Evolution of the Baseball Bat

The Baseball Bat

Aluminum

by: Rachel Loftin

Some baseball bats are made from aluminum, but they are less safe than wood bats, so they are less commonly used. The exit speed of the ball off of the bat is faster than off of a wood bat, therefore putting the pitcher in life-threatening danger.[1]

1. www.popularmechanics.com

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/02/a-walk-through-a-recovering-city/

Parks, found in and around many urban neighborhoods, have baseball ball fields which serve as entertainment and Recreation for the residents. Thus, baseball fields dictate where neighborhoods are built; where there is a lot of land.

White Ash Trees

Wood

Environmental Impact

Wood is the most common material and the only material accepted in Major League Baseball. Hickory was used in the early years of baseball, but White Ash wood is used today because it is lighter.[1]

Hillerich and Bradsby own 7,500 acres of White Ash forest. For every tree they cut down, one is planted which reduces the impact, to practically zero, on the environment.[1] Demand is high for these bats, because, on average, one bat is broken during every Major League Baseball game. That’s 257 a year! [2]

Materials

Every baseball season about 400,000 White Ash trees are cut down to make bats [1] and 40 bats are typically made from one tree.[2] Seventy-five years is needed for a White Ash tree to fully mature before it is cut down for baseball bat production.[2] However, sustainable harvesting is used to cut these trees down, to reduce the impact on the environment. This method prevents soil erosion therefore allowing the trees to be replanted.[1]

http://www.baseball-fever.com/showthread.php?99092-Baseball-Stadiums-in-video-games/page2

1.www.baseball-bats.net

Baseball Stadiums are often centered in highly urbanized areas where a large amount of land and people are found. Restaurants, hotels, and shopping centers are built around stadiums because they attract huge crowds.

1. http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/People-and-Places/Batter-Up.aspx

2. www.nytimes.com

Wood is most commonly used in the production of baseball bats, but aluminum is used as well.

Architecture

1. www.danielbotkin.com.

2. http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/People-and-Places/Batter-Up.aspx

Summary

Since the demand for wooden baseball bats has increased, the amount and size of White Ash trees has decreased in areas not owned by the Louisville Slugger manufacturer. This is due, in part, because other manufacturers don't replenish what they use. This graph shows the trend that occurred from 1991-1999.

Baseball fields and stadiums impact the layout of cities.

The Standard

Money Makers

Baseball started as a game called "rounders" where any size and shape of bat could be used. After becoming America's sport in 1876, that changed. The length and width of the bat was standardized. The increasing popularity of baseball, caused stadiums to pop up everywhere attracting huge crowds, neighborhoods to be built around baseball parks, and competition between baseball bat companies arose. However, no company has been able to out sell the bat that started it all, the Louisville Slugger.

Baseball stadiums boost local economies because they attract large crowds which, in turn, bring in a lot of money, especially during "big" games. During the 2011 All-Star Game in Phoenix,Arizona, the city brought in 6.7 million dollars and 120,000 people who occupied 16,000 hotel rooms, over the course of five days. [1]

Baseball bat producers cannot just make bats any way they want to, there are specific requirements. Baseball bats can be no longer than 42 inches in length and no wider than 2.5 inches. However, most Major League Baseball bats are between 32 and 34 inches long.[1]

http://www.yale.edu/fes519b/saltonstall/page3.htm

Origins

1. www.downtowndevil.com

1. http://www.baseball-bats.net/

Evidence of the origins of baseball is tracked back to 18th Century England. William Bray, noted a game he used to play called rounders, in his diary which was recently discovered in 2008. Before this discovery, baseball was thought to have started in America during the 19th century.[1]

Environment

Culture

Baseball is America's past time and the invention of the baseball bat greatly affected and influenced the culture of modern day America.

Stadiums are huge and hold thousands of people. So one may think that they use a lot of electricity and natural resources. However, many stadiums are actually equipped with eco-friendly technology. For example, Chase Field in Arizona has a retractable roof that only costs $2 in electricity to open and close it.[1] Chase Field partnered with Arizona Public Service (APS) on a new twenty year life-span solar structure[2] that will generate 75 kilowatts of solar power.[3] In addition to the solar power, it will also provide shade to fans under its 17,280 square feet.[2]

Baseball is America's past time. Its increasing popularity, especially among adolescents and teenagers, has led to an increased production of baseball bats. Because of its popularity, baseball bat manufacturers experience great competition; they all strive to make the next greatest bat. Yet, no one is able to outsell the bat that started it all, the Louisville Slugger. This is due to the fact that the majority of baseball players in the Major Leagues use this bat, proving that Americans tend to follow trends and fads.[1]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/baseball/2800199/Major-League-Baseball-told-their-sport-was-invented-in-Surrey-not-America.html

Politics

1. www.cnn.com.

America's Past Time

State governments are actively involved in the distribution, regulation, and safety of baseball bats. Aluminum bats are thought to be more dangerous than wooden bats, and have therefore been banned in some state and leagues. California and New York have banned the use of aluminum bats throughout the state on all teams and leagues. This decision was made after repeated, dangerous, and sometimes deadly trauma to the head of the pitcher resulted after the ball was hit by an aluminum bat.[2]

1.www.about.com

2.www.arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com

3. www.azchasefield.com

Baseball became America's sport in 1876 when the National League was formed by William Hulbert. Today, baseball is known as "America's Past Time".[1]

1. www.nytimes.com

2. www.adnanshahab.com

Bibliography

Websites

Louisville Slugger Story

Books

Sullivan, Dean. Early innings : a documentary history of baseball, 1825-1908. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1995.

Borst , Rachel, John Holway, Buck O'Neil, and Lloyd Johnson. The complete book of baseball's Negro leagues : the other half of baseball history. Fern Park, Florida: Hasting House Publishers, 2001.

Patent

Gluckman, Jason. "How Baseball Bats Are Made?" www.ezinarticles.com.

Ronberg, Gary. "Description of a Wood Baseball Bat Production Process." www.livestrong.com.

"Kiln." www.wikipedia.com.

How Products are Made, "Baseball Bat." Levin, Scott. "Baseball Bats." www.answerbag.com.

Hooper, Simon. "Did baseball begin in 18th-century England?." www.cnn.com.

Mork, Rachel. "Where Did Baseball Originate." www.life123.com.

"Phytosociology." www.yale.edu.

Ranger, Rick. "Batter Up." National Wildlife Federation. www.nwf.org

Botkin, Daniel. "The Great Baseball Bat Crisis." www.danielbotkin.com.

Curry, Jack. "Baseball." New York Times. www.nytimes.com.

"History of Baseball Bats. "www.baseball-bats.net

“Evolution of Baseball Equipment.” www.19cbaseball.com.

Hillerich, & Bradsby. “The Slugger Story.” www.slugger.com.

Machin, William . "How are Newton's Three Laws of Motion Used in Baseball?." www.livestrong.com.

The most famous inventor of baseball bats was Bud Hillerich. He made the first Louisville Slugger bat in 1884 after watching Pete Browning’s bat break at a Louisville, Kentucky game. He made the bat in his dad’s woodworking shop. Browning’s team was so impressed by the bat that he brought them over to Hillerich’s shop to convince them to start producing baseball bats. Hillerich did not really want to pursue bat making, because he saw his company making the most money in the production of stair railings, porch columns, and swinging butter churns. [1]

Finally, in 1894, Bud convinced his father that his company needs to begin making bats. That was when the patent on the name, “Louisville Slugger”, was registered. Since this time, the company has taken off and has sold more bats than any other baseball bat company. [1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Hulbert

1. www.life123.com.

Profit

Hillerich and Bradsby have sold more than 1 million baseball bats. Over 60 percent of the baseball bats used in Major League Baseball, are Louisville Slugger bats. Today, however, Hillerich and Bradsby make more than just baseball bats, which is expanding their company further.[1]

1. www.slugger.com.