I attended an AA American Legion baseball game last week between the combined Oak Harbor/Coupeville team and Granite Falls and to my amazement, both teams were using wood bats.

I can’t remember the last time I went to a baseball game involving high school age or younger players when metal bats weren’t in use.

It was actually refreshing not to hear the metallic “ping” every time a bat made contact with the ball.

There have been a lot of changes in baseball over the years and the introduction of metal bats has to be at the forefront.

These days metal bats are used from T-ball all the way to the college level and say what you will, the ball has more velocity coming off the barrel of a 32-inch piece of high-carbon steel than it does off a chunk of northern white ash.

For those of you who haven’t taken your kids shopping for a new “stick,” get ready for some surprises.

No longer do you choose a Louisville Slugger or an Adirondack bat because it feels good in your hands, one you can swing rather than having it swing you and the wood has a thin grain in the barrel.

Now you have to deal with length-to-weight differential, composite and tinsel strength.

Sort of like buying golf clubs.

Those new “Big Bertha” drivers have a club face as big as a two-by-four and if you can’t smack the heck out of your ball with one of them suckers, you better think about taking up a new sport.

Name brands also play a part in making a bat selection, especially if you have a female softball player in the family.

In my opinion the clothing industry is to blame because just like Liz Claiborne or Prada, if your shortstop wants a DeMarini or Easton fastpitch bat in hot pink, get ready to shell out the money — somewhere in the neighborhood of $300.

You can purchase a “knockoff” for less money but just like picking a dress for the senior prom, who wants to swing a “fake.”

Of course metal bats are supposed to last longer and never break, which is a lie, hence the higher cost.

I’ve seen two of them snap off at the handle when a kid got jammed inside with a good fastball and they will also dent.

Nothing worse than trying to hit with a bat that is out of round, especially one you paid 300 bucks for!

One positive aspect for metal is it levels the field for players of smaller stature.

Even little kids have the capability of hitting the ball hard if they make good contact but I’ll tell you what, those college players can really smoke the ball and infielders deserve hazard pay. Either that or they need to wear pads like a hockey goal tender.

Statistics have reportedly shown that fishing for Alaskan crab is supposed to be the most dangerous job in the world.

But picture yourself being a major league third baseman with the infield playing in because the winning run is on base and Manny Ramirez is standing at the plate with a metal bat.

Personally, I think I’d take my risks with the crab.