Banning aluminum bats…turning back the clock on technology?

Everyone always wants the hottest, greatest bat around. Everyone wants to be the team superstar, the homerun hitter. More and more kids and adults alike spend hundreds, even thousands to get their hands on the hottest new stick. Technology is a beautiful thing! With the right hitter (or with high tech bats even average joe), a ball can travel 500+ feet speeding off the bat at over 100+ miles per hour. Wow, I know when I’m up to bat, I want every advantage. Well,  apparently NYC has banned these aluminum powerhouses from High School games. The new wood only rule applies to high school games played in the city and people are in an uproar! I have to say, I have given this alot of thought and many have gotten into this conversation with many of my customers. From a manufacturer’s standpoint, it would be disastrous. Easton has already threatened suit against the city for passing the rule.   They would lose SOOOOO much money. As a sporting goods retailer, I must assume that the manufacturers are making hefty margins on their products because I know that they are definitely NOT passing any of the profit onto their dealers.   From a dealers point of view, it would be great for us. We have to lay out A LOT of cash up front in inventory. I would much rather stock a whole shop of $60 wood bats instead of $300 aluminum bats that are outdated after one season! I would definitely SUPPORT a ban on aluminum bats.

Another very important point:   look at the Majors and the Minors…no aluminum used there! Wood separates the men from the boys (so to speak). Please…give me your thoughts. I would love to hear them. I know this may seem extreme, but financially, players will spend about the same, but players will be safer. Most kids can’t hit the ball to save their lives, let them learn proper mechanics with the wood, just like the old days!

Keep the kids safe…baseball should be fun, not scary in the field!

WOMEN CAN DO ANYTHING MEN CAN!!

So I am sitting here typing this blog staring at an assortment of <a href=”http://battersboxonine.com”jock straps!! Not exactly what I pictured myself doing at 29 years old. How often do you walk into a sports store and find two attractive women running it. I bet you you haven’t! We are a rarity in this business. It actually works out great for us! The men like to look at us and the women like our help because we really take the time to help them.

It is actually a great conversation starter. No one ever guessed that the two of us would run a chain of baseball stores! At my highschool reunion people almost died when they heard. NOT HEATHER THE CHEERLEADER THAT NEVER PICKED UP A BASEBALL IN HER LIFE!!

Well guess what, we may have never played baseball but we can sell the hell out of a bat!! We do watch baseball games, so what we don’t know the score, We can sure tell you every last piece of equipment the players are wearing!!

Ebay…really brings out the “dumb” in people!

Wow, we love . We are Powerseller on ebay and 9 out of 10 sales work out perfectly for all parties involved. Ok…today we get a call from a lady who “mistakenly” bid and won a bat on Ebay. I heard the sob story…and of course, it is never the bidder’s fault. This lady, with no feedback, who has never bid before, insists for 10 minutes, that the item she won was not was she wanted…blah…blah…blah…..

People!!!! Please read thoroughly before you bid!!!! Negative feedback sucks for everyone.

Jen’s Jock Strap Diaries

Ok, this guy (John) calls the shop today and asks to check stock on an item. He wants a jock strap, but he wants a triple xxxl size with a men’s xxxl cup. Whoa I say. Who is this giant man that all the ladies must be waiting in line for? So we wait for “Giant John) to show up for his 3xl cup and jock. Sure enough, he shows…this guy walks in, and we don’t think twice about it. He is 5′2″ barely 100lbs sopping wet. He comes up to the counter, and says he is John and came to pick up his jock. It was REALLY hard not to laugh. Turns out, “BIG” John really needed a teen size cup. His face turned BEET RED!

We never saw Big John again. I wonder if he wears size 14 cleats?

Ryan’s Rants

It’s coming down to the final stretch of the 2007 MLB season and the Yankees are trying to find a way into the postseason. Early on, the Yankees struggled, it got to a point where they had no idea who would be starting the very next game. Well now they have seemed to fill in their gaps and are breathing down the Red Sox’s backs. Currently, they are 5 games back from the Sox, which at one point the lead on the Yanks was more than 10 games. They are also 1.5 games back from the Mariners, who somehow, someway have maintained a respectable record despite having no pitchers. This September will decide everything… who will take the AL East division? Furthermore, who will capture the AL Wildcard? Hopefully the Yankees can pull it out down the stretch and work towards yet another championship.

Right now the Yankees seem to have a steady 5-man rotation of Wang, Pettitte, Mussina, Clemens, and the rookie phenom Phil Hughes. Everyone is clicking, hitting and pitching well. Alex Rodriguez recently hit his 40th home run of the season, extending his lead for AL MVP.

I think that the Yankees’ recent move of bringing up pitcher, Joba Chamberlain was the best move they’ve made this season. Unfortunately, Joba is really a starting pitcher and the only spot they have for him at the moment is in relief. He has dominant stuff, averaging almost 2 strikeouts an inning on opposing hitters. I really hope he can take over as the future closer, replacing the best closer of all time, Mariano Rivera. Some people disagree with making Joba the future closer because he can be such a great starting pitcher down the road, which makes sense, but with prospect Ian Kennedy working hard in the minors, it may work out better if the Yanks transform Joba into the next best closer the big leagues have ever seen.

MIZUNO PRETTY IN PINK JENNY FINCH LINE!!

Finally somebody came out with some cute softball wear!! Pink it the new fad in softball gear this season. Everybody seems to have jumped on the Pink bandwagon. Wilson, Rawlings and Mizuno

Mizuno has enlisted the help of all star softball player Jenny Finch to come up with super stylish athletic gear!

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Her new line of clothing is great for not only on the field but it can be included in your everyday gear. I personally saw the line today for the first times. The line is in limited edition so get it while you can. They are set to hit shelfs around December.They have everything from stretch pants, mesh tops, shorts , and collared shirts. They have the cutest jacket and pants sets. I love them because , I can wear them to the gym and then go straight to work!! How much gym clothes do you have that are actually functional in the real world!! They also look great on the body.

Stores should be selling them soon. So look out for it and get it while you can!!

BASEBALL PICK OF THE DAY!!! RAWLINGS PLASMA GOLD LIQUIDMETAL

he Rawlings 2008 Plasma Gold Liquidmetal features Rawlings Liquid metal Gold Barrel Technology which contains 15% more liquidmetal for even greater pure energy transfer. This technology provides a super spring material with twice the strength of titanium and industry leading precision balance for great bat speed.

Another unique feature of the bat is it’s completely new, ultra tough end plug. Extensive testing has shown this end plug can withstand direct impacts of up to 105 miles per hour. In addition, the new Low Rider profile reduces damage due to miss-hits off the end. The Plasma Gold Liquid Metal bat also features a premium synthetic leather grip for ultimate control, feel and comfort.

Pigskin vs. cowhide????

We are often asked what baseball gloves are made of….who knows? Some are made of cheap vinyl, that will NEVER break in. They are typically sold at K-mart and Wal-Mart. They are a good choice for beginners or for Little Timmy’s backyard tossing with the neighborhood kids. Try Pigskin…Woah, who would take the skin of a pig and make a glove out of it? Don’t they make footballs out of pigskin? Well, yep, you can make a glove out of pigskin and actually it feels GREAT!!!! For a kid or a beginner, there is nothing like a super soft pigskin glove. Most major brands have very nice lines of Pigskin gloves for kids and adults alike. They break in fast usually with a day or two and most are under $50 so the price is right! OK, OK…sounds ideal right? Well, of course there is a catch. Pigskin gloves don’t last very long. Derek Jeter wouldn’t use one. A 98mph fastball would rip right through that sucker! Pigskin is great, but any accomplished player should move up one more step to cowhide, kangaroo, or Buffulo

Ok…now we get into steerhide. Sounds like a Texas steakhouse in here! Believe it or not, I am a 31 year old very girly south floridian, not a cattle rancher!

There are MANY different grades of leather, as you may know, and there are many different grades of gloves. Base steerhide can make a nice glove, but it could be very hard and tough to break in. They won’t typically break the bank, costing anywhere from $20 and up. This is great for a beginner. Better players would choose a better quality glove, ranging in cost from $50 and up. Better leather, more choice of style and color, and better longevity are all great reasons to spend a few extra bucks.

Now, if you are making millions in the big show or just need to have the latest and greatest, then top of the line is for you. Every company has gloves to meet your needs. Beautiful top of the line steerhide, buffalo hide and kangaroo gloves are pro stock, limited edition models that will carry you for all of your baseball needs. This is one to pass down to the grandkids. Most are not oil treated, but the leather is so good that you usually don’t need much treatment. It will last you forever. Remember though, this is the best of the best and diamonds don’t come cheap…plan on spending upwards of $200-$500 for the absolute pro glove! But hey, aren’t you worth it?

Well, hope this helps…cows, pigs, kangaroos? Nope, we’re not in a zoo…we’re on the field, playing America’s favorite game. Battersboxonline has great stuff to check out!