It’s rewarding to know that Major League Baseball still uses wooden bats. Of course, whenever lumber is in play, whether on the ball diamond or in building a house, the question of quality is significant. At the same time there’s good news from the U.S. Forest Service in a recent report that says its researchers have reduced the number of shattered baseball bats by revising manufacturing standards (Hat Tip: R. Falletta). Researchers concluded that inconsistent wood quality, primarily the “slope of grain,” was the main cause of broken bats. The straighter the grain, the stronger the bat. In the process, we are presuming that potential grade claims associated with use of wood in baseball bats is reduced accordingly.
While the report makes no mention of whether the revised manufacturing standards will guarantee enhanced batting averages, or at once reduce strikeouts suffered as a result of using off-grade lumber, who knows where my Little League introduction to baseball might have taken me if that bat hadn’t shattered..