“Going Yard” Bat Blog

When I saw the headline about a prehistoric mammal that used its tail like a baseball bat, I was only mildly tempted to click. I doubted there’d be video, and I figured video would be the best reason to look. But something still made me click it. And I’m glad I did, because had I not, I wouldn’t know that these mammals, called glyptodonts, not used its tail like a bat…it also has a sweet spot!

Long before Hank and the Babe were smacking homers (and also long before Andy Roddick found his 155 mph serve), Glyptodonts figured out the science behind the swing. MSNBC.com’s coverage included an explanation from research Rudermar Ernesto Blanco: The center of percussion is a point where you can deliver a very powerful blow with a baseball bat, a tennis racket, a sword, an axe or any hand-held implement, but the forces against your hands are almost zero.

They look like giant armadillos, so the bat boys would have some trouble keeping things organized. Catchers wouldn’t be safe, and I wouldn’t expect great baserunning speed. But the next time you make good contact, you may want to give a little thanks to these prehistoric creatures.

When this game first caught my eye, I thought it might be the last straw toward my exclamation, “Enough with the video games—go outside!” But since it’s the middle of a thunderstorm and I’ve been trapped in traffic with friends with iPhones quite enough this summer, I realized that the new iPhone game Baseball Slugger: Home Run Race 3D might be just what the iPhone-owning baseball fan might need during some downtime. Since I don’t have an iPhone (at least not yet), I’m relying on this demo:

You can look into plenty of the reviews, but my question is this: Is this a worthy downtime of our favorite pastime, or is it just another game keeping would-be batters indoors?

(And are you worried about ruining your Wii Baseball swing?)

Had you already heard about the response Vernon Wells had for a bunch of hecklers at the beginning of this month? After enough innings of shouts and jeers, the story goes, Wells tossed a ball up to the stands, with a handwritten message:

“Here’s your ball, now please tell me what gas station you work at so I can come and yell at you when you’re working. Please sit down, shut up, and enjoy the game. From your favorite centerfielder, Vernon Wells”

Maybe the fans got under Wells’s skin, but that’s a pretty comedic retort. Poetry it’s not. Billy Chapel’s signed message in For the Love of the Game it’s not. (And while we’re on Costner, it’s also not as good as the note Crash sent Annie in Bull Durham.)

HomerDerby caught up with the hecklers to share their story and posted the interview. Of course, they may not be up to the caliber of the original hecklers, but you can judge for yourself.

 

Of course one of the biggest factors in choosing a baseball bat is finding a comfortable bat. But even once you’ve found your size and made a decision that fits your budget, you still want to feel good when you get to the plate. More importantly, you want to feel good when you make contact. Batting gloves are the best way to cut back on sting. But how much have you thought about why making good contact stings so much? A researcher for Cornell’s “Ask a Scientist” series makes it easy to understand why bats sting your hands.

We’ll have all sorts of cool stuff posted here soon…stay tuned!