Baseball has been a part of America, an integral part, that it is considered an American pastime. Very few sports are held to such a standard. The International Baseball Federation flies 100 countries under its wing, spreading baseball from its cradle of the U.S., to countries around the world. Altogether, baseball and softball have accounted for 13.46 million participants in America during the spring of 2016 and the 12 months that followed before.
What Is Baseball?
If you have been living under a rock and do not know what baseball is, here is a grossly simplified version: two teams compete in an attempt to score more points than the other by the time every inning, like a chapter, has ended. One team uses a bat, a wooden or metal club, to hit the ball that is being thrown by the opposing team. The star of the show is the bat; it is an integral part of the game because it is the only way to score points. Baseball players are capable of swinging the bat so fast, at its peak it reaches 80 mph. Yes, we are talking speeds you see on highways.
What Is Softball?
Chicago gave birth to softball in 1887. Even though today it is played outside, it was originally played inside, making it an indoor sport. There are very few differences between softball and baseball, however, here are the main ones.
First, baseball is, primarily, played by boys; softball is, primarily, played by girls. Nothing stops kids from playing either on their own, but leagues have specified genders. Second, innings in softball are shortened to seven; baseball has nine. Lastly, a softball is a third bigger than a baseball.
No Cheating Allowed!
You can imagine the kinds of force that a bat has to handle without breaking, taking several hits in succession. Not to mention the force needed to make a homerun. This has resulted in methods, illegal and unethical methods, of introducing altering the bat for a trampoline effect. However, every company has a certain method of making their bats naturally and if your children play baseball, you should be familiar with what is legal or else your children get an unfair advantage over another player.
If you take a bat and use it many times, the walls of the bat weaken. There is an apparent sweet spot in which the weakened bat adds a trampoline effect to the ball, giving it added travel distance. There are two common methods of adding unfair advantages to a person’ swing: bat rolling and shaving. The ending results of each method are meant to find that perfect spot without using the bat.
Bat rolling is when a bat is placed between a roller and squeezing the walls of the bat. Over time this loosens the stiffness of the barrel walls and in turn, finding that perfect trampoline effect.
Bat shaving is when the cap of a baseball bat is removed and the walls are thinned from the inside. And like above, closing in on the perfect trampoline effect.
However, bat shaving services and rolled baseball bats are not illegal to have, or to have done. If you are partial to Adidas, you can buy shaved Adidas bats for personal use. Nothing is stopping you from taking shaved Adidas bats and knocking a few home runs on your spare time. However, take a few shaved Adidas bats to a recognized league and you may land in hot water.