New York Times (June 4) -- New standards for bats for youth baseball players intended to reduce offense by decreasing the rebound of the bats are angering parents because of the high prices for the equipment. “The whole idea of bat performance is to regulate the trampoline effect,” says Alan Nathan, a professor emeritus of physics at Illinois and a member of U.S.A. Baseball’s standards committee. “Think of bouncing up and down on the ground versus bouncing up and down on a trampoline. You’ll get a much better bounce on the trampoline.”