD CHANGE IN A HEARTBEAT ...

go stand out on the field with HARDBALLS flying around . and i can 100% GAURANTEE U FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE that wood is the way to go ... ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS ....

I hope these people win their lawsuit even though they shouldn't .. and I hope they win 100 million dollars ... and then they settle out of court and take no money as long as ALL LITTLE LEAGUES ABOLISH ALUMINIUM BATS ...

they should also be abolished at every level of HARDBALL ...

as i was reading through the studies P ... I was laughing at the mph descrepeny and how small it was ... as one thats had some experience with it .. THE DIFFERENCE IS ALOT MORE THAN the initial study reports but the other big thing .. THE FREQUENCY at witch their hit was my first thought .. the 'sweet" spot on aluminium is MUCH MUCH BIGGER than on wood ...

I have BEGGED my brother to take my nephews out of little league .. the 8 year old plays with aluminium bats and REAL HARDBALLS .. theres like 3 kids on the entire team that can catch and hes one one of them .. but there 50/50 at best ... and some of these kids can MASH ...

he let them stay in but he agreed to only let him play the outfield ... as these kids are so bad at catching at 8 years old that playing first base is very dangerous for the one throw per every 3 games that is good ...

this si agreat subject to have an opinion on .. until u go watch 7 - 12 year olds and see how at rish they really are ... and why?? cause wood bats might break ... I;d *L* if it wasn't so SAD AND DISGUSTING ...

weight is way over rated .. it needs to be taken into account with bat length and DISTIBUTION of that weight ... thats KEY ...

the 1st variable to hard hard u hit the ball is hip rotation and speed at witch U can turn your wrists over .. those are the key factors in how quick U can bring the bat through the "hitting" area ... then U couple bat weight in with that .. obviously u have two guys going through the "hitting" zone witht he same "bat speed" the heavier the bat is will determine how hard U hit it .. well that combines with the SWEET SPOT on the bat .. witch is pretty much the entire aluminium bat other than the handle .. *L* ..

I agree with you 100% those that say it dosent make a diff. has never played the game, imo. When my father was a manager he never let the kid's use them, Why not start them out right? You dont use them in MLB, so why use them when they are young?

You can make aluminum bats that have the same durability but are not as reflexive as the ones they currently make and use. It's the same technology that allows short knocker golfers like Tulsa to hit it 20 yards farther off the tee. It's about weight, flex, and increased sweet spot size... Those can all be manipulated to make aluminum bats more safe or less safe... Somebody just needs to do the research and put parameters on how these bats can be made much like golf has done with drivers.

I see this as being pretty ironic, (my sympathies go out to the family) because they made the change from wooden bats Supposedly for safety reasons. I really loved my wooden Louisville Slugger and whished that my kids could have had the same experience with Little League and even Sr. league as I did. Latter I played slow pitch softball with the aluminum bat, but I never got the same thrill when the ball left the bat.

My youngest is a Picher / Outfielder for Geneva (Brian Andersons home town)
"7-4 in NEC and overall were 11-6 as a team"
My son was 3 and 0 on the mound with one no decision as a Jr.
He had to miss some games Due to family obligations
(Poor kid had to go with the family on a 5 day cruse to the Caribbean)
So he missed a week of games / practice and by team rules had to sit out an additional week.

Its a sad story, but really I dont think the bat is to blame. It is an accident.

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as i was reading through the studies P ... I was laughing at the mph descrepeny and how small it was ... as one thats had some experience with it .. THE DIFFERENCE IS ALOT MORE THAN the initial study reports but the other big thing .. THE FREQUENCY at witch their hit was my first thought .. the 'sweet" spot on aluminium is MUCH MUCH BIGGER than on wood ...

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I agree totally. They are also referring to -3 bats. For those of you who don't know, the weight of the bats has to be within 3 oz. of the length.

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weight is way over rated .. it needs to be taken into account with bat length and DISTIBUTION of that weight ... thats KEY ...

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This is why the -3 is misleading. Little league kids ( at least in my area) are using bats that are 31 inches and only weigh 17-19 oz. They have a much larger sweet spot, combined with low weight that enables them to get a ton of bat speed. If they would change the regs to allow a smaller length to weight ratio, many of the kids would hit far less "hot" shots. My son would be more of an exception then the norm. Our coach actually takes a look to make sure nobody is outside the dugout when he bats because of the velocity of the balls coming off his bat.

I'll try and give some of you an idea howfast some of the balls come off the bat. My son hit a liner that landed about a 100 feet from the plate and on one hop hit the fence (200 feet). This happened so fast he was only two steps out of the batters box. While my son's power is unusual in our league, it is very common in many other leagues.

I have not found anything written about these new ally bats with "flex" technology. They are supposedly able to make the ball jump off the bat better. Something that needs to be done less, not more.

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he let them stay in but he agreed to only let him play the outfield ... as these kids are so bad at catching at 8 years old that playing first base is very dangerous for the one throw per every 3 games that is good ...

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Where I live, 8 year olds still play with adults pitching. That makes it even worse because the adults actually can put the ball over the plate where kids can really hit it. The kid that stands on the mound wears a chest protector, but other infielders do not. Luckily for my son, he has always had coaches who only allow infielders who are able to protect themselves. Nicholas was not a very good fielder when he was younger, so he only played on the infield when the coach thought he would be safe, like when certain parts of the lineup came to bat, or where it was very doubtful the kids could pull the ball.

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the 1st variable to hard hard u hit the ball is hip rotation and speed at witch U can turn your wrists over .. those are the key factors in how quick U can bring the bat through the "hitting" area ... then U couple bat weight in with that .. obviously u have two guys going through the "hitting" zone witht he same "bat speed" the heavier the bat is will determine how hard U hit it .. well that combines with the SWEET SPOT on the bat .. witch is pretty much the entire aluminium bat other than the handle .. *L* ..

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This is absolutely true. The reason we needed to use a much heavier bat for Nicholas was primarily because of timing. He has such quick hands and hip rotation that he had to be slowed down because he has trouble with being patient.

I remember a study from many years ago that youth baseball sends more kids to the hospital each year (per player) than basketball and football combined. And it's really easy to understand why.

Numerous measures can be taken.

Not only with the bats, but the balls as well. I remember in midgets we used restricted flight balls but come minor league time we used the real thing.

I agree with switching back to wooden bats or manipulating the aluminum to resemble wood characteristics better.

One time I hit a ball so hard to third base I knocked the kid's glove off and broke the webbing. I was still out though cuz the ball was in the glove.

U were out???? well your gonna be even madder now ... u WERE NOT OUT .... that is not a catch ... the Ump hosed U on that one ... *LOL* ...

if they could manipulate aluminium to make them like wood .. that would be GREAT ... it needs to be done ... until then .. DROP ALUMINIUM ... its way way way to DANGEROUS ...