Norwegians Strike Out At Bat-Wielding Criminals

To Norwegians, baseball must seem all bats and no baseballs.

About the only time “baseball” is mentioned is together with “bats” in news reports about robbers, bikers and loan sharks using them in violent crimes.

“We have had reports of thugs using baseball bats to collect debts, and in robberies,” said Jon Gangdal, of the Oslo police department. “But we are really not worried about the baseball-bat menace.”

However, some Norwegians are worried, and urge bat control.

“There have been calls to ban bats. But how could you do that? A lighter can be used to set fire to a house, but isn’t banned for that reason,” said Tore Rismyhr, who founded Norway’s first baseball federation six years ago.

Luckily, the police are on baseball’s team.

“We aren’t interested in banning sports equipment because it could be used as a weapon,” Gangdal said. “That would mean banning hockey sticks, golf clubs, tennis rackets and much of the merchandise of any local hardware store.”