I have a sad post-game ritual: hauling to my wood-burning stove too many busted bats! Many of you haven't used wood in a long time, if ever. Models differ in balance, length, weight, flair, handle and barrel size. I strongly suggest paying a little more for a solid piece of wood, rather than for the $25 scrap balsa wood shipped off to a Sports Authority or Dick's. And any bat could be firewood if you hit it off the end or the handle. Whatever your budget, here are a few tips on picking out and wielding your weapon of choice in order to minimize your chances of keeping me warm.
Shopping: Whatever the model, you want the widest / thickest grain, the fewest number of grains. The fatter the rings on the tree, the better the growing seasons and the stronger is the wood. Knots will be weak spots, so put that bat back on the shelf. Hold an end up to your eye and look at the grain down the length of the bat. It should not swerve, but be straight down the entire the length. That's your bat!
Hitting: The label is not stamped randomly. Grip the bat so that the label is straight up skyward or downward at the point of your swing when you make contact with the ball (label up lets you see this) so that you're hitting 90 degrees (a quarter of the barrel) away from the label. Gripped like this, the point of contact will be along the edge of the grain, on the part that is like the edges of the pages of a book.
To find The Sweet Spot, the one small (1/4 inch) point of contact where the ball will truly jump off your bat: Tap the bat lightly against, for example, the post on the backstop. You will feel it vibrate and clunk as you tap down the length of the bat. Then you'll hit one small area of the bat where there is no vibration and it springs back, like your knee when the doctor taps the nerve. You've found it, that ever elusive Sweet Spot. Good luck trying to hit it there for the rest of the season!
Notes on MBA Game Bats: Please use only your own bats or the game bats (labeled on the end - white tape with red lettered "MBA #" on it.) Don't take another player's personal bat to the plate without permission. A player once used another's, broke it, and never made good. Not acceptable. I have even stopped games when I see mine up at the plate in another's hands. The game bat supply is restocked at the start of every year, but those using the game bats are on your own to keep the program running. The system ought to be self-sustaining on the honor system. Those who use them must check their condition and replace what you've cracked / busted. If we run out of bats, then you're all on your own. There are probably 30 or more personal bats at the field each week, so if you don't know what you'd like best, use the game bats until you find at the field what you'd like to buy. Ask around. See what fits. Most guys are all too happy to show you their wood!
Where To Get Wood:
Best option: find a model bat that you like at our game and have it hand-cut by R. G.
Johnson in Maine:
https://sites.google.com/site/rgjohnsoncompany/ The only web order that I trust implicitly to send an outstanding bat. The wood is superior
to any known distributor and, for the bat that you'll
get
delivered to your door, the prices are more than reasonable. A basic model
is $40. Shipping is $13; $4 per additional bat. For $53, these bats have been known to last 4 or more seasons. Read their story. Call and talk to The
Man, Bob Logan at 207-452-2770
or 207-647-3231.
Elsewhere online, there's a wide range of prices. The problem is the wide range of
quality. You can't hold an online order in your hand and see the grain and knots which, except for R. G.
Johnson, makes
online purchasing better for "generic" gear. But you can hunt for the best
price and see how reasonable R. G.
Johnson is! Know any site's return policy before ordering.
Brick and mortar
stores take back an unused bat. Very locally:
- Brine's Sporting Goods www.brinesports.com is not far into Sudbury from Framingham on RT-20. Generally more expensive, but for decades has had a superior quality and variety in stock than a Dick's-type chain (where you'll find the least expensive but lowest quality bats.)
- The Outdoor Store www.natickoutdoor.com in downtown Natick is similarly better than the chains in quality and selection, if not price.
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