Baseball Bats for the Professional and AmateurWritten by Ken Austin
From time small children are old enough to hold a baseball bat many have longed to be part of great American pastime. Baseball bats have been around ever since game was created and there are baseball museums that have collections of baseball bats owned and used by famous players. When kids first start to play game of baseball they use a plastic bat. There are plastic baseball bats made today for youngest of ballplayers and some even have baseball teams or players names on them. As children get older and more serious about game they find there are choices to be made about which bat to buy. Baseball bats come in many widths, lengths and materials. A heavier bat gives ball more momentum but a heavier bat also means a less speedy swing. Bats that are made from graphite or aluminum hit balls farther than baseball bats made from wood. Players endorse baseball bats and many have their names on them. Baseball team logos are also represented on baseball bats. When aluminum bats were first introduced in 1970's, batting averages rose 30 points and home run hits doubled. In Major Leagues batters now use wooden bats instead of baseball bats made from lighter materials. They could change to baseball bats made from aluminum or a lighter material but it would significantly change home runs hit today and traditional records and baseball legends would not seem as important.
| | Could Baseball Ever Return to the City of Saints?Written by Terry Mitchell
It became official on September 29, 2004 - Major League Baseball's run in Montreal was coming to an end after 36 seasons. On that day, announcement was made that Montreal Expos were moving to Washington, D.C., beginning with 2005 season. This came as no surprise to anyone who follows baseball, as this inevitable move had been in making for at least 10 years. Let's take a look back at history of baseball's fall from grace in Montreal. The decline began after 1994 season. That was season in which Montreal had best record in baseball and was headed for only their second postseason appearance in club's history. Then, in early August, disaster struck. It came in form of a season-ending players' strike. The hopes of fans in Montreal for Expos' first World Series title were dashed. The Expos deserved better. Their accomplishments during 1994 season had gone for naught. Following that 1994 debacle, The Expos' ownership group began to trade away and sell off franchise's star players. As result, Expos began to drop in standings and never regained their 1994 level of glory. In response, disappointed fans in Montreal began to stay away from Olympic Stadium in droves. Attendance at Expos games dropped precipitously. By 1998, things had really started on go south (no pun intended). That season, vultures had begun to circle Expos. Correlating with drop in attendance since 1994 strike, team was bleeding red ink, according to its owners. Its ownership group, led by Canadian businessman Claude Brochu, wanted out of Olympic Stadium and had given Montreal and province of Quebec one last chance to agree to build Expos a new, publicly financed downtown stadium. Brochu said team would have to be sold and possibly moved if he couldn’t get new stadium. It was even rumored that that one of potential owners from Washington, D.C. or Northern Virginia has entered into informal negotiations with Brochu. As 1998 season was winding down, all of Expos’ requests for stadium financing deals were rejected. It looked like jig was up for Expos in Montreal and that they would be leaving for either D.C. or Northern Virginia in time for 1999 season. However, enter New York art dealer Jeffrey Loria to save day in Montreal. Loria made an offer to become majority owner of Expos, keep them in Montreal, and be proactive in acquiring necessary land, seeking sponsors, and getting a stadium deal done. MLB owners, eager to keep team in Montreal, urged Brochu and company to sell majority of their interest in Expos to Loria, instead of selling out to interests in D.C. or Northern Virginia. Loria's bid succeeded and he became majority owner of Expos, prior to 1999 season. For a couple of years, all seemed well in Montreal. Loria eventually bought out interests of other owners. However, once he did this, things quickly turned sour again. When he agreed to buy team, he had taken out an option to buy some choice (and rare) unoccupied land in downtown Montreal for site of new stadium. In late 2000, however, that option expired without Loria ever having exercised it. By 2001, that land had been snatched up by someone else for some other type of development. The Expos were left with no place to build a stadium and soon it appeared that Loria never really intended to build one. The man who had been seen as Expos’ savior just two years earlier had now become demonized in Montreal. The perception in Montreal was that Loria had just wanted to buy team in order to eventually resell it at a hefty profit and that this art dealer with no connections to Montreal cared nothing about city or Expos' fans. During 2001 season, MLB owners began to seriously discuss idea of contracting, i.e., buying out and disbanding, two teams. Montreal and Minnesota, which had also failed to get public financing for a new stadium, were obvious choices. When Commissioner Bud Selig and owners attempted to contract these two teams at end of 2001 season, city of Minneapolis sued MLB to force them to honor one remaining year on Twins’ contract with Metrodome. The suit eventually went to arbitration but could not be settled prior to 2002 season, so Twins had to stay around at least one more season. Unable to contract just one team, MLB was forced to keep Expos intact for another season as well. Before 2002 season started, MLB played a little game of musical owners: Florida Marlins’ owner John Henry become majority owner of Boston Red Sox, which had been up for sale; Loria, who had been wanting out of Montreal (for obvious reasons), bought Marlins; and remaining 29 owners bought Expos, thinking that they would only have to keep them for one season before contracting them.
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