Baseball bat
Opposite the cap, the barrel narrows until it meets the "handle", which is comparatively thin, so that batters can comfortably grip the bat in their hands.
[citation needed] Maple bats in particular were once known (circa 2008) to potentially shatter in a way that resulted in many sharp edges, sometimes creating more dangerous projectiles when breaking.
Next and rising in popularity is bamboo, which has more isotropic fine grain, great strength, and less weight for a bat of any given size.
"[17] Once the basic bat has been turned, it has the manufacturer's name, the serial number, and often the signature of the player endorsing it branded into it opposite the wood's best side.
Finally, the bat is stained in one of several standard colors, including natural, red, black, and two-tone blue and white.
[citation needed] The emerald ash borer, an exotic beetle imported accidentally from Asia, has killed more than 50 million white ash trees in the eastern United States and in 2017 threatened groves in New York's Adirondack Mountains that are used to make baseball bats.
The bat shall be one piece of solid wood.Bats are not allowed to be hollowed or corked—that is, filled with an alien substance such as cork which reduces the weight.
This corking is thought to increase bat speed without greatly reducing hitting power, though this idea was challenged as unlikely on the Discovery Channel series MythBusters.
Metal alloy bats are generally regarded as being capable of hitting a ball faster and farther with the same power.
[citation needed] Rule 6.06 refers only to bats that are "altered or tampered with in such a way to improve the distance factor or cause an unusual reaction on the baseball.
This includes, bats that are filled, flat-surfaced, nailed, hollowed, grooved or covered with a substance such as paraffin, wax, etc."
In 2001, MLB approved the use of Gorilla Gold Grip Enhancer in major and minor league games as an alternative to pine tar.
"Bats pick up condensation and dirt lying around on the ground," he wrote, "They can gain an ounce or more in a surprisingly short time."
Rod Carew fought moisture by storing his bats in a box full of sawdust in the warmest part of his house.
Pete Rose had his own way of hardening his bats: he soaked them in a tub of motor oil in his basement then hung them up to dry.
The etymology of the word fungo ( /ˈfʌŋɡoʊ/) is uncertain, but the Oxford English Dictionary suggests it is derived from the Scots fung: "to pitch, toss, or fling".
The small diameter also allows coaches to easily hit pop-ups to catchers and infielders along with ground balls due to better control of the barrel of the bat.
