Baseball Physics

CNBC (Oct. 18) -- Dove Tail Bats, made by a former carpenter out of birch and maple, are becoming popular with Major League Baseball players. Not everyone agrees that the wood a bat maker uses creates a significantly different experience. “The differences among different players is far greater than the differences in the bats that they use in terms of their performance," says Alan M. Nathan, a professor emeritus of physics at Illinois. "More importantly than the type of wood probably is simply the way the bat feels in their hands, and the way the bat feels as you’re trying to swing it.”  Also: MLB.com (Oct. 23), NBC Sports Chicago (Oct. 24), Reuters (Oct. 25)