Care for wooden baseball bats has become less routine, because baseball leagues, except the major leagues, are using mostly aluminum bats. Only the major leagues are required to use wooden bats.

Aluminum bats are lighter and therefore provide increased bat speed. College, High School and Youth leagues are using aluminum bats. Recently, some Youth and High School leagues have gone back to using wooden bats for safety reasons.

If you are using a wooden bat, here are a few things you should do to keep your bat clean and ready for play:

• It is important to clean your bat after use, especially, if you use pine tar on your handle.

• Generally, rubbing alcohol will clean the bat and remove the tar. Use a soft cloth and plenty of rubbing alcohol to wipe the bat from top to bottom. Wipe the handle several times to remove all th pine tar and other dirt.

• To smooth out rough spots on the bat, try rubbing it with another bat.

• Store the bat with handle up in a dry place.

• Wipe your bat with alcohol every day, especially if the handle is immersed in pine tar. Alcohol cleans the bat and prevents tar and dirt buildup.

•  Keep the bat away from damp areas. Try not to expose it to wet substances and/or surfaces. If the bat does get wet, dry it immediately with a soft cloth and rub it with linseed oil.

•  Rub the bat with a smooth piece of bone or another wooden bat. Use hard strokes, as if you were using sandpaper, and keep rubbing for about 5 minutes or until the bat's surface appears to be smooth.

By Jason Gluckman

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