Torpedo That

I wonder if the Mariners or Royals had opened their season by hitting a whole bunch of homeruns with a different kind of bat how long it would’ve taken the national media to take note. Because the Yankees did it with the so-called bottle bat, baseball fans have been hearing about it 24/7. And— So what? A hot team beat a cold team (the Brewers’ pitching staff gave up fifteen longballs), and one of the cold team’s starters, Nestor Cortes, used to pitch for the hot team, which may be why they knew what to expect. Cortes, who grooved five pitches over two innings, is now on the IL with elbow issues. So, there’s all that to consider. Plus the fact that after sweeping a cold team, the Bronx Bomber have gone 3-4, including yesterday’s 6-2 loss to the Tigers. Those torpedo bats haven’t helped Carlos Rodon much. Rodon’s record slipped to 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA on the season. Oh, and no homeruns for the visiting New Yorkers. Before the torpedo bat with its bulging barrel (one person’s torpedo is another person’s humpback whale, by the way), we had the cupped bat; the maple bat; and the ash bat, to name a few types and fads. And did I mention the bottle bat? Nellie Fox used one in the 1950s and ’60s, and it looked pretty much like a bottle, if more 7-Up than Coke. My point is, different bats work for different players for different reasons. It’s too early to say that the torpedo bat is the wave of the future. Maybe a torpedo bat in hickory…