New Britain herald., 1923-07-19
BABES FOUR-PIECE
BAT IS QUESTIONED
Lands May Yet Be Called Upon
to Make Ruling on This Willow

On this page yesterday there was
printed an interesting little story
about Babe Ruth using special bat
given to him by old Sam Crawford.
Today the following special story from
Cleveland adds another interesting an
gle to this little tale:
l. It's His Bat
Cleveland, o., July 19.-Babe Ruth
is sure the original cuss.
When the Babe isn't busy making
home runs he Is pulling something
that will keep Judge Lands and Ban
johnson interested.
In 1921 Ruth made SO home runs.
The lively ball in use was regarded
as the big reason for the Babes re-
markable feat.
If the Babe should come through
this year with a goodly share of cir
cult drives, In all probability an inves-
tigation of the bat he uses will be de-
manded.
On July 2. Ruth started to use a
bat the like of which has never been
seen in the baseball world. Since that
date Ruth has been on a swat spree
that has greatly increased his home
run record.
Rule is of the playing code says
| that the bat used in baseball must
| be round, not over two and three
fourths inches in diameter at the
thickest part nor more than AZ inches
in length and be entirely of hard
wood ....
The bat that Ruth is now using
with such great success Is all that the
rule says and then some. Instead of
being turned out of one piece of wood,
the bat is made of four distinct sec
tions, which are glued together.
This unusual bat is said to be the
outgrowth of an idea advanced by
Sam Crawford, in his day one of the
greatest batsnen the game has ever
produced. The bats are now being
turned out at Whittier, Cal, Craw-
ford being interested in the company
that is making them.
With the ordinary bat there are al
ways parts of the wood that are weak
because of the grain. AS matter of
fact most batsmen so hold the bat
that the grain will always be up when
~ SoiiiSo ihlo NbhtdSb Will LIE Jail.
Crawfords idea does away entirely
with any weakness in the bat The
bat is constructed of four sections of
the very best selected wood, SO that 1t
is uniform throughout. 1t is known
as the "quadrebuilt bat" and the
claim is made that 1t Is many times
stronger than the one-piece affair.
Has Ruth the right to use such a
bat? ..e A.,
Does such a bat conform to the
rules OF baseball?
1t may be necessary for Ban John.
son, Judge Lands and other high
powers of baseball to pass on this
question
The four-piece bat unquestionahly
offers an opportunity for trickery. II
such a bat was loaded at the point
OF contact with a. heavy substance
would 1t cause the ball to travel far
Their?
Would cork center in the bat
make for distance as it has in the
ball?
Constructing the bat of four dis
tinct sections would offer the posi-
bility Of pulling something.
Is glue to be regarded as a foreign
substance?
Crawford sent several of these bats
to Ruth. The Babe is trying them out
and is having unusual success. There
could be no greater ad for a bat than
the fact that Ruth is using it and
making plenty of home runs.
In all probability before many
weeks have passed the 'quadrebuilt
bat" will be as widely discussed as the
shine ball." the emery ball' and
other widely known tricks of the
trade.
Boy, page Judge Lands.