Break out the seeds, spring is upon us

Get your sunflower seeds, sunblock and a big bottle of water — the diamond is sparkling.

The weather we've been blessed with this past week, along with March Madness, can only mean one thing — spring is here and scorebooks are hard to come by.

This year, and for the next three, we anticipate some pretty good ball being played on the softball and baseball fields in the Mid-Valley area. The talent level is at an exciting high, and as long as the weather holds up, we'll be parked at a diamond near you.

The Yuba-Sutter area is loaded with young talent including four standout softball pitchers, an up and coming Marysville High frosh pitcher, quality sophomores on almost every team and passionate coaches who care enough about their team to bribe us with cookies. Hey, it's not a bad idea.

Top it off with this tease of sunshine we've received in the last few days, and things couldn't be better.

However, the season has started rather grim in Marin County.

Last Thursday, Marin Catholic pitcher Gunnar Sandberg was hit in the head by a line drive during a scrimmage game against De La Salle in Kentfield. As of Thursday, he is in a medically induced coma at Marin General Hospital after suffering a skull fracture.

On the hot seat now — metal bats.

Many in the baseball community believe that balls hit hard by metal bats contribute to a higher injury risk for fielders, rather than using wood bats.

The issue is no stranger to controversy. High school organizations in North Dakota and New York City have banned metal bats.

There's much to be said on the issue, and writer Ryan Klocke caught up with some local coaches to get their thoughts on it. You can read it on our blog, The Press Box, at advarsitysports.com.

While we at the Appeal- Democrat sports desk aren't exactly partial to either side of the issue, if by banning metal bats lessons the risk of serious injury, there's no reason we shouldn't move to toward decreasing the use of them.

Besides, the authentic crack of the bat is far more easy on the ears than a ping.