The Maple Bat vs. Baseball Players and Fans: Which Will Last Longer?
Sunday, July 27th, 2008
Tracing its origin as far back as 16th Century England, “Townball” was a game involving 20 to 30 boys in a field attempting to catch a ball hit by a “tosser”. The tosser used a four-inch bat with a tapered handle. The bat was designed to improve leverage and control for the tosser. Although unconfirmed, baseball folklore believes this is the beginning of the baseball bat.
The baseball bat evolved during the 19th Century, but there were very few limitations imposed upon the instrument. 1884, however, marked the beginning of the wood baseball bat business when a woodworker and his father teamed up with a Louisville player who had just broken his favorite bat. After providing the player, Pete Browning, with a custom baseball bat made of white ash, the Hillerich family’s baseball bat business began and the official Louisville Slugger was born.
Without dispute, baseball bats are big business. Even with 100 years of evolution, wood baseball bats used today in Major League Baseball are similar to the ones used by Honus Wagner (the first player to autograph a Louisville Slugger for money). Even metal and aluminum bats, first patented in 1924, never made a debut in MLB. (more…)
