USDA Goes to Bat For Major League Baseball Fewer splinters are - TopicsExpress



          

USDA Goes to Bat For Major League Baseball Fewer splinters are flying at Major League Baseball (MLB) stadiums around the country in recent seasons, thanks to innovative research conducted by USDA’s U.S. Forest Service. MLB sought assistance from the Forest Service and funded research conducted by the Forest Products Laboratory in response to a rash of broken bat incidents in recent years that endangered the safety of players and spectators. The increase in broken and shattered bats coincided with a shift in baseball to the use of more maple bats. The research team found that inconsistency of wood quality was the main cause of broken bats. Also, low-density maple bats were found to crack and shatter more often than ash bats or higher-density maple bats. Manufacturing changes to the bats were established as a result. The rate of shattered maple bats decreased by more than 50 percent since 2008. “I’m proud that our collective ‘wood grain trust’ made recommendations resulting in a significant drop in shattered bats, making the game safer for players as well as fans,” said Tom Tidwell, U.S. Forest Service Chief.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 12:36:22 +0000

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