Before the torpedo bat: History of experiments, revolutions

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So often in recent years, baseballs have been the subject of controversy. How tightly are they wound? What is the height of their seams? What's inside them that might determine how far they fly? What has been slathered onto them that might impact how slick they are?

In that sense, the sudden furor over so-called torpedo bats is refreshing. At least, for once, we're arguing and conspiracy-theorizing about a different piece of equipment.

But torpedo bats are simply an iteration in the art of bat-making, a practice that has been evolving since the day some long-gone hominid first swatted at a round stone with a stick they found lying on the ground.

In that spirit, let's take a…