Robert Orlandini is a veteran writer and editor with 20 years' experience. He started his career as a sports writer with the "Tribune-Star" daily newspaper in Terre Haute, Ind., and has since written and edited several daily, weekly and niche publications as well as several online publications.
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Baseball TipsOverview
Nothing says summer like the "thwack!" of a solid wooden baseball bat making contact with the ball. While youths tend to use aluminum models, major leaguers are required to use wooden bats. Today, all wooden baseball bats have many of the same characteristics, but that wasn't always the case.
Experimentation
Early baseball players tried many variations of the wooden baseball bat. The 1850s was a time with few rules, and bats could be fat or thin, light or heavy, long or short.
Laying Down the Law
By 1869, rules stated that baseball bats could up to 42 inches long with a diameter of 2.5 inches. Flat bats were still acceptable.
King of the Bats
The one name synonymous with wooden baseball bats is "Louisville Slugger," which first appeared in 1884. The first Louisville Slugger was a gift to a player who had broken his bat.
Sign Here, Please
Pittsburgh's Honus Wagner became the first baseball star to "autograph" the famous Louisville Sluggers. Those bats bearing his burned-in signature appeared shortly after the turn of the twentieth century.
Wood of Choice
White Ash is the usual choice of wood for a baseball bat. However, some players, including home run king Barry Bonds, use maple in their wooden baseball bats.
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