Think a corked bat can add distance? Think again. Research out of the University of Illinois indicates that the trampoline effect that is so significant in metal bats is negligible in wood bats. But there still may be an advantage to be had in using corked bats. Increased bat speed […]
News & Blog
Asian Invasion
Baseball bats made from top-grade North American ash may become a thing of the past unless experts find a way to beat back an invading force from Asia. The emerald ash borer is an Asian beetle that feeds on ash trees and may drive them to extinction. The emerald ash […]
More on Bat Safety
Bat safety is a hot topic in the news these days – now we’re hearing about a move by the California Interscholastic Federation to require the use of less-powerful metal bats for the 2011 season. The new BBCOR performance standards mean that metal bats can be no more powerful than […]
Small-town Bat Maker Gets Big Break from Subway
Jesse LaCasse, a 30-year-old currently playing professional baseball in Germany, started making bats in 2006, using high quality beechwood and setting up shop with a lathe and a handful of custom orders. Now Subway is giving him a boost by highlighting LaCasse Bats in the 2010 Senior League World Series. […]
Take me out to the … court house
Just last week, we blogged about how dangerous broken bats can be – for players, coaches, officials and fans. So we weren’t too surprised to see this article in the news about a man who was hit in the face by a broken bat at a Mets game a few […]
Good Wood
Broken wood bats can be dangerous. Razor-sharp shards of wood flying through the air, who knows where they may land? Players, coaches, officials and fans have all been injured by broken bats. There’s been a lot of talk about the relative safety of wood bats recently, which makes us wonder about […]
NFHS Ban on Composite Bats
In a widely anticipated move, the National Federation of State High School Associations enacted a rule banning the use of composite bats in high school baseball effective from the start of the 2010-11 school year. They have, however, left some wiggle room, as the NFHS may consider waivers or modifications […]
Life After Baseball
Figuring out what to do when your playing days are over is a big deal for most professional athletes. Javy Lopez, one of the Atlanta Braves all-time fan favorites, is no exception. When Javy retired, he started his own bat company – Bones Bats – and he’s keeping himself busy […]
Building a Better Bat
What’s the difference between reinventing the wheel and building a better mousetrap? The former is a pointless exercise, and the latter is, well, basically what a New Jersey man has done by creating a revolutionary new wood composite bat that’s shatterproof. MLB isn’t convinced, but we think these durable bats […]
Miss USA at Citi Field
The Mets caught a break when newly-crowned Miss USA Rima Fakih stopped by Citi Field before a game last Thursday. She posed for photos, chatted with players and took a few swings before the Mets took the field to face the Phillies. Rima, a long-time Met fan, brought the Mets […]