No that is not a euphemism for anything. Tyler Colvin of the Chicago Cubs was recently injured when a baseball bat broke and the splintered end of it impaled the left side of his chest as he was running for home. The serious injury brought attention to the exploding bat phenomenon that has become more common in recent years, in fact the next night another bat shattered in the same manner, nearly wounding a coach in the dugout. A fan was also injured when she was struck in the face by the end of a maple bat and it shattered her jaw. Susan Rhoads was enjoying a game at Dodgers Stadium four rows behind the visitor's dugout. Her jaw was boken and had to be wired shut. Ten days earlier, Don Long a hitting coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates had a snap bat slice open his cheek.
When reporters investigated they discovered that the reason for this frightening trend is a change in the wood that was being used in the majority of new bats, from Ash to Maple. Players choose maple bats because they offer more power, but at what price? When asked why they allow maple bats to be used, MLB replies that it was due to lack of availability of Ash wood due to the Emerald Ash Borer.
The Emerald Ash Borer has decimated the nation's Ash trees to the point of extinction in many areas. This is an environmental threat of a nature that is rarely publicized, invasive species. The insects not native to America seem impossible to spot and stop, as their presence is not revealed until the tree is already destroyed. Over thirty million Ash trees have died already from this pestilence.
This is an example of why we should be concerned when an animal or plant species is threatened by unnatural causes. It effects us in ways that might not be apparent at first, but eventually may become life threatening. I'd be lying if I said I really cared what type of wood baseball bats were made of before now, but it brings to mind how important every plant or animal is to our way of life.
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