For our 20th anniversary of wood, I experience a memory. I started playing guitar when I was 5. I stopped when I was 7 for a of reasons, of which was sports and baseball. Baseball, as any lover of the game knows, also has wood. And perhaps as you remember, I love wood.

Many bats today are painted or dyed. Most are finished with shellac or poly. Baseball has been undergoing a revolution in the last decade with the arrival of Maple bats. Traditionally bats were made of Ash. But Maple is harder than Ash, and so creates a higher exit velocity. In addition, due to a parasite, the North American Ash tree is on the way to extinction, so bats will need to be made of different wood. I'm not sure how widespread it is, but ...

Bamboo. In the rack at my (not to be mentioned) sporting goods store, the knob of the bat had a small green sticker saying "bamboo". It caught my eye, as did, almost simultaneously, this bat has no finish on it. Pure wood. The second I put it in my hand I liked it, and it didn't take more than 20 seconds for me to decide to buy it. Bats can go for above $200, and this went for $69 - plus a coupon I had received for % due buying a $7 baseball minutes before - kismet, I suppose.

My new bat. It is now the second one I grab and swing with in my great room. I don't play ball anymore, but the feel of the bat is beckoning. The grain is very thick, very coarse. It feels like sanded pine, but again, the grain itself is more open, feeling like Pine only sanded with #60 paper. it is porous - can feel the pores in the wood. It almost grabs your hand back as you hold it. Calls you back after putting it down -- always a good trait. Again, no research, but it also feels more dense than current maple bats -- the head is heavier and has more feel.

Great bat. Great wood.

Good wood.

Thanks for all your visits on this 20th anniversary.

tgd