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Baseball Bats: History, Wood, Aluminum And Discounted Bats
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Published: December 11, 2006
Without baseball bats, people would live in a world without homeruns, without that pleasing "crack" the bat makes when it hits a ball on its sweet spot and without big league slugger controversies. Surely this world would appeal to no one! Baseball bats are the lightning bolts to Zeus, the elephants to Genghis Kahn's armies, the guns to colonists.
Without baseball bats, baseball would merely be a dozen people standing in a field.
Fortunately, we do not have to live in such a nightmarish world. Americans have been touting baseball as their national pastime as far back as in the late 1860s, even though no national body or professional league yet existed.
Though baseball's origin may have been a derivative of England’s cricket, it has become American over the years as it was modified by colonists, institutionalized and professionalized. Just think: when the United States celebrated its bicentennial, professional baseball had already been played for 100 years. To this date, World Series' have been being played for more than 103 years, since 1903, the first year the National League and American League decided to have their best teams match off. The length of time baseball has been being played in America is one of the reasons baseball's history is so rich and why so many people appropriately refer to it as the American pastime.
Baseball bats are a part of the United States’ national pastime. In the 1800s, when bat design was still being modified and tampered with, batters soon realized the round bat met the most success on the field as far as hitting power was concerned. In 1859, the first bat regulation was created stating a bat can not be more than 2.5 inches in diameter. Later, in 1869 a length restriction was put on all baseball bats, requiring them to be less than 42 inches long. Still, there was no shape restriction on a bat and many batters would use a flat bat for bunting purposes.
Wood baseball bats have been made out of ash, maple, oak and hickory, though now white ash and maple are the wood of choice for most professional batters. Advancements in bat technology (as well as the materials used) have changed throughout the years as well. Though the first patent on metal bats was in 1924, it was not until the 1970s when metal bats ended up in baseball with the invention of aluminum baseball bats. Even though metal baseball bats have proven popular among younger baseball players, for safety and competitive reasons, metal bats have never been allowed to be used in Major League Baseball. Many baseball purists side with the MLB, claiming wood baseball bats are the only choice for serious players.
Many cheap baseball bats as well as discount baseball bats can be found on the Internet, directly from manufacturers or wholesalers. Before buying a particular baseball bat, find out what length is preferable and, more importantly, which bat feels most comfortable.
Bat choice is mostly personal preference, so do not be afraid to test out an array of different materials before making a bat selection. Cheap baseball bats and discount baseball bats will be available in all sorts of materials - if you are looking to hit the batting cages, look for an aluminum or other alloy bat, they take more wear and tear.
Baseball might be an American pastime, but with popularity abounding for the sport, baseball will never be history insofar as it is an everyday part of the present.
Sources:
Baseball Bat. 2005. Baseball-Bats.net. 11 Dec. 2006 http://www.baseball-bats.net/baseball-bats/basebal l-bat-history/index.html.
Baseball Chronology. 2006. BaseballLibrary.com. 11 Dec. 2006 http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chr onology/#1845.
Baseball. 2006. About.com. 11 Dec. 2006 http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbas eball.htm.
Related Articles
Fortunately, we do not have to live in such a nightmarish world. Americans have been touting baseball as their national pastime as far back as in the late 1860s, even though no national body or professional league yet existed.
Though baseball's origin may have been a derivative of England’s cricket, it has become American over the years as it was modified by colonists, institutionalized and professionalized. Just think: when the United States celebrated its bicentennial, professional baseball had already been played for 100 years. To this date, World Series' have been being played for more than 103 years, since 1903, the first year the National League and American League decided to have their best teams match off. The length of time baseball has been being played in America is one of the reasons baseball's history is so rich and why so many people appropriately refer to it as the American pastime.
Baseball bats are a part of the United States’ national pastime. In the 1800s, when bat design was still being modified and tampered with, batters soon realized the round bat met the most success on the field as far as hitting power was concerned. In 1859, the first bat regulation was created stating a bat can not be more than 2.5 inches in diameter. Later, in 1869 a length restriction was put on all baseball bats, requiring them to be less than 42 inches long. Still, there was no shape restriction on a bat and many batters would use a flat bat for bunting purposes.
Wood baseball bats have been made out of ash, maple, oak and hickory, though now white ash and maple are the wood of choice for most professional batters. Advancements in bat technology (as well as the materials used) have changed throughout the years as well. Though the first patent on metal bats was in 1924, it was not until the 1970s when metal bats ended up in baseball with the invention of aluminum baseball bats. Even though metal baseball bats have proven popular among younger baseball players, for safety and competitive reasons, metal bats have never been allowed to be used in Major League Baseball. Many baseball purists side with the MLB, claiming wood baseball bats are the only choice for serious players.
Many cheap baseball bats as well as discount baseball bats can be found on the Internet, directly from manufacturers or wholesalers. Before buying a particular baseball bat, find out what length is preferable and, more importantly, which bat feels most comfortable.
Bat choice is mostly personal preference, so do not be afraid to test out an array of different materials before making a bat selection. Cheap baseball bats and discount baseball bats will be available in all sorts of materials - if you are looking to hit the batting cages, look for an aluminum or other alloy bat, they take more wear and tear.
Baseball might be an American pastime, but with popularity abounding for the sport, baseball will never be history insofar as it is an everyday part of the present.
Sources:
Baseball Bat. 2005. Baseball-Bats.net. 11 Dec. 2006 http://www.baseball-bats.net/baseball-bats/basebal l-bat-history/index.html.
Baseball Chronology. 2006. BaseballLibrary.com. 11 Dec. 2006 http://www.baseballlibrary.com/baseballlibrary/chr onology/#1845.
Baseball. 2006. About.com. 11 Dec. 2006 http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbas eball.htm.
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