Baseball Bats For The Professional And Amateur

Baseball Bats For The Professional And Amateur 
By: Ken Austin

 

From the time small children are old enough to hold a baseball bat many have longed to be part of the great American pastime. Baseball bats have been around ever since the game was created and there are baseball museums that have collections of baseball bats owned and used by famous players.

When kids first start to play the game of baseball they use a plastic bat. There are plastic baseball bats made today for the youngest of ballplayers and some even have baseball teams or players names on them.

As children get older and more serious about the game they find there are choices to be made about which bat to buy. Baseball bats come in many widths, lengths and materials. A heavier bat gives the ball more momentum but a heavier bat also means a less speedy swing. Bats that are made from graphite or aluminum hit balls farther than baseball bats made from wood.

Players endorse baseball bats and many have their names on them. Baseball team logos are also represented on baseball bats.

When aluminum bats were first introduced in the 1970's, batting averages rose 30 points and home run hits doubled. In the Major Leagues batters now use wooden bats instead of baseball bats made from lighter materials. They could change to the baseball bats made from aluminum or a lighter material but it would significantly change the home runs hit today and the traditional records and baseball legends would not seem as important.

If you are wanting to buy a baseball bat consider who will be using it. Age and which league you are playing in is also a deciding factor. Little League bats cant be more than 2 1/4 inches in diameter or more than 33 inches long for instance. Adult leagues have rules about baseball bats also.

Speed and control are the most crucial factors to consider when buying a baseball bat. Check the weight of the bat, if its too heavy it wont work for you. When checking the grip, your fingertips should meet when closed around the handle.

You can buy a small wooden baseball bat for $10-$20. An aluminum bat will cost between $20-$200 or more but it wont chip or peel and the balance and weight will remain constant.

There are thousands of baseball bats to choose from. Talk to an expert who can help you decide which is the perfect baseball bat for you. 

History of Baseball

History of Baseball
by RecruitCity

Baseball is often referred to as the Great American Pastime and it is funny to think that the exact history of baseball is vastly unknown. General historians mostly believe that it is roughly based on an English game called rounders. The game grew in popular in the north east around the late 1700's and early 1800's. The precise name of the sport had adjusted several times from "base", to "roundball" to "cricket" throughout the beginnings of baseball history.
At that same timeframe of the early nineteenth century a number of cities began to form teams and leagues. The sport began to grow in popularity enough that the players and patrons of the game decided that they really needed to formalize the specifics of the game. So in 1845 Alexander Cartwright began formulating a list of rules that all teams are to follow by and ironically enough a number of those rules are still followed today. Cartwright is believed to have been the actual founder of the game and not Abner Doubleday say baseball historians. Cartwright was a fireman that formulated the basic premise of the sport and is credited with creating the first teams that used to play in New York with other fireman. He was credited with forming the Knickerbockers Baseball Club which sculpted baseball history. He then decided to follow the riches of the California Gold Mine and began spreading the game westward. His travels helped to expand this new game throughout the country.
The very first game of record actually took place a year after Cartwright developed his team in 1846. Ironically his team the Knickerbockers lost to the Baseball Club in a game at the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, NJ. As word spread of this interesting game it became more popular and began to have many more participants. So in the 1850's a number of teams in the northeast came together to discuss rules and expanding the game and in 1858 they created the National Assoc. of Baseball Players, which is recognized as the first baseball league ever created in the history of baseball.
The sport blossomed in the late 1850's as membership grew from 100 to over 400 teams and then the Civil War came about. The 1860's civil war time decimated the interest in baseball as there was obviously no time for baseball. Yet, interestingly enough baseball began to travel to other areas throughout the country. Once the war ended the sport began to blossom again. Teams grew and cities throughout the country began to take interest and began to play one another. The NABP was initially supposed to only be comprised of amateur athletes but like any sport it became very competitive and the best players were compensated which obviously has stood the time of baseball history. The sport began to change in 1869 when the Cincinnati Red Stockings (soon to be the Cincinnati Reds) decided to become the first professional team and pay there players. The Wright brothers who owned the team decided to recruit the best talent from around the country and they challenged all comers. They were so good that they went 65 and 0. With such little competition the idea of creating a completely professional league was sparked and in 1871 the National Association was developed. Then in 1876 the National League was created as the National Association was dissolved. The National League which is still in existence today had a stronghold on all the major cities of the time and maintained the best players. In the early 1900's the American and National league were formed which as we all know still remains. These changes in the 1900's established the two leagues, the world series and established player contracts. The history of baseball had firmly been formed and was well on its way to establishing itself as the Great American Pastime.

About the Author
www.recruitcity.com where athletes get scholarships...

Coaching Baseball Throwing - The Pivot Foot

Coaching Baseball Throwing - The Pivot Foot
by Dick Birmingham

If I were to sit down with my foot straight out in front of me, it is doubtful I could throw a baseball to the back of the room. But, when you stand up and get your foot under you, then you are throwing from a position of strength and power, which just tells us one thing and that is we throw with our feet.
It is my belief that guys like Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan have endured or did endure for so long because of the strength they had from the waist down and proper mechanics, obviously.
So, when you start talking about mechanics you need to think about a few little basic things:
1) The pivot foot.
I think with younger players you have to overemphasize this. Especially in kids who are making a mistake. You have to square or turn the back foot so that the step is actually facing the person who you are throwing.
Kids will cheat on that. They will cheat because they will just point the toe and then throw.
What happens when you don't square the back foot? It encourages keeping the front shoulder open. When you keep the front shoulder open it encourages throwing with a lower elbow and the hand behind the ball. It causes you to open up and you have placed yourself in a position of weakness.
If you want to know what I am talking about you look at the good third baseman that has a good arm and when they estimate that long tough throw, you check how they get themselves prepared to do that. They will square here, and they will close here and the shoulder and hip are pointed toward first base and they will throw to a position of power as opposed to this kind of a throw, which is a position of weakness.
So, it is very important to have the back foot squared and the front shoulder closed.
With young kids a lot of times what you want to do is get them squared. Start them off already squared.
Bragg Stockton works with kids on putting the hand together out in front lining the hip and shoulder up with the person to whom they are throwing and then skip and step and throw. When you are skipping on that back foot it is real hard to open that front shoulder prematurely.
It is good to get them lined up and skip like this to open and throw.
So, square the back foot, close the front shoulder and let the arm come on a downward arc. As players get better, you can shorten that circle but in the early stages it is better to have it long. You want them to come down, turn the hand out and get the body in position.

About the Author
To get more baseball coaching tips about baseball throwing and to develop your players baseball throwing abilities with fun and effective baseball throwing drills visit the Dick Birmingham Sports Championship Baseball Drill Book at http://www.BaseballDrillBook.com.

Highlighting The History Of The Detroit Tigers

Highlighting The History Of The Detroit Tigers
by Jordan Knapp

Like many major league baseball teams, the 106-plus-year-old club has had a varied and colored history. The team currently resides just a luxury sedan or limo ride away at Comerica Park, located in downtown Detroit. Here are some team historical highlights: On April 25, 1901, in front of 10,000 fans, the Detroit Tigers entered the ninth inning trailing Milwaukee, 13-4. A series of hits and miscues followed, moving the score to 13-12 with two runners on. With two out, Tiger Frank "Pop" Dillon faced reliever Bert Husting, and the left-handed hitter rapped a two-run double to complete a 14-13 comeback win.The 1905 season marked the first in a Detroit uniform for Tyrus “Ty” Raymond Cobb, one of the most famous Tiger of all. Acquired in exchange for pitcher Eddie Cicotte and $700 from Augusta of the Sally League, plus $50 for "immediate delivery", Cobb played the first of his 3,033 major league games on August 30, 1905. He would remain with the Tigers for 22 years, and when he retired in 1928, he had collected more records than any player in major league history.During the 1907 season, the Tigers won their first pennant, taking the American League by one and one-half games with a 92-58 season. Unfortunately, a disappointing loss to the Cubs in the World Series followed.In 1912, the Tigers moved into its new ballpark, but the campaign was marked by a one-game players' strike in retaliation for a suspension levied on Cobb for taking a punch at a fan in New York. This strike forced the Tigers to put together a team of sandlot players for one game, a 24-2 loss at Philadelphia.It was during 1935, the long-awaited title dreams came true for Tiger fans and players. After winning the American League by three games, Detroit took six games to mow down the Chicago Cubs in the 1935 World Series, with Cochrane making a daring dash from second in the ninth inning of Game Six to score the winning run on a single by Goose Goslin. For the World Series win, each player was awarded a share of $6,544.The 1950s were highlighted by the emergence of young outfielder Al Kaline who, with a .340 batting average in 1955, became the youngest player in league history to win a batting title.After finishing just one game out of first place in 1967, the Tigers were poised and loaded with talent entering the 1968 campaign. Under manager Mayo Smith, the club took the lead on May 10 and never relinquished it, finishing 12 games ahead of second-place Baltimore. Denny McLain was the hero of the campaign with a 31-6 record, becoming the first pitcher since Lefty Grove in to win 30 or more in a season. His efforts earned McLain unanimous acclaim as MVP and Cy Young winner in the league. In a tight World Series, Mickey Lolich pitched the club to three wins, the final win coming on just two days rest as the Tigers captured the crown.The 1979 season saw another significant change in leadership when on June 14; Sparky Anderson took over the club's managerial reigns. For the next 16 seasons, Anderson would lead the Tigers from the dugout, claiming two division titles and a World Championship along the way.After a second-place finish in the previous year, success was expected for a talented Tiger club the following season. With Jack Morris tossing his first no-hitter on April 7 of 1984, the club vaulted into the division lead by winning its first nine games and going 35-5 through May 24, the best 40-game start in major league history. The Tigers went on to a 104-58 mark, 15 games in front of the pack, and continued by sweeping the Royals in the Championship Series. After defeating the Padres, four-games-to-one, in the World Series, the Tigers became the first major league team since the 1955 Dodgers to hold first place wire-to-wire and finish by winning the championship. In addition, a club-record 2,704,794 fans passed through the turnstiles.The1992 season included big change in team ownership as Little Caesar’s pizza czar Mike Ilitch purchased sole interest in the team from Domino’s pizza magnate, Tom Monoghan.September 27, 1999, the Detroit Tigers played their last game at Tiger Stadium. After an 87 year run, the Corner saw it's 6,783rd-and final-game with a sold-out crowd of 43,356 fans, many standing at their seats and dabbing tears from their eyes as 63 Tiger greats took the field one last time during the closing ceremonies of the park. The Tigers took that historic game, beating the Royals 8-2.April 11, 2000, saw the beginning of a new era as the Tigers were welcomed into their new home, Comerica Park. Opening Day saw 34-degree weather, a sold-out crowd, and a 5-2 win against Seattle.And in 2006, in terms of raw wins, the Tigers put together one of the biggest turnarounds in baseball history with 43 wins in 2003 to 95 in 2006. Emotionally, the comeback rekindled baseball fever in Detroit, starting with a 16-9 record in April and gaining momentum with a 17-2 stretch over the summer. A late-season fade cost the Tigers an AL Central title, but first-year manager Jim Leyland regrouped a hungry club to run off seven straight postseason wins to reach the World Series for the first time since 1984. Leyland was named AL Manager of the Year, while 17-game winner Justin Verlander became the Tigers' first rookie of the year since 1978.Checker Sedan is a premier mode of transportation that Tiger fans use to take them back and forth to the park. Checker, www.checkersedan.com, was established in March 2000 and has become the fastest growing chauffeur-driven licensed luxury sedan company in Metropolitan Detroit. Checker Sedan is an affiliate of Soave Enterprises, a privately held management and investment company founded by Detroit businessman Anthony L. Soave. Checker Sedan is the official curbside luxury sedan provider for Detroit Metro Airport.

Baseball Games Are A Great Place To Meet Singles

Baseball Games Are A Great Place To Meet Singles
by Alana Beyer

Survey says 74% of single women view baseball games as a great way to meet men
A survey of over 8,500 singles, found that over 2/3 of women, but only half of men think a baseball game is a good place to take a date. What's more, nearly 3/4 (74%) of women think a baseball game is a good place to meet men.
However, if going to a game is part of your dating repertoire, leave the cell phone at home. 38% of men responded that they find talking on cell phones more annoying than complaining about the seats (33%) or acting completely uninterested in the game (28%).
If you've met someone you like, going to a sporting event can be a great idea for a date - it's a fun and casual atmosphere, you're outdoors and it's an activity that you both enjoy, however, the length of a game does not make it appropriate for the first date. It's Just Lunch recommends lunch or a drink after work for first dates.
Why do men and women get along so well at games? Men are accepting when it comes to not being there for the last out; 77% said they would understand if their date wanted to leave a game early.
The survey also revealed that 90% of women brush up on baseball fundamentals before games, either by reading the sports page (31%), learning the names of key players (30%), or making sure they understand the rules of the game (29%).
Chivalry is not dead, at least among baseball fans. 84% of men said if they caught a ball in the stands, they would give it to their date; although 5% of men would rather make some money than be chivalrous and sell the baseball on eBay.
As far as the players themselves, who would women most like to date? 40% of single women believe Derek Jeter is the sexiest baseball player.
The infield takes the prize for the sexiest positions: 54% find the pitcher to be the sexiest; 32% think shortstops are sexier. Sorry outfield, only 8% of respondents found you the sexiest.
Additional survey highlights:
· 31% of men think 9 innings is too long, 7 innings would be better, compared to the vast majority of women (85%) who think 9 innings is about right.
· 67% of men feel scoreboard marriage proposals are too public or embarrassing, while 32% of women think they are romantic and sweet.
· If singles had great seats for Opening Day, 37% of men would take someone they want to ask out on a first date, while 29% of women would take a colleague and 13% would take their dad.
· 41% of women are okay with their significant other watching 1 game a week; with 26% saying 2-3 games a week is enough, although 8% of women won't even consider dating someone who watches sports all the time.
· Nearly 1/3 of women have gone to a sports bar solely to meet men.
· Baseball players are cuter than basketball and football players according to 37% of female singles. 7% thought it was because they sweat less.
· The sexes agree. 51% of singles think the New York Yankees are the best looking American League team. As for the National League, 33% of women think the Chicago Cubs are the most attractive team.

Visit It's Just Lunch Columbus for further dating information.
About the Author
Alana is a VP of Its just Lunch based in San Diego.

What baseball bat is best for you?

What Baseball Bat is Best For You?
by Frank Drummond

Baseball bats come in all shapes and sizes. Determining the best bat for you could be a difficult chore. To help, Baseball Rampage has put together this simple guide to help you find the bat that will help you improve your hitting while saving you money.
You'll notice a lot of bats have a negative sign listed. This number essentially tells you that the bat ways that many ounces less than the length of the bat. For instance, 34-inch bats with a -5 will way 29 ounces. The heavier the baseball bat, the more power you'll receive but your bat speed will slow down which will probably lower your batting average. Your best bet is to find a bat that suits your abilities the best so you can hit the sweet spot as often as possible.
The best length to purchase is one that comes up to your waste when standing upright on the ground. Youth league bats range from 26 to 31 inches and can be no more than 32 inches long. High school to the pro's are in the 32 to 36 range.
The barrel, taper, and grip are other important factors to consider when purchasing a ball bat. A bat with a longer and wider barrel will provide a larger sweet spot but usually weigh more which is why a lot of youth league hitters use a shorter and narrower barrel bat. The taper is the slimming of the bat where you'll want a nice fit for your hands for a comfortable grip. Grip is the material used on the taper to allow a good "grip" on the bat. Most are made of leather, synthetic leather, or rubber. While leather grips will allow for a better grip, there ability to absorb vibrations from a hit are limited in comparison to rubber grips.
Hopefully this bit of information provides everything you'll need to become a better hitter. Batter Up!

About the Author
Baseball Rampage wrote this article to help you determine which ball bat will work for you. Located in Columbus, OH, BaseballRampage.com is a full service retailer store and internet retailer with a full line of bats, baseball gloves, and other baseball gear.

Baseballs’ Greatest Cheaters

Baseballs’ Greatest Cheaters
by F.R. Penn

The great American game of baseball!! Home runs, triple plays, and the World Series, make viewing this sport a great pastime. Fans, over generations of time, have come to hold special individual memories of baseball. It’s sealed in their minds; baseball IS the greatest sport of all time. Remembering, all is in the eye of the beholder, can it be that baseball history can define itself by years of great team lineups, talented athletes, extravagant game plays and greatest cheaters???Who would have thought that in all baseball has provided for its fans, a set of stats dedicated to cheaters would fit in? No one would think that there would be a way that great athletes would conjure up or develop ways to improve their stats, career or even their place in baseball history. It is proven, however, that Hall of Fame greats and record breakers in the field of ball playing would actually be at the head of such schemes--no matter the severity of the scheme. Cheaters have been recognized throughout this sport since almost at its beginnings.The most notable offenders and cheating title holders would be: John McGraw, Gaylord Perry, Ty Cobb, Mike Scott, Ken Hrbeck, Joe Niekro, Pete Rose, and Albert Belle. Later, and to add some variety to this interesting topic, one of the many baseball scandals include the 1919 Chicago White Sox sellout.John McGraw was a Hall of Fame great who had a reputation for holding base runners by their belt loops and would even go as far as blocking and tripping runners. He was not afraid to try this stunt with runners larger than his 155lb frame.Gaylord Perry, Hall of Fame inductee, had the infamous "spitter" ball or "Vaseline ball". While compiling his 314-265 record, this pitcher would stand on his mound and touch his sleeve or cap. At these times, he would "load up" his ball, or appear to "load up" his ball in order to psych out the batter at the plate, enhancing the hopes for a strikeout. Because of this naughty habit, this great athlete was one of the few pitchers in the sport to get reprimanded. In 1982 he was suspended from baseball for doctoring the ball.Ty Cobb, or otherwise known as the "Georgia Peach", was not a Hall of Famer, but held dozens of the league’s records. However, despite the records, the major reason that this athlete was able to steal bases on occasion without fail was because fielders would fear the wrath of his sharpened spikes. Cobb had a nasty habit of using his pointed spikes as weapons on the base paths.Mike Scott, also a holder of dozens of major league statistics, had a habit of using emery boards not for the nails on his hands but to shave a little bit here and there on the ball. Altering the ball in this way allowed many of the hitters to be potential strikeout victims.Kent Hrbek was a charismatic player who helped his team reach two World Series. In 1991, his charisma was not enough to save him when in a play, a member of the opposing team landed on his base. Lo and behold, Hrbek in an orchestrated maneuver he thought to be covert bumped the fellow off the base. He tagged the guy out. What Hrbek did not know, was that there were cameras running at certain angles poised to catch him in the act. Hrbek himself found out what it was like to be OUT!Joe Niekro was no stranger to the emery board, ball-shaving fix. Even though Niekro claimed the emery board in his pocket was to file his fingernails so he could keep his knuckleball skills in check, it wasn’t until 1987 he was caught cheating. An umps’ eye caught an emery board flying out of Niekro’s pocket and Niekro got suspended for 10 days, no doubt giving the pitcher sufficient time to keep a neat set of nails.Pete Rose was a gambler. At times in the world of sports, inside information has benefited players or fans alike. One small fact could swing a bet one way or another, but no one would think that a player would bet on his own team. It would not only be ethically incorrect, but a detrimental career move if caught. Hall of Fame inductee Pete Rose made such a career-crippling move by placing bets on the outcomes of his own teams’ games!In the unholy name of baseball cheating, there was Albert Belle. He was known to have "his own kind" of special bat; one that could have been known to hold more cork than a million bottles of champagne. In 1994, Belle was suspended for seven games in an occurrence where Albert’s bat was confiscated by an umpire after suspicions of bat tampering were made known to him.Last, but probably forever in the name of baseball, not least, it would only seem fair to mention one event that has come to be known as one of baseball’s greater scandals. Most times, individual team members could be blamed for tampering with this great sport. But for the sake of keeping any more skeletons from coming out of closets, it can be safe to discuss this topic: The 1919 Chicago White Sox Sellout. Imagine a crowd of fans that grow to the tune of around 43,000 strong. Fans driving from far and wide. Fans waiting to see their team rise to victory in The World Series. Hopes for the true fan gets crushed when it is discovered that eight players of one team were paid off to lose to the other team. Then insult adds to injury; it becomes clear that the event was due to a master mob plan. The eight players involved get suspended, and later are banned from baseball for life. The White Sox reputation suffers for many years to come.With all that said, throughout baseball’s history of cheaters and scandal, there is only one phrase that can sum up the result of the intentions of those trying to reinvent the rules of baseball for personal gain and that phrase is - "Cheaters NEVER prosper."

This article was written by F.R. Penn sponsored by http://www.stubhub.com. If you’re looking for baseball tickets to see your favorite teams live in action, look no further than Stubhub.com where fans buy and sell the hottest sports tickets. Reproductions of this article are encouraged but must include a link back to http://www.stubhub.com/