Sox's Castro named in fan's broken-bat lawsuit

Tribune News ServicesA New York Mets fan who says a shattered bat smashed him in the face in the Shea Stadium stands is suing the team and Major League Baseball, claiming they didn't do enough to protect fans from break-prone maple bats.James G. Falzon's lawsuits follow years of discussion of the safety of maple baseball bats, which have become increasingly popular but have been shown to break apart more readily than traditional ash bats.Falzon is seeking unspecified damages from the team, the league, Rawlings-brand bat maker the Jarden Corp. and two players: Mets second baseman Luis Castillo, who was wielding the bat, and White Sox catcher Ramon Castro (then with the Mets), who owned it, according to the lawsuits. The team, the league and Rye, N.Y.-based Jarden declined to comment Monday. Castillo is still with the Mets, who were off Monday. Castro couldn't immediately be reached by telephone for comment. Falzon was in a box seat along the third-base line, watc...