Baseball bat

A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal rod used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches (1067 mm) in length. It typically weighs no more than 36 ounces (1 kg). The batter uses the bat two-handed to try to hit a pitched ball fair so that he may become a runner, advance bases, and ultimately score a run or help preceding runners to score.

Terminology

Although a stick to hit a ball with is a somewhat simple concept, yet so fun when applied usefully, the bat is a complex object. It is carved or constructed very carefully to allow for a quick balanced swing, while providing power. The bat is divided into several regions. The "barrel" is the thick part of the bat, where the bat is meant to hit the ball. The part of the barrel best for hitting the ball with, according to construction and swinging style, is often called the "sweet spot". The end of the barrel is not part of the sweet spot, and is simply called the tip or end of the bat. The barrel narrows down, and becomes the "handle". The handle is very thin, so that batters can comfortably set the bat in their fingers. Sometimes, especially on metal bats, the handle is wrapped with a rubber or cloth "grip". Finally, next to the handle is the "knob" of the bat, a wider piece that keeps the bat from sliding out of a batter's hands.

"Lumber" is a sometimes-used slang term for a bat, especially when wielded by a particularly good batter.

Baseball bat regulations

In professional baseball, only wooden bats are permitted, and they are not allowed to be corked—that is, filled with an alien substance such as cork which reduces the weight, and thus increasing bat speed, without greatly reducing hitting power. Recent experiments though have shown that a corked bat reduces the hitting power of a bat^{[citation needed]}. In amateur baseball, both wood and metal alloy bats are generally permitted. Recently there have been increasing numbers of "wooden bat leagues" and the trend back to wood seems to be accelerating on the grounds of safety concerns. Aesthetically, wooden bats are generally agreed to be superior to metal bats, both because of their more traditional appearance and because a ball hit with a wooden bat makes a loud "crack" sound, similar to a stone hitting a wooden fencepost while metal alloy bats have a "ping" sound, similar to the sound of a stone hitting an aluminum fencepost.

Most wooden bats are made from ash. Other natural materials used include maple tree wood, hickory wood, and bamboo. Hickory has fallen into disfavor because it is much heavier than other woods, while maple bats have become more popular recently. This ascent in popularity followed the introduction of the first major league sanctioned maple baseball bat in 1997, by craftsman Sam Holman, founder of Sam Bat.

Within the standards set by the various leagues, there is ample latitude for individual variation, and many batters settle on an individual bat profile, or occasionally adopt a profile used by another batter. Formerly, bats were hand-carved to a template obtained from a fixed number of calibration points; today, they are machine-turned to a precise metal template: these templates are kept in the bat manufacturers' vaults; for example, Babe Ruth's template, which became understandably popular among major-league players, is R43 in the Louisville Slugger archives. Once the basic bat has been turned, it is then branded by burning, with the manufacturer's name, the serial number, and often the signature of the player for whom it was made: the brand is applied to the hard side of the bat, allowing the batter visual control of the hardness of the surface hitting the ball; the burn residue is then sanded off. (The first player to endorse and sign a bat was Honus Wagner.) The next step is the finishing of the head: bats are more often given a rounded head, but some 30% of players prefer a "cup-balanced" head, in which a cup-shaped recess is made in the head; this lightens the bat and moves its center of gravity toward the handle. Finally, the bat is stained in one of seven standard colors, which include natural white, red stain, black, and a two-tone blue and white stain.

In high school baseball in the United States, the bat is not allowed to be more than 2 5/8 inches (67 mm) in diameter. The difference between inches of length and ounces of weight must be no more than 3. For example, a 34‑inch (863.6‑mm) bat must weigh at least 31 ounces (880 g). The bat in high school may consist of any safe, solid, uniform material; the National Federation of State High School Associations rules state only "wood or non-wood" material.

In some 12-year-old-and-under youth leagues (such as Little League Baseball), the bat may not be more than 2 1/4 inches. However in many other leages (like PONY League Baseball, and Cal Ripken League Baseball), the bat may not be more than 2 3/4 inches (57 mm) in diameter.

Fungo bat

A fungo bat is specially designed bat used by baseball and softball coaches for practice purposes. The bat is not designed to hit thrown or pitched balls, rather it is designed to hit balls tossed up in the air. Typical fungo bats are 35–37 inches long and weigh 17–22 ounces. Coaches hit many balls during fielding practice and the weight and length allow for the coach to hit balls repeatedly with high accuracy.

Manufacturers

Hillerich & Bradsby, which produces the Louisville Slugger and "TPX" brands, Easton, Wilson Sporting Goods, Rawlings, Sam Bat - The Original Maple Bat Corporation, the first manufacturer to craft a maple baseball bat, Mattingly, Prairie Sticks, Boner Bats, Mizuno, Demarini, MaxBats, Viper, and Zinger Bats are makers of professional baseball bats.^{[citation needed]}

Game used bats

Professional baseball bats used by Major League Baseball players. Many historic game used bats are on display at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, including Roger Maris's 61st Home Run game used bat and Mark McGwire's 65th, 66th, 67th, 68th, 69th, and 70th Home Run game used bat. They have become a very popular collectible for sports fans.

Used as a weapon

Baseball bats may be also used as a dangerous weapon: see club (weapon). In some countries where baseball is not popular, they are associated mostly with crime in the public mind ^{[citation needed]}. This perception is portrayed in the novel Trainspotting when the character Renton dubiously wonders how many Scots buy baseball bats with sports in mind. Many video games such asDouble Dragon, Streets of Rage, Kingpin: Life of Crime, Team Fortress 2, Max Payne, Mafia: The City of Lost Heaven, and the Super Smash Bros. series also feature baseball bat weapons.

Famous gangster Al Capone once used a bat to murder a traitor, as depicted in the movie The Untouchables.

External links

Physics and Acoustics of Baseball Bats - How baseball bats work, how bat performance is measured, differences between wood, metal, and composite bats
Woodturning Online - Making a Baseball Bat