Spring is here, and the best thing about spring is that soon, the crack of the bat will be heard. Yes, major league baseball will soon begin.

It?s true that Sac State baseball has been playing nearly the whole semester, but it?s just not the same. The wooden bat is not used in college baseball, therefore, the real sound of baseball has been replaced.

That crack of the wooden bat defines baseball. The sharp resonating echo of a 95 mph fastball off the label of a brand new Louisville Slugger reaches the ear of every person who?s in the crowd, even into the far reaches of the stadium. The fact that they just paid seven dollars for a beer, and four more for a hot dog, not to mention that they have to sit barely five feet from where they parked their car is forgotten, because they can hear the home run hit by their hero as if they were the home plate umpire.

It?s suddenly all worth it.

Wooden bats have defined baseball in many other ways as well.

Take last October when Roger Clemens threw a high, hard fastball that sawed Mike Piazza?s lumber off at the handle, and sent the heavy end back out to the mound. Clemens then picked it up and tossed it back towards Piazza, causing confusion and clearing of the benches onto the field. That is the image that will stand out in the minds of those that watched the 2000 World Series. Thanks to the wooden bat.

And who could forget George Brett in the early 1980s, in one of the most famous scenes in the history of the game. After he finished rounding the bases following a home run, Brett?s bat was ruled to have too much pine tar on the handle, and he, in an incensed rage that could be used on the poster of competition, ran out onto the field to give the umpire a piece of his mind.

The bat does it again.

The environmentalists may hate the idea, but maybe it?s time to fire up the ol? chain saw and go to work on getting wooden bats instituted in the college game. It might take away a bit of the power numbers, but it would also make the players focus more on the intangibles. They might actually go into the minor leagues out of college with the ability to bunt, hit to the opposite field, and concentrate on hitting to the gaps in the outfield. They could learn the game of baseball, rather than trying to hit the cover off the ball on every pitch. They?d have all the concepts that are being taught at the minor league levels out of the way, and be ready for the big show at an earlier age. Then, they can grow into their swing and compete for the homerun record.

Unfortunately, it will never happen. Most would say that aluminum is a better alternative, because they don?t break, and are less costly. But that?s not the total truth. What they don?t want you to know is that the NCAA is the primary shareholder in a company called Advil, and they?d hate to hear the beautiful sound of pine at the college ball yard, when the obnoxious ping of that hideous metal will likely cause headaches for anyone within a two- mile radius of home plate.

Well, I guess we?ll just have to keep the attendance at college games below 100 and buy our season tickets for the upcoming major league season instead.

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