The metal-bat industry opposes the aluminum-bat ban in NYC, but this may actually be good news for their product. The concern of NYC’s nanny staters is that balls bounce off aluminum bats at such high speeds that pitchers don’t have time to make even reflexive adjustments to avoid injury. There is of course no scientific evidence for this, but by now we know that scientific evidence isn’t necessary for such arguments. Anyway, the message that NYC’s action conveys to baseball players everywhere is this: aluminum bats are too darn good.

Years ago, when my wife and I were buying a Jeep, one of us commented to the salesman about all the news stories that claimed SUVs are a road hazard because in accidents they can do massive damage to smaller vehicles and the people riding in them. “I love those stories,” said the salesman. “It makes people want to buy Jeeps.”