7 Equipment Breakthroughs That Shook Up Sports

• sports
• engineering
• physics
• baseball
• golf
• racing
• bicycles
• skiing

Aluminum Baseball Bats

Wrap your brain around this bit of baseball trivia: Babe Ruth could have played with a metal bat. The patent for the first non-wooden bat was issued to a man named William Shroyer way back in 1924. However, it wasn't until the 1970s that the first commercially available aluminum bats were introduced by Worth. While the bats were initially touted for their unbreakable durability, it quickly became apparent that they also provided awesome power. Professional baseball rules, in both the majors and the minor leagues, prevent the use of anything but one-piece wooden bats. However, aluminum bats are allowed in amateur play, even in Division I-A, where the top players are pro-caliber prospects. Scouts worry that these high-tech bats encourage bad habits in pitchers and hitters alike. In continuing to regulate bat construction, NCAA officials worry that line drives rocketing back at a defenseless pitcher as fast as 114 mph could be a tragedy waiting to happen.

CLICK FOR MORE 7 Equipment Breakthroughs That Shook Up Sports
Aluminum Baseball Bats	Oversize Tennis Rackets	The Belly Putter	Winged Race Cars
Aero Time-Trial Bikes	Shaped Skis	Next-Gen Swim Suit

Comment Title
Your Name
Email Address
Website	make public
Comment
Please enter the characters shown below:
	Make sure your comment is relevant to the topic discussed. Comments not relevant to the topic will be deleted. Neither you nor Popular Mechanics has the ability to make your e-mail address public. However, we ask that you submit your e-mail address to us just in case we need to contact you. Thank you for your understanding--The Editors.