Baseball is traditionally considered an American game. Therefore, many mistakenly believe that the bat used by athletes was also created in the United States, but they are mistaken. The first prototypes appeared in Russia. Of course, these were not exactly the baseball bats we used to see today.
Historical reference
Devices carved out of wood were used for playing bast shoes. Their shape was vaguely reminiscent of modern counterparts, but also had a characteristic extension in the upper part. A bit later, a similarity of bits appeared in Germany. The Germans played Schlagball. The bouncer has become even more like a baseball bat.
Then, the British joined the bast community. They slightly modified the main tool for bast shoes and changed the rules. As a result, in England they began to play baseball. It was a peculiar variation of German bast and cricket. A baseball bat was brought to America by immigrants from the UK. In the United States, the game continued to evolve. The first set of its rules was drawn up in the USA in 1845.
Modern models
Today in sports stores there is a huge range of accessories for playing American baseball. There are many models, not only balls, gloves and equipment. Baseball bats are also available in various versions. They differ in size, weight and materials of which they are made. Currently, in their design and production using high-tech processes.
All baseball bats and balls undergo a mandatory quality control. Only the best samples get on the shelves. Compliance with all requirements is controlled by special commissions. Compromise is not acceptable with respect to professional products. Errors are excluded, not only the outcome of the match, but also the athlete’s career depends on the quality of execution and compliance with the established size of the baseball bat.
Standard
Modern models that are used in games at the national and international level correspond to the following parameters:
- length - 1,068 m;
- thickness - 7 cm;
- weight - 1 kg.
The stores present products of three categories:
- professional;
- semi-professional;
- amateur.
Products of the latter category are the cheapest. They are made of light metal alloys, such as aluminum. Inside, such models are hollow. This design allows you to make the product lightweight, and its cost is low. Aluminum baseball bats can be purchased not only in specialized stores selling sporting goods, but also in ordinary supermarkets.
Semi-professional and professional models are made only from natural wood. They are distinguished by the quality of workmanship and processing.
The leaders
The most famous and authoritative name in the field of production of products for playing baseball is the company “Hillrich and Sons”. Initially, this family-owned company owned a small wood processing workshop. The first bit on his machines was made in 1884. As the material used white ash. The product turned out to be so durable that the leading players of the national league literally stood in line to the master Hillrich and his sons.
The first bit, mass-produced, was called the Louisville Slug. The business of Hillrich and Sons went uphill. In 1911, the company entered into an alliance with a leading sporting goods magnate, Frank Bradsby. Leading baseball players ordered individual production of bats. Some chose wood with a small diameter of rings. Others searched for blanks with pin knots.
Materials
The description of baseball bats says that ash is the traditional raw material for their manufacture. It is brought from the forests of Pennsylvania. Solid wood can also be found in the vicinity of New York. Distinctive features of ash:
- flexibility and elasticity;
- exceptional strength and reliability;
- relatively light weight.
Technology
For the production of bits, those trees that grew in dense thickets and were forced to reach the light are selected. At the same time, their trunks and branches were reliably protected from the winds. They did not deform and did not bend. Only trees older than 50 years old are used in production.
The diameter of the trunk should exceed 40 cm. From one tree that fully meets the specified requirements, approximately 60 bits are obtained. Foresters are responsible for finding suitable plants. They mark the trunks with special paint. The specified tree is cut down, all branches are cut off from it, the trunk is divided into parts. The length of each part is 5 m.
At the plant, the wood is carefully inspected. The most high-quality parts are selected, all workpieces with knots and irregularities are rejected. Only 50% of the raw materials brought to the enterprise are allowed into production. Selected chocks are placed under a hydraulic press, the machine cuts them into parts, each length is 1.01 m.
Production stages
As in the photo, the baseball bat is obtained after the turner processes it. It makes rough grinding of the surface and gives the disc the desired shape. Workpieces are re-examined carefully for defects. Sorted items are covered with a layer of special protective paint and sent to factories for the production of baseball bats.
Once in the factory, the discs are thoroughly dried. This procedure is performed to remove residual juice and tar from wood fibers. It lasts about 6 months. It may take up to 2 years. After the control weighing, the blanks are placed in a lathe with automatic control. He gives the future bits the right shape, polishes them and aligns them. The final stage is the next weigh-in.
The final step on the road to the perfect bit is manual turning. After each manipulation, the disc is weighed and measured. Actions are repeated until the bat reaches ideal proportions and weight. Then the blanks are painted and varnished, logos and inscriptions are applied to them. After the final drying, the products are packed in cardboard boxes and sent to the customer.
Each bit is checked for strength before being sold. For this, various devices are used: hydraulic guns, video cameras, accelerometers. Some factories test the flight path of beaten balls.
Innovation
At present, Pennsylvania and New York state forestry officials are declaring that their stocks are coming to an end. Mass production has almost completely exhausted them. Decades are required to fill the deficit of fifty-year ash. Scientists are actively looking for new options for creating durable and lightweight bits for professional players.
In the development, ceramic materials, synthetic fibers processed with a mixture of resins, composite compositions and aluminum are used. Some believe that artificial bits are superior in strength parameters to analogues from natural raw materials. True, in doing so they change the force of the impact. This is especially noticeable when using aluminum samples.
Representatives of the national league say that they will never allow bits of artificial materials to play. Wooden models have a set of characteristics that have become standard.