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Axe Bat Wins Converts, But Has To Overcome Baseball Traditionalists

An Axe Bat (top) vs. a traditional baseball bat. (Tom Banse/Northwest News Network)
An Axe Bat (top) vs. a traditional baseball bat. (Tom Banse/Northwest News Network)

There’s an age-old tension between honoring tradition and embracing innovation. A family-owned sporting goods company in suburban Seattle is confronting that tension in the sport of baseball. Baden Sports of Renton, Washington, is going to market with what it calls a “better” baseball bat.

The traditional round-handled baseball bat has been a fixture on sand lots and in stadiums for 150 years. Back when bats were turned out on a lathe, there was good reason for the symmetrical design. But now computer-guided machine tools can churn out any shape you want.

From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Tom Banse of Northwest News Network reports on the company’s patented Axe Bat.

Reporter

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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