When You Think About It: CRACK-CRACK-CRACK

F LoBuono

For my money, hitting a baseball is one of the most difficult things to do in sports - and, I've played just about them all. The very nature of attempting to strike a small spherical object hurling through the air at speeds in excess of 90 MPH with a long stick that's thicker on one end than the other defies the laws of physics. It is so difficult that the very best in their profession fail at it 70% of the time and are still considered Super Stars.

And, to be that good at it, some have made it a SCIENCE - including how to prepare your tool, i.e. bat.

When I was a kid, I had a neighbor who viewed it that way. He was a bit older. So, I kind of looked up to him like a big brother. And, he was crazy about baseball. I was, too. This was in the 60's and only bats made of wood were available. The very idea of the aluminum bats that would come to revolutionize the entire game except for the pro ranks was still decades away. They could vary in weight, length, and relative shape but, wood was the only choice. If you did have an "option" it was in the type of wood used to create the bat, i.e. pine or ash. Ash, being the harder wood, was always our preference.

Whenever my friend purchased a new bat he had a ritual to prepare it before actual game use. First, he would use a thin turpentine solution to remove the varnish from the bat. He claimed that the raw wood provided a better surface for both gripping and contact. Next, he used a fine sandpaper to slightly shave the handle until it was a smooth as a babies' bottom. Then, he placed a few inches of a sticky substance known as Pine Tar, used to help improve one's grip, about half-way up the shaft. Then, and only then, was the bat properly prepared to fulfill its destiny. And, it was never abused. It was transported and stored with great care. One NEVER used a bat as is typical for Hollywood movies; banging it against one's cleats to remove the mud from them, ruining the surface by leaving marks on the wood! Only in caring for your tool could you hope to compete on the highest levels.

As I mentioned previously, with the exception of professional baseball, ALL teams now use aluminum bats. Obviously, wooden bats have a shelf-life considerably shorter than that of an aluminum one. And, this has proven a huge advantage to teams on a limited budgets (like high schools and Little Leagues) - yes, replacing bats can get expensive. The way this has altered the game itself is a discussion for another posting. Let's just say that everything changes and baseball is no exception.

The other day, I was walking the Fordham University campus in the Bronx when I heard PING- PING-PING coming from the area of the baseball field. I knew that it could only be one thing: batting practice. I walked over to observe the session for 10 or 15 minutes. The game was basically played the same way it has always been: pitch ball - attempt to hit ball. But, I have to admit the sound of PING-PING-PING will never take the place of CRACK-CRACK-CRACK - the unmistakable sound of ball striking a well-made, wooden bat. . .