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Over the last ten years there has been an incredible increase in people participating in baseball fantasy leagues, and fantasy sports in general. There is really only one rule for those involved, and that is they must have a real and ongoing interest and appreciation of the game of baseball. Starting your own fantasy league is easy follow the simple steps below and you will quickly have a league you can enjoy throughout the season.

Fantasy League Step #1 Get your teams together The first step to creating a baseball fantasy league is getting your teams together. You need to find between 8 and 12 friends to participate and create their own team. Why 8-12 teams? This is the range of numbers that will give you a competitive league, which you will need for it to be as enjoyable as possible.

Fantasy League Step #2 ‘The Commish’ Just like Major League Baseball, someone needs to be in charge. Elect a responsible and committed Commissioner to manage the statistics weekly, and is someone who has the opportunity and resources to distribute them to every player in the fantasy league.

Fantasy League Step #3 One League or Two? One of the oldest questions in baseball do we need both the American and National Leagues? Your group will need to decide whether to play with the traditional favourites, or establish a single league.

Fantasy League Step #4 Player draft or auction Teams need players, and the group will need to decide the best way to individually acquire players. Both draft and auction methods work, but whichever method you choose, stay with it throughout the season.

Fantasy League Step #5 Rules You can’t escape rules, even in a fantasy league. Accumulation of points and recording statistics need to be done consistently and to a standard. Agree the rules, and ensure all teams are aware of the compliance requirements, and what happens when they don’t follow them!

Fantasy League #6 Enjoy yourself Americans in their millions play fantasy league baseball to win money, trophies or simply for the sake of it. No matter what your reason, make sure the final prize is agreed by all as this gives you every player the best chance of enjoying themselves.

About the Author

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.baseballcenter.info a website specialized on Baseball, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Baseball. For more info visit his site: Baseball

OneBaseball Gloves!

If you play baseball or softball, you need a good, dependable baseball glove. The right baseball glove can make the difference in your game.

Below are some suggestions for finding the right baseball glove:

How To Buy A Baseball Glove from:

http://thelefthand.com/baseballgloves.html

Gloves, like the hands they fit, come in a variety of sizes. Baseball and softball gloves also are geared to fit both the position you play and the level of your game. Keep these factors in mind when you decide which style, size, features and materials best suit your game.

Determine the glove that best suits your fielding position
Catcher
First base
Infield
Outfield
Softball
Find the features that fit your game
Construction
Materials
Suit the glove to your ability
Fit the glove to your hand
Determine the glove that best suits your fielding position.

Gloves are made to better help you field your position. A key element in determining the size mitt you buy is the position you play in the field.

Catcher

A fingerless mitt (it does not have individual fingers)
Has heavy padding to reduce the sting from the pitcher’s throw
Reinforced to withstand the heavy use throughout a game.

First base

Also resembles a mitten, but has less padding than the catcher’s mitt
It is longer to help the first baseman field throws from infielders
A shallow pocket allows the first baseman to quickly retrieve the ball from the mitt.

Infield

A five-fingered glove with a shallow pocket
A youth size is between 9 - 11 inches
Adults 10 1/2 to 11 1/2 inch is the typical baseball size
Softball infielder gloves have a deeper pocket to accept the bigger ball
Second basemen need a smaller glove to help make those quick throws while still having control shortstops use something in the middle for grounders and quick throws Third basemen need a larger glove.

Outfield

Usually sized at 12 to12 1/2-inches for adults, about 11 inches for children. A deeper pocket to handle balls hit high in the air
Longer length to give as much reach as possible.

If you plan to play several positions, find a glove that provides the most control for a variety of outfield positions.

http://www.a1-glove-4u.info/baseball.html

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The game of wiffle ball is lots of fun, and teaches many skills that are valuable in baseball and softball. Kids play it because it’s fun and can be played anywhere. You can play in your backyard, in the street, in a field, on a baseball diamond, and even the beach. The wiffle ball itself is lightweight and won’t break any windows, and won’t hurt children if a pitch hits them. The wiffle ball bat is lightweight and can be handled by children of nearly any age.

Children that play wiffle ball are actually building their self-confidence. As a pitcher, the wiffle ball will spin, curve, and wiggle in almost any direction. As a hitter, a child gains confidence in swinging the wiffle ball bat and hearing the crack of the bat hitting the ball. All of these confidence-building skills will help when the child plays baseball or softball. You can find books and videos to learn baseball and softball by visiting http://www.2PlayBall.com and you can also learn by doing: so play ball and enjoy the game as you learn more and become better.

Wiffle-ball baseball pitching mechanics and technique: A pitcher in the game of wiffle ball can throw the ball with spins and curves, depending on the type of pitching grip. Holding the ball differently will cause the ball to be a curveball, slider, sinker, floater, fastball, or any other kind of pitch. Thanks to the lightweight nature of the wiffle ball, a young player can try different stances and pitching mechanics and techniques. A pitcher can throw side-arm or overhead. The pitcher can even switch and use their non-preferred throwing arm. A right-handed pitcher could try pitching left-handed, and a left-handed pitcher could choose to try being a right-handed pitcher. The simple grip of the ball and the lightweight wiffle ball can allow this experimentation.

Wiffle-ball baseball hitting mechanics and technique freedom: A child who is up at bat with a wiffle ball bat can swing the bat much faster that he/she could with a much heavier bat. This new-found baseball swing freedom can increase a child’s confidence and boost batting mechanics and technique. A right-handed baseball hitter could tryout a left-handed baseball hitting stance. Or, a left-handed baseball hitter could tryout a right-handed baseball hitting stance. A child could become a switch hitter!

Baseball fielding mechanics and technique: The wiffle ball is not only a tricky ball to hit, it is also very tricky to field. When the wiffle ball is hit in the air, it can spin off the bat and thus fly in a surprising fashion. Once the wiffle ball hits the ground, it will react to any tiny tree branch or pebble on the ground. These quick bounces and direction changes are excellent for practicing fielding techniques for youth baseball players. The child is required to keep their eye on the ball at all times, and they must quickly react to any sudden change in direction. The quick bounce of a wiffle ball hit on the ground will keep a child light on their feet and give them lighting-fast hand reflexes for fielding techniques.

Backyard baseball fun anytime: A game of wiffle ball builds many skills and coordination for baseball players of all ages. It’s easy, it’s fun, and it can be played anywhere!

About the Author

Mike S. has been a baseball fan for nearly 30 years. As a child he enjoyed playing catch with very old, well worn baseball gloves. He now plays ball with friends and teaches his family and kids how to play ball. You can read more of his articles at http://www.2PlayBall.com and he also writes for http://www.TeachMeSports.com Mike hopes that his passion for writing about baseball will help everyone more thoroughly enjoy the game.

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Worth - The original aluminum baseball bats were made by Worth in the early 1970’s. The company is still recognized for the high quality Worth bats they manufacture for little league, baseball and softball

Purchasing the correct baseball bats for kids is as consequential as the right glove, the cleats, and every other piece of equipment for the pastime. The correct bat can directly affect how your kids execute at the plate, and conversely, the incorrect bat can leave your kids struggling on the peewee team.

Regardless, ask someone how to buy the Finest bat for your kids, and you’ll get the rigamarole. Some people will say buy weighty and let your kid adjust for greater power. Others will say buy extended and let your kids choke up on the grip so they can handle the additional few inches. Others will say pray to Jobu and dream he delivers the proper bat to you.

Just like he didn’t cut it for Charlie Sheen and the boys in the hit film Major League, Jobu won’t help if you’re looking to purchase bats for kids. The key is taking in all of the suggestion from experts, and looking for consistency. In this instance, the chorus of voices says one thing: both length and weight are important.

With weight, think light. A light bat makes it easier for your kids to command their swings. Don’t let those old-fashioned coaching types recite you that you require a weighty bat to deliver the hits. Kids can actually hit the ball harder and farther with a light bat because they can swing a light bat faster. If you need evidence, contemplate that the NCAA and high school rules officials have passed prohibitions on baseball bats so they cannot be 3 ounces or more lighter than the bat’s length in inches.

When it comes to length and bats for kids, the rules state that Little League baseball bats must be less than or equal to 32 inches in length. Their barrels cannot be more than 2.25 inches in diameter. Of course, for kids in the ‘Farm’ league (age 7 to you don’t want to push these limits. A length of 26 to 27 inches will do.

For the Junior Minors (age 8 to 9), try 27 to 29 inches. For Senior Minors (age 9 to 12), try 28 to 31 inches. And for the Majors (age 10 to 12), you can buy a bat anywhere from 29 to 32 inches.

Rawlings Bats - Most well known for their quality baseball gloves, Rawlings today is among the leaders in bats, making professional wood bats as well as quality aluminum baseball bats used throughout NCAA and high school baseball.

About the Author

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. William writes frequently on many subjects that may be of interest to all. Discover all the joys and secrets of baseball at Baseball’s Holy Grail

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My Appreciation List

I am listing some of the achievements in baseball that I have a deep appreciation for.This list will continue to grow.

Hank Aaron - Hitting 715 Home Runs - Okay 755 Home Runs? What must it have been like to chase a legend? Babe Ruth’s record of 714 lifetime homers was a record I never thought would be passed. I read and heard on television what it was like to approach Babe’s number. ? Hank received hate mail. Some of the letters were threats to kill him. Imagine getting a letter describing how you would be shot while you stood in the outfield. The FBI was called in to investigate some of the letters Hank received. Through it all Hank Aaron continued his climb and finally surpass the Bambino. An amazing accomplishment given the circumstances. All for playing, and excelling at the game he loved to play.?

Barry Bonds Hitting 73 Home Runs in 2001? At the age of 36 Barry Bonds put on a hitting display that captured America’s attention. People that were not tuned to baseball, started to glance at this display of power.?Yeah, I know it has been said that he took steroids. While I am not condoning the use of steroids - I am appreciative of the year he had. Balls were flying all over and out of the field. McCovey Cove had boat people docked and poised to catch the next Bonds home run. Fans were suing each other for a home run hit into the bleachers. This was an amazing display of power.

Denny McLain winning 30 Games In 1968? In 1934 Dizzy Dean won 30 games for the St Louis Cardinals. He was the last man to win 30 before Denny McLain. Since Denny McLain won his 30; no one has accomplished that number. Over the last 71 baseball seasons (from 1934 to 2005) Denny McLain has been the only pitcher to win 30 games in a season. Many pitchers won 30 prior to Dizzy’s great 1934 season, like Walter Johnson, Smoky Joe Wood, and Christy Mathewson to name a few… Grover Cleveland Alexander won 30 or more, three years in a row. Denny Mclain sure had one heck of a year in 1968.

Yankees Winning Five World Championships from 1949 to 1953 Excellence personified. - Putting it all into perspective. Few teams have put together long championship runs. in any sport. Winning twice in a row is quite an accomplishment.

Winning three times in a row has only happened twice in baseball history from 1900 to present day.

The Oakland A’s from 1972 to 1974 with Reggie Jackson and Rollie Fingers amongst others and the New York ?Yankees from 1998 to 2000 with Derek Jeter, Bernie Williams each did it once.

The Yanks won four in a row from 1936 to 1939 with Lou Gehrig Joe DiMaggio, Bill Dickey and Lefty Gomez.

The Yankees hit the all time streak with the teams from 1949 to 1953. Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto and Whitey Ford anchored those teams. Beating Brooklyn in ‘49,’52, ‘53 Philadelphia in ‘50 and the Giants in ‘51.

Winning two years in a row is pretty tough. Three years very tough. Four and five year runs are next to impossible.

About the Author

Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. You will love his honesty and his passion.. You will be touched by the heartwarming stories. The unusual statistics will amaze you and the quotes will make you laugh..

Go here right now to join his ezine http://www.baseballsprideandjoy.com/index.php?tag=goart

Contact Aron - The Baseball Networking Guy at aron@baseballsprideandjoy.com

The “fantasy” in fantasy baseball stands for what a team would be like with a collection of stars gathered together, not for an alternate universe where value has no relation to reality. Fantasy baseball is all about capturing players’ performance on the field and translating it into a competition. To capture the offensive and defensive sides of play, both hitters’ and pitchers’ statistics are monitored. Runs, RBIs, battting average, home runs and stolen bases comprise the typical hitting categories, while ERA, strikeouts, wins, WHIP (walks and hits allowed per inning pitched), and saves are the usual pitching categories. At first glance these categories (noted as the traditional 5×5 categories) seem fair enough.

The first two pitchers most commonly drafted are Johann Santana and Randy Johnson. It is hard to argue that these two are not the premier pitchers in baseball. The batters most commonly drafted in the top three are Albert Pujols, Carlos Beltran, and A-Rod. Here again are guys with high name recognition, and great stats, and all in the upswing of their careers. But here is where the traditional 5×5 goes off track.

By far the best current hitter in baseball, steroids controversy notwithstanding, is Barry Bonds. Historically, one could point to Joe DiMaggio, Ty Cobb, or Ted Williams, but presently, there is no argument. Bonds makes the greatest impact in the game. Last year he reached base over 60 percent of the time, thanks to both his high walk rate and .362 batting average. The next closest in on-base percentage was Todd Helton at a mere 47 percent. Before you think, “big deal - that’s a difference of 13 percent,” know that a similar 13 percent reduction from Helton’s number would give you Mark Grudelzniak, or Miguel Cairo. Quite a difference. And that doesn’t even bring in Barry’s slugging percentage, which is also incredible. The man hit 45 homers in 373 at-bats last year!

What Bonds has been doing to the game is historic in every sense of the word. That his accomplishments have not translated into fantasy sports strips any claim of realism. In a normal 5×5 league, Bonds is usually drafted late in the first round or early in the second. Yahoo has him ranked as number 12. Number 12 for a man who is arguably one of the best hitters ever, and who, as a hitter, dominates the game on a day-to-day basis.

The steals category should also be rethought. In a traditional 5×5 league, the number of steal attempts a player successfully converts gives him his value. This leads to fairly obvious cases of a player being valued much higher in fantasy terms then in real life, even if you do subscribe to the belief that the number of steals a player gets is in fact as telling as his batting average in determining his overall value. For example, Player A steals 20 bases in 40 attempts, as his coach believes strongly in the run. Player B steals only 18 bases, but out of 20 attempts, for a stellar success percentage. Player B obviously helps his team more, and had a more positive impact on the field, but the owner of player A is the more successful fantasy owner.

Why does it matter? So what if fantasy baseball is detached from the reality of baseball? That’s why it is called fantasy, right? And everyone hates Bonds anyway. Unfortunately, the vastly divergent criteria used by the fantasy sports world and the real world to evaluate players drives a wedge between the hobby and mainstream sports fandom. Fantasy players become more geeky as the hobby (some would rather call it an obsession) drives itself away from real baseball. The 5×5 system demands that participants learn a new set of rules, and each new rule drives the hobby further away from acceptance and relevance. Bonds is not the best player in baseball. He’s actually the twelfth. Alex Sanchez of the Detroit Tigers, a prominent starter on many fantasy teams last year with his 19 stolen bases, was cut from the Tigers this spring. The list goes on, but the point is, fantasy baseball is a reflection of baseball, and derives its legitimacy (if it has any) from its place as an extension of a real-life activity. Fine, a traditional 5×5 player argues, “then why was 5×5 created with these stats to begin with?”

The answer is simple. Fantasy baseball didn’t start with the computer age. People actually went through box scores to accumulate the data necessary to play fantasy sports. Imagine the effort taken after each and every game, scanning newspapers, adding hits, then dividing by the total at bats, noting the stolen bases for each and every player on your team. That would take a lot of work. It’s obvious why the traditional 5×5 stats were chosen. They were in fact the stats given by the box scores!

Thanks to computers, we are no longer limited by the constraints of newspaper box scores and division on scratch paper. Yahoo! alone offers 54 total categories with which to customize your league. This gives you the power to organize your league in whatever way you believe players in real baseball are really valued.

The most popular version of this is the SABR (”saber”) leagues. The popular categories are: runs, RBIs, OBP (on base percentage) and slugging percentage for hitting, and wins, saves, ERA, and WHIP for pitching. This doesn’t even begin to touch the value of a team’s defense, but since there is no objective or standard way to measure defense, that problem has not been effectively tackled yet. The home team’s scorer gives out errors, while defensive range is difficult to pin down as a measurable statistic game to game. It may be some time before Torii Hunter’s spectacular home run-saving catch is a part of fantasy baseball, but undoubtedly the statisticians will come up with some method.

However you plan to do it meanwhile, if Bonds isn’t the clear first pick in your draft, then your league is long on the fantasy, short on the baseball.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Betting on baseball totals provides outstanding value and opportunities to profit from for a variety of reasons:

Home plate umpires have tendencies that can be exploited. In baseball, more so than any other sport, the home plate umpire has a tremendous impact on the game because of the size of his strike zone. Each umpire has a different strike zone, some are wider, others are tighter. Umpires with a wider strike zone favors the pitchers while umpires with a smaller strike zone will favor the batters.

Baseball totals streaks are not as noted by the Public or the media providing excellent line value for the astute handicapper. Nothing drives away line value quicker than the Public’s backing. For the first part of the 2004 baseball season, lefty - lefty matchups of starting pitchers were ringing up unders at an alarming rate. Unfortunately for the Public, it appears that they jumped on the bandwagon too late as the trend is reversing to Overs in these matchups (as all trends do with time). Unfortunately, the Public has driven up the line on Unders in these matchups, so they’re losses are more than they should be do to the inflated lines and lack of value.

Sportsbooks don’t have as much room to adjust their totals. Baseball totals typically range from a low of 6.5 and a high of 12 (except for Coors Field which produces an abundance of high scoring affairs). When two hot hitting teams face off against one another against average starting pitching, the total will not go above 12 (-145) in most instances. Likewise, when two cold hitting teams play against two dominant starters, the total will not drop below 6.5 while laying no more than (-145). However, if a Top 10 pitcher on a winning team faces a struggling team and pitcher you may have to lay -300 to win $100.

Capping totals involves many components:

1) We start be reviewing who the home plate umpire will be. If this is the first game of a series, this information will usually not be available until an hour before game time. The umpires follow a rotation with the first base umpire behind the plate the next night. Pay attention to the umpires over/under record in their games called and the percentage of strikes that they call. Once again, a higher percentage of strikes will more than likely produce Unders as the wider strike zone favors the pitchers. A lower percentage of called strikes will favor the batters as they will more than likely be facing hitters counts where the pitcher will have to throw a strike.

2) Look at each teams over/under record in their last 10 games. Also note any current streaks. Ideally, you want to jump on a team at the beginning of a streak. A solid hitting team like the Yankees, if their bats have been quiet the last few games, a break out is more than likely looming. Conversely, a light hitting team like the Expos recent string of overs might be nearing an end. When looking at each teams over/under streak, note if it is solid hitting or shaky pitching producing overs or weak hitting and excellent pitching ringing up Unders. Also look at how each teams batting average and runs scored fares against lefties or righties depending on the starting pitcher.

3) Review each teams starting pitchers combined over/under record on the season and in their last 3 games. Pay attention to the combined pitchers WHIP (walks and hits per 9 innings). Note any trends such as an average pitcher with a propensity towards overs that has been pitching better of late as noted by his recent string of unders and drop in WHIP.

4) Look at the bullpens. Have they seen extensive action over the last few days? Are they over or under performing in recent games as compared to their season history? Are any pitchers in the pen unavailable from too much work the previous night?

When you combine the following factors, it should be fairly obvious which way to go with the Over/Under. Do not force action. Only play those games that have the highest probability of going Over or Under the total based on your researched facts.

Baseball totals, while often over looked by the average handicapper, can be very profitable and swing the value in the handicappers favor. By tracking a teams recent hitting and pitching performances, while also factoring in the home plate umpire tendencies, solid total betting values can be found to swing the advantage to the Capper!

Good Luck!

Home plate umpires have tendencies that can be exploited. In baseball, more so than any other sport, the home plate umpire has a tremendous impact on the game because of the size of his strike zone. Each umpire has a different strike zone, some are wider, others are tighter. Umpires with a wider strike zone favors the pitchers while umpires with a smaller strike zone will favor the batters.

Baseball totals streaks are not as noted by the Public or the media providing excellent line value for the astute handicapper. Nothing drives away line value quicker than the Public’s backing. For the first part of the 2004 baseball season, lefty - lefty matchups of starting pitchers were ringing up unders at an alarming rate. Unfortunately for the Public, it appears that they jumped on the bandwagon too late as the trend is reversing to Overs in these matchups (as all trends do with time). Unfortunately, the Public has driven up the line on Unders in these matchups, so they’re losses are more than they should be do to the inflated lines and lack of value.

Sportsbooks don’t have as much room to adjust their totals. Baseball totals typically range from a low of 6.5 and a high of 12 (except for Coors Field which produces an abundance of high scoring affairs). When two hot hitting teams face off against one another against average starting pitching, the total will not go above 12 (-145) in most instances. Likewise, when two cold hitting teams play against two dominant starters, the total will not drop below 6.5 while laying no more than (-145). However, if a Top 10 pitcher on a winning team faces a struggling team and pitcher you may have to lay -300 to win $100.

Capping totals involves many components:

1) We start be reviewing who the home plate umpire will be. If this is the first game of a series, this information will usually not be available until an hour before game time. The umpires follow a rotation with the first base umpire behind the plate the next night. Pay attention to the umpires over/under record in their games called and the percentage of strikes that they call. Once again, a higher percentage of strikes will more than likely produce Unders as the wider strike zone favors the pitchers. A lower percentage of called strikes will favor the batters as they will more than likely be facing hitters counts where the pitcher will have to throw a strike.

2) Look at each teams over/under record in their last 10 games. Also note any current streaks. Ideally, you want to jump on a team at the beginning of a streak. A solid hitting team like the Yankees, if their bats have been quiet the last few games, a break out is more than likely looming. Conversely, a light hitting team like the Expos recent string of overs might be nearing an end. When looking at each teams over/under streak, note if it is solid hitting or shaky pitching producing overs or weak hitting and excellent pitching ringing up Unders. Also look at how each teams batting average and runs scored fares against lefties or righties depending on the starting pitcher.

3) Review each teams starting pitchers combined over/under record on the season and in their last 3 games. Pay attention to the combined pitchers WHIP (walks and hits per 9 innings). Note any trends such as an average pitcher with a propensity towards overs that has been pitching better of late as noted by his recent string of unders and drop in WHIP.

4) Look at the bullpens. Have they seen extensive action over the last few days? Are they over or under performing in recent games as compared to their season history? Are any pitchers in the pen unavailable from too much work the previous night?

When you combine the following factors, it should be fairly obvious which way to go with the Over/Under. Do not force action. Only play those games that have the highest probability of going Over or Under the total based on your researched facts.

Baseball totals, while often over looked by the average handicapper, can be very profitable and swing the value in the handicappers favor. By tracking a teams recent hitting and pitching performances, while also factoring in the home plate umpire tendencies, solid total betting values can be found to swing the advantage to the Capper!

Good Luck!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Until 2001, almost all wood baseball bats were made from the identical northern white ash that bats had been made from for over 100 years. That year, brought Barry Bonds, his incredible 73 home runs and an exceedingly quick switch in the wood bat market. Bonds’ record smashing season brought attention to the reality that he was using one of a kind maple baseball bats

Hard Rock Maple Baseball Bats are the hitters preference for having a bat that is less likely to separate or break. Maple is a hardwood, which instantly in itself gives the upper hand of having a thicker, more compact baseball bat.

With all baseball bats, you want the maker to be choosing the best quality wood source obtainable. Merely finding a hard rock maple baseball bat is not going to inevitably guarantee that it is positively going to be the item that gets you on base by being more stable and less likely to divide or crack. Trees do not grow in compliance with a future as a baseball bat.

Hard rock maple baseball bats need to be crafted from wood billets that have completely straight grain systems. Maple trees do not always grow uncurved . Choosing the source is exceedingly critical for a producer of hard rock maple baseball bats, since any tree, maple or otherwise, do not always grow straight.

It may only be through knowledge that you will figure which producer is taking care to use only carefully selected billets for making their hard rock maple baseball bats. The standards in size for hard rock maple baseball bats will be across the board comparable as you look from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Generally, you will find a weighty head bat, the medium to light, medium even distribution, and small, very light versions are accessible in similar dimensions as these: 29/32 inches, 2 5/8 inch thin; 15/16 inches thin and 2 3/8; 1 inch medium 2 1/2 inch; 13/16 inch thin 2 3/16 inch.

Hard rock maple baseball bats Customarily will be accessible in a number of colors, including black cherry, black, blue, red, green, walnut and natural, where the finish is left off the handle, or completely natural.

For years bat makers were powerless to make baseball bats from maple due to the elevated moisture volume of the wood - despite the high strength it was simply too heavy to make into a baseball bat. In the late 90’s technology came to the rescue and high tech wood kilns now remove enough moisture from the wood to make high quality, high strength maple baseball bats.

About the Author

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. William writes frequently on many subjects that may be of interest to all. Discover all the joys and secrets of baseball at Baseball’s Holy Grail

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Aluminum baseball bats are Usually preferred to wooden bats due to their light weight and high power (note: pro players are allowed to use wood bats only). Lighter bats are usually preferable to heavier bats as they allow the hitter to create sufficient speed to put some “oomph” into it (although there are restrictions about bat weights at most levels). Additionally, aluminum bats can supply more “pop” of the baseball off the bat, and are much more stable (therefore cost effective) than wooden bats. Bats today are becoming increasingly high tech and costly

College baseball bats are more high-tech than the bats that the pros use. The pros, you see, are behind the times with their baseball bats. Their wood relics have been out of style for years. Wood makes for baseball bats that are heavier, less long lasting, and less functional than their counterparts made from aluminum.

Today’s best baseball bats are to be found in the college ranks. They’re made of military grade aluminum provided by corporations like Alcoa and Kaiser. And these companies keep working on this aircraft aluminum to make it stronger, thinner, lighter, and more stable.

These aluminum alloys go by their corporate trade names or numbers, and customarily by brand names too. You can sometimes find that the same trade name is marketed by different bat makers by unlike brand names.

If you want to see if your college baseball bats are made from one of these advanced alloys, simply look at the bat. Customarily, manufacturers are so proud of the fact that they’ll advertise it in big bold letters on the bat. Then again, if you’re bat is -11 or lighter, it is required by law not to state what kind of alloy is used in its assembly. In any case, these lighter bats probably do not contain the stronger newer alloys. To make weight, the producer possibly used a lighter alloy for the thinner walls of the bat.

If you want to be able to know accurately what is in your college baseball bats, look for the grade number on them. For instance, a grade number of 7046 means that the bat is fabricated with standard aircraft aluminum, a material fit for many budget bats.

The grade 7050 means the aluminum alloy contains an amount of copper, which makes it one-third stronger than 7046. Other numbers and grades, of course, designate other alloy blends and dissimilar strengths.

Baseball bats are measured using their length to weight ratio, a negative number that represents how many ounces a bat weighs compared to it’s length in inches. For example, a 32 inch bat that weighs 28 ounces is a - 4. The largest ratio is in the range of -12 (for little league bats), while college and high school bats are restricted to a - 3. These restrictions are for safety reasons - a college or high school player swinging a very light bat (- 4 +) would simply have too much power and could pose a danger to other players on the field. Make sure to check the regulations of your league before buying a baseball bat!

About the Author

William Smith lives in Florida with his wife and three cats. William writes frequently on many subjects that may be of interest to all. Discover all the joys and secrets of baseball at Baseball’s Holy Grail

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My Top Ten Favorite Baseball Movies ? My top ten baseball movies consist of five movies on the list. There have been many movies with a baseball theme that I have liked, but there are only five I have loved. I will get to them soon.

Some of the ones I have liked are “Bull Durham” with Kevin Costner, a light hearted tale about a minor league season in North Carolina and the characters on and around that team. “Bang The Drum Slowly” with Robert DeNiro, “Cobb” with Tommy Lee Jones, “Fear Strikes Out,” “Eight Men Out,” “A League of Their Own,” “Major League,” ?and “Rookie of the Year.” ? One thing that my favorites have in common is that I have been moved to tears. For similar and different reasons, I have been inspired or moved by some of the following scenes.

? Field of Dreams with Kevin Costner and James Earl Jones. When I think about this movie I always think how corny it was. Come on - Cut down a corn field to create a baseball field. I have seen this movie approximately 15 times. It is the only movie I have seen in my adult life twice in the theaters. The scene that is so moving for me is when Kevin Costner asks his father to play catch. He is so awkward in his asking. He is so delighted when his father says “sure.” I melt whenever I see this scene.

? The Rookie with Dennis Quaid

How does a man in his late 30’s leave his family and start playing baseball in the minor leagues. He is fulfilling a dream. There are a couple of scenes in the movie that lead to a most uplifting moment. While playing in the minor leagues in the Tampa Bay organization Dennis Quaid (Playing pitcher Jim Morris) thinks he may have made a mistake by leaving his family to pursue a dumb dream. He is in anguish. He is not making any money pitching in the minors while his family is suffering at home with very little money coming into the house. Finally, after vacillating between playing baseball and going back to his wife to make a constant living he sees one of his teammates and asks him. “Do you know what we are going to do today?” His teammate looks puzzled. Dennis responds to his own question. “We are going to play baseball today.” With a big grin on his face Dennis captures the joy of playing baseball. I loved it.?

The Natural with Robert Redford

The music in this flick was superb. Good versus evil. Robert Redford comes out of the hospital to play in the most important game of the year. As corny as this movie was I loved the scene at the end of the movie when he hits the ball into the lights and a shower of sparkling flashes illuminate the screen. I can still hear the music from that part of the movie, as he circles the bases. I get chills whenever I see this part of the film.

? Pride of The Yankees with Gary Cooper and Teresa Wright

One of my all time favorite movies. One of my all time favorite players, Lou Gehrig, is played on the screen so superbly by Gary Cooper. The scene that gets to me every time is when Lou goes to see the doctor at the hospital because he feels a nagging injury not healing. As his wife nervously waits in the waiting room, Lou is examined and then given the fatal news of his illness. He is greeted by his wife as he leaves the examination room. She then asks him how it went. They embrace and he tells her its a little bump or bruise. She seems to know without him telling her that this is serious. Oh my. I melt every time.?

This following epic motion picture reminds me of a baseball season. Long, lasting and lovable. Baseball by Ken Burns

Can you believe 18 hours of baseball footage? Still pictures from the 19th century. Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Lou Gehrig, Buck O’Neil. Highlights on film. Dead ball era. Modern day. Pitchers, hitters. This movie had it all. The pictures were spectacular. There were so many stories that were told. I was amazed. Ken Burns commitment to get this movie done is what moved me.

So there you have it. I cannot thank the people ENOUGH that made these movies. I have been touched writing about their commitment, passion, and excellence.

About the Author

Aron Wallad has been a baseball lover for over 45 years. You will love his honesty and his passion.. You will be touched by the heartwarming stories. The unusual statistics will amaze you and the quotes will make you laugh…

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