Posted by: Jerseyguy (4scoreand7) on Mon Jun 19 09:35:54 2006

Ask anyone who has played the game of baseball and they will tell you that choosing the right baseball bat is essential.

In some instances, it's almost like choosing the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. As a baseball player, when you choose a baseball bat, you're empowering this inanimate object with the trust that it will be there for you when times get tough, just as you will be there for it.

Major League Baseball single season home run champion Barry Bonds made his relationship with his baseball bat worldwide famous when he was caught licking the barrel of the baseball bat.

But just as everyone who has never played the game of baseball thought that image was utterly disgusting, those of us who have played the game understood immensely.

And as a matter of fact, the sight of the home run king taking a lick of his bat probably initiated others to start showing more affection to their lumber mates.

Perry Roth is the assistant coach of the Birmingham Southern College Panthers. In his second stint with the Panthers, Roth is responsible for catchers and hitting instruction. In his career, Roth has coached at BSC (two different occasions), Bradley, Illinois St., Springfield Calvary Academy and his alma mater, Greenville College.

Roth said that it's very easy to tell if a bat is not right for a young hitter.

"If a young kid can hold the bat down by the knob and he can hold it up at shoulder length without any problems, the bat is going to be light enough for him," he said. "It's an individual thing."

Roth is very accurate when he says that choosing a bat is an individual thing, but in order to make sure the bat you choose is as close to being the right bat as possible, here are some extra tips and pointers.

The first area that you would want to look at before choosing a baseball bat would be whether or not you wanted aluminum or wooden.

Aluminum bats are preferred to wooden bats because of their light weight and durability. Aluminum bats also provide hitters with that extra pop that may not be found in a wooden bat. The extra ping that hitters get from aluminum bats is one of the main reasons why professional athletes are not allowed to use aluminum bats

With the aluminum bat being much lighter than the wooden bat, a professional athlete would be able to generate more power in his swing thereby putting the fielders in danger of being struck by a blazing line drive.

Once the hitter has determined which baseball bat he would like to use (most hitters prefer the aluminum over the wooden), it's now time to decide what size of bat they would like to use.

The good thing about a wooden bat is that it can pretty much be made to any size and length that the hitter would want it to be.

For example, if a hitter wanted a 34 inch bat that weighed 34 ounces all he would have to do is get it made and bring it up to the plate.

But for aluminum bats, there is a length-weight ratio that all bats must follow.

For safety reasons, college and high school athletes can only use bats that have a -3 ratio, or 34 inches long and weighs no less than 31 ounces. For little leaguers, the ratio drops down to -12.

But the most important thing to remember when choosing a bat is to make sure you swing it and see how it feels in your arms. Get to know the bat and choose the one that feels best in your hands.
Check out other great baseball tips at:
http://sports.expertvillage.com/interviews/baseball-hitting-catching.htm