Until I read this story, I thought all current MLB bats were made of ash.

In 2005, alarmed by the increasing number of broken bats, baseball gave $109,000 to a man named Jim Sherwood and asked him to compare maple bats with the ash ones that used to be the norm. Sherwood runs the Baseball Research Center at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and the conclusion of the study did not jibe with the hundreds of players who swear maple leads to better performance.

“We found that the batted-ball speeds were essentially the same for the two woods,” Sherwood said. “Maple has no advantage in getting a longer hit over an ash bat.”

The study also found something evident to anyone watching baseball: Ash bats crack while maple bats snap.Now that I think about it, there does seem to be a lot of splintered flying bats now. That rarely happened in the past. It used to be that a batter would tap his bat on the plate and would call for a new one if he thought it was cracked...I don't see that very often anymore. Instead, I see a lot of flying lumber.

Baseball at breaking point over maple bats - MLB - Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ag_BuDju6meN2TikewPLSXIRvLYF?slug=jp-maplebats050808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns)

What if the bats were made purely of cork? I know that Sammy Sosa was a pioneer with his research and experimentation a few years ago.

I thought they were oak or pine.
I've been wanting to introduce the "ThunderBolt" it has an aluminium core down thru the handle. Won't break but might bend. Throw it back to the ballboy after using.

I thought they were oak or pine.
I've been wanting to introduce the "ThunderBolt" it has an aluminium core down thru the handle. Won't break but might bend. Throw it back to the ballboy after using.Oak is a very brittle hardwood. Pine is an unsuitable softwood. Old bats were made of hickory...very tough, but heavier than other hardwoods.

As for 'aluminum Thunderbolt'?...it would probably shatter a grained wood exterior on first contact...not to mention MLB bat guidelines :byakuya-sakura2:

Hickory, I forgot all my woods. What about teac/teak?
Is maple blonde?

Something needs to be done. Someone is going to get hurt and I hope it isn't serious before they make a change.

Just watched Thames' maple bat shatter on a force out...the barrel ended up in the outfield. Mario & Rod are talking about the problem now.

Someday, someone's gonna get impaled by one...they should be outlawed.

Someday, someone's gonna get impaled by one...they should be outlawed.
You mean like this?

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/baseball/mlb/06/25/umpired.injured.ap/p1.brian.onora.jpg
Plate umpire O'Nora hit by shattered maple bat - MLB - SI.com (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/06/25/umpired.injured.ap/index.html)


KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Plate umpire Brian O'Nora was hit in the head by a shattered piece of Miguel Olivo (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/7028)'s broken maple bat Tuesday night, sending blood streaming down his face and forcing him out of a game between the Colorado Rockies (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/teams/rockies) and Kansas City Royals (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/teams/royals).
O'Nora was injured in the bottom of the second inning when Olivo's bat snapped on a groundout to shortstop. With blood pouring down his face, O'Nora rushed to Kansas City's dugout, where Jose Guillen (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/players/5753) quickly covered the umpire's head with a towel.
[...]
After the Royals' 7-3 victory, Olivo confirmed that the shattered bat that struck O'Nora was made of maple. The Kansas City designated hitter said he switched to an ash bat for the rest of the game.
Earlier in the day, Major League Baseball said it will start testing bats following Tuesday's meeting of a player-management safety committee, but the sport made no decision on the contentious issue of banning maple models.
Some say maple bats splinter with greater force than bats made of ash, and commissioner Bud Selig said last month that shattering maple bats are "a source of concern for me."
[...]
Selig has not said whether the sport would consider a ban on maple bats or regulating the thickness of handles. The commissioner can't ban maple bats unilaterally because their use is a term and condition of employment and subject to collective bargaining.

Oh, the marvel of unions...

Wear better head gear.

Wear better head gear.
http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/2007/11/modhelmetPA_450x333.jpg
http://www.burma-all.com/new%20burma-all.com/Burma%20Naga%20Warrior%20with%20magnificent%20Head %20Gear.jpg
http://www.ahajokes.com/cartoon/cat_hat.jpg

You mean like this?

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/baseball/mlb/06/25/umpired.injured.ap/p1.brian.onora.jpg
Plate umpire O'Nora hit by shattered maple bat - MLB - SI.com (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb/06/25/umpired.injured.ap/index.html)That's close, but if the bats don't get banned I'm expecting someone will end up with a shattered bat actually stuck in them :messer:...followed by multi-million $ lawsuits against MLB and maple bat manufacturers.

That's close, but if the bats don't get banned I'm expecting someone will end up with a shattered bat actually stuck in them :messer:...followed by multi-million $ lawsuits against MLB and maple bat manufacturers.
Nah, anyone within range of being hurt, has already agreed to waive their rights. Believe me, you don't have many rights, and when you leave your home, you have a lot less. :D

At least Bonds wore body armor.