I went to Sport Chalet today to pick up some baseball/softball equipment and I noticed that aluminum bats go easily for $100-$200!! I don't remember them being so expensive when I was in Little League, and that wasn't THAT long ago...
Anyway, there really isn't a point to all this, just an observation.

$200???? try $400-$500 for aluminum softball bats....DeMarini, etc...

I think it happened when they started to put pure crack inside of the bats to make it hit the ball farther.

Not only do they cost more but they break easier too. They keep making the walls thinner and thinner so the bat has more of a spring effect. This makes the ball fly farther, but the bat is also prone to splitting down the middle.

When I was a kid (early 80s) I got bats for free on bat day down at Three Rivers. Not all that good, but nothing to sneeze at, either.

Come to think of it, does anyone still have "bat days?" I can see this being a serious safety issue these days.

yeah they do.
I went to bat day at Yankee Stadium (surprising since Steinbrenner is the biggest cheapscate on the planet). It seemed like they hired extra security (or just augmented presence). They also seemed to be very sensitive with bat activity.