Aluminum Bats vs. Wooden Bats
Is baseball America’s pastime? For the major leaguers maybe, but for college athletes it seems more like a new age video game. The introduction of high dollared aluminum bats produce football like scores, higher statistics, and a percentage of danger to each and every player on the field. The NCAA has changed the regulations of the bats so far and should look further into to making another change to wooden bats.
High tech aluminum baseball bats aren’t quite as new to the game as many people may think. Author, Patrick Hruby, wrote in Sports Illustrated, “introduced in the mid-1970’s… metal bats have become increasingly potent, forged with alloys… pressurized air chambers” (Hruby 42). Over the last few decades these aluminum ‘killer bats’ have evolved to be even more potent. “Some coaches and players claim these powerful bats are ruining the integrity of the game and placing pitchers at undue risk” (42). Every college, divisions I through III, are using these bats religiously. Each year bigger and better bats are at each team’s fingertips. A few of the more popular bats this year are the TPX C555 Platinum, TPX Omaha, and the EASTON Redline, just to name a few. These bats are so advanced that almost everything about them has changed, for instance, “…an
expanded “sweet-spot”- the area of the bat that produces maximum hitting power. While the sweet spot on a wood bat is roughly 6 to 8 inches long, aluminum sweet spots can be twice that size”(43). James Braham, a writer for Machine Design, says that the new “aluminum baseball bats have actually taken over an estimated 90 to 95% of the market, with wood bats remaining largely in the professional major and minor baseball leagues”(James 56).
Another exciting characteristic of aluminum bats is the speed at which the ball leaves the bat compared to the speed that it leaves a wooden bat. A one time representative of Louisville Slugger, J.W. MacKay, says “When a ball is traveling at 94 miles per hour as it leaves the bat, a pitcher has four milliseconds to respond…you can’t react that fast”(Palmer 2). Studies show the bats have enough power to propel balls at speeds up to 123 miles per hour, up to 30 mph faster than balls struck with wooden bats. In a memorandum written to the NCAA, Cedric W. Dempsey states that “traditional wood bats when swung at 70 miles ...
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Bibliography
Braham, Jones. “Keep Your Eye on the Bat.” Machine Design 63.13(1997). 29 Mar. 2002 http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org
Hruby, Patrick. “Hitters like high-tech bats, but critics smell foul play.” Insight on the News 15.27(1999). 29 Mar. 2002 http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org
Kennedy, Kostya. “Heavy Metal.” Sports Illustrated 86.4(1997). 29 Mar. 2002 http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org
McCallum, Jack; O’brien, Richard. “Statitudes.” Sports Illustrated 88.18(1998). 29 Mar. 2002 http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org
Mravic, Mark. “Killer Bats?” Sports Illustrated 92.13(2000). 29 Mar. 2002 http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org
NCAA Baseball Rules Committee. “Easton Sports’ Recent Letters.” National Collegiate Athletic Association. 4 Dec. 1998. 5 Apr. 2002 http://www.ncaa.org
Palmer, Bob. MacKay asks government to recall metal bats. 5 Apr. 2002 http://www.eumpire.com
Patterson, Matt. “Interview.” 5 Apr. 2002.
Seifman, David. “Pols Would Toss Metal Bats From Kid Games.” New York Post.com. 28 Jun. 2001. 5 Apr. 2002 http://www.foxnews.com
Weber, Ben. “For Success: Lots of Scoring.” Coach & Athletic Director 1.4(2000). 29 Mar. 2002 http://newfirstsearch.oclc.org
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Book Report on Baseball: A History of America's Game by Benjamin G. Rader In "Baseball: A History of America's Game", the Author Benjamin G. Rader discusses the history of baseball and how it developed to present day. Rader explains how baseball started as a simple game consisting of no rules besides the players using a stick to hit a ball and its constant evolution to what the game is today. He also displays several issues which America's favorite sport has had while developing into the complex sport it is today. Although baseball has had several trials and tribulations throughout its history, it still remains America's favorite pastime.
... Statistics show bats made out of maple started to increase at a very high rate in the baseball world after Barry Bonds broke the home run record while using his own maple wood bat. These wood bats are a great achievement I baseball but they are started to decline because of the aluminum and BBCOR bats. People are starting to like the BBCOR bats more because of the “pop” they make when connected to that right pitch.
Above all, Julius Caesar was the greatest military mind in history. His military power helped Rome shape into one of the greatest and most memorable civilizations in history. He had many victories, and rarely lost a battle. He had received many victories in Egypt, Pontus, Gaul, Africa, and parts in Asia Minor, there he received some of his greatest honors. He proved himself when he led his army to conquer Gaulic tribes one after another. He constantly outmaneuvered and defeat his enemies which earned him the title as one of the greatest military minds in history. Julius Caesar also earned the respect he deserved from his soldiers when he fought on foot with his army against the Roman enemies. By doing that, Julius Caesar showed that he cares enough about his people that he will not only make successful plans for them, but fight wit...
Getting back to the comparison of wood and aluminum bats, an aluminum bat with the
We would be lying if we said that bats don’t affect even the best of players’ performances. Slow pitch softball bats are most commonly made 34” in length while some cases can be about an inch shorter or longer. They usually have 2.5” barrel diameters and weigh between 26 to 30 ounces, but there are exceptions to this as well. Slow pitch softball bats can be made of materials like Aluminum, wood, or composite etc. A soft pitch bat can either consist of one solid piece or two pieces joined together. The best slow pitch softball bats propel softballs at great distances.
Though the sport is based mostly in talent, or how the athlete utilizes these tools, equipment is critical for the performance of the athlete. Athletes seek bats that will increase their probability for a home run, maximize their hitting power, decrease the amount of energy loss in the collision for a greater ball velocity, and allow for a quicker swing, seeing as these factors are crucial to the success of their careers. Decades and decades of testing and experimentation have gotten the baseball bat to where it is. It first started as a simple plank, but with the growing popularity of the sport along...
Julius Caesar was a good leader for the Roman Empire. For starters, "Julius Caesar was a general, a statesman, a lawgiver, an orator, and a historian." (N.S. Gill). He was very powerful and established a popularity among the people of Rome. He reduced slavery, gave more land to people like peasants and soldiers, established roman colonies, and also established tax reforms. Leading him and his soldiers to many victories concluded with him never losing a war. He took over Germany and invaded Britain. (source: softschools Julius Caesar timeline). He made the people of Rome very happy, filled them with hope, and rose to power very quickly. (Sources/authors: mainly by N.S. Gill, softschools, and Ellis and Esler).
This game of a stick and ball has captivated the United States during good and bad times. In either time most of us today can remember stories of players from the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. These are legendary figures in the sport of baseball that have are celebrated as hero’s and in scandal, i...
Hitting a baseball perfectly is considered to be hitting the “sweet spot” resulting in few vibrations. This is known in terms of physics as the center of percussion. This is the point where you receive the most energy exchange when hitting the ball. Coming into contact with other ends of the bat actually wastes energy because the bat is absorbing more than it should; resulting in a hit that is not as powerful and stinging of the hands. There are times that due to the ball being poorly hit that a players bat can break. The wood material cannot take the strain of the collision. Therefore, finding the center of percussion can be very difficult. Each time you pick up a bat, the center of percussion changes due to the change in location and
The barrel of an aluminum bat is much bigger than that of a wooden bat, but since it is much lighter than wood, the athletes can swing it much faster (Why Aluminum Bats Can Perform Better than Wood Bats, 2006). Additionally, the resilience and hardness of an aluminum bat can directly result in higher speeds whenever the baseball bounces off the bat. The lower leagues of baseball, ranging from college games to the Little League have been dominated by the aluminum bats. Specialists observe that the most noticeable difference between an aluminum bat and a wooden bat is realized through the “trampoline
Marsden, Malcolm M. If You Really Want To Know: A Catcher Casebook. Chicago: Scott, Foresman and Company, 1963.
Who doesn’t love the crack of a wooden bat? It is one of the most beautiful sound in sports but are wooden bats going to help your game? There have been many people have wondered if using a wooden bat is beneficial to their baseball skills and even more don’t know the answer. There are in fact many things that help your batting abilities but also many that could not help your batting abilities. This paper is made to help you learn whether or not to use a wooden bat early on. Even if you are just coaching a team, you could start you young athletes on wooden bats to help them improve.
In conclusion, there are a various numbers of reasons why a ball go farther when hit with an aluminum bat; such as, aluminum bat can be swung faster, aluminum bats have the trampoline effect, aluminum bats have winder sweet spots, and aluminum bats don’t break. A ball goes farther when hit with aluminum bat because of the fact that the bat is very lightweight and have a large 'sweet spot' in which to hit the ball. In order to have a ball with a high speed, in other words, lots of kinetic energy, the collision has to an elastic collision. Aluminum bats can be swung faster because the barrel of an aluminum bat is empty; the distribution of mass along the length of a metal bat.
Ancient Rome was one of the most powerful empires in history, although even the most powerful empires have internal conflict at times. Such as the civil war that started in 133 BCE because there was conflict between the senate and the popular political leaders. Thus Julius Caesar saw an opportunity to become the dictator. So he forced the senate to make him the dictator of Rome. He made many contributions to help further Rome. Julius Caesar was one of the most influential Roman leaders ever because he had lasting ideas in what he wrote and was a strong leader.