My Latest Posts
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- Who is Bennie?
Bennie the Talking Ball is the central character in my book, Bennie is a ROMLB (Rawlings Official Major League Baseball) baseball. In this story, he’s going to break down a big league game from his perspective. Cute, and slightly humorous. Sure to be a Home Run for baseball fans. A Ball’s Game: The Ball Talks . Available at: https://www.Barnesandnoble.com/w/a-balls-game-stefan-mathis/1139977603. C ya next time.
- My weight… not yours
As a professional baseball I weigh 5.25 ounces or 5 1/4 oz for those of you who like fractions. Most non professional balls (college, youth, high school, etc) use balls weighing 5 ounces. Don’t want to strain your arm with that extra .25 of an ounce. If you divide 16 ounces (1 pound) by 5.25, you will get 3.04. So basically 3. 3 baseballs equal 1 pound. Multiply your weight by 3 to get how much you weigh in baseballs. Example: 100 pound person weighs 300 baseballs (100 x 3). C ya next time
- The Weight continues
A baseball gets its ” heaviness ” from three things. A small rubber ball center, string, and cowhide cover. The rubber ball center, known as the “pill” or “heart” weighs 1.25 ounces. String weighs 3.25- 3.50 ounces. String is called yarn by those of us who are baseball experts. Sometimes. Just kidding. And finally a cowhide cover weighing 0.5 ounces. That’s 1/2 an ounce for people good at math. C ya next time
- I’m not fat!
Circumference is how big around you are. C-i-r is first letters of circle and circumference. I wonder if there related? Fact: My circumference is 9.25 inches. In other words, that’s my waist, or hat size. I bet I’d look good in a hat. C ya next time.
- As tall as wide
Fact. A baseball is 2.96 inches wide, or tall, depending on how you hold it. Since .04 of an inch is such a small number, we’re going to say a baseball is 3 inches wide(or tall). A foot is 12 inches long. Meaning there are 4 baseballs per foot (12 inches ÷3 inches). Multiply 4 x # of feet , to get how many baseballs tall an object is. Example – If I were 5 feet tall, I’d be 20 baseballs tall (4×5=20). I’m 5’9 inches (4×5=20, and 9″÷3″= 3) for total of 23 baseballs tall. Try to figure out your height. The same formula (4x ???) also works for distance. Just be sure to use a distance in feet. Isn’t height (tall), so much better than weight? C ya next time.
- Outside In…
Fact. When you look at me, what’s the first thing you see? The word “Rawlings” across my beautiful white leather cover. Cuse’ me sir, you’re holding me upside down. My leather cover comes from cattle raised in Texas, Oklahoma, and Colorado. My cover is then tanned (dried, not the color) and bleached (this is color –white) in Tullahoma, Tennessee. “C ya next time”.
- Quick, I need stitches!
Fact. The cover on a baseball is shaped like the # 8. A baseball has 108 double stitches. It takes 7 feet, 6inches of red waxed twine to keep the cover attached. C ya next time.
- Dirty dozen…
Fact. Twelve (12) Major League baseballs per week are torn down and inspected for compliance at the Rawlings factory in Costa Rica. Rarely does a ball fail inspection. “Torn baseballs, Oh, the indignity. Handcrafted baseballs should never be subjected to such humiliation”. C ya next time.
- Tattoo?…
All baseballs, EXCEPT MLB ball’s must have the country they were made in tattooed (stamped) on their cover. This is part of a US trade agreement. You will never find the words ” Costa Rica” stamped on a ball. All that extra ink would probably make the balls too heavy for major leaguers. C ya next time.
- Dirty face
Fact. Right out of the box, balls are considered too slick to play with. To remove this slickness balls are rubbed with a very fine unique mud. Every major and minor league game used ball for the last 90 years has been rubbed with this mud. The mud comes from the Delaware River. C ya next time.
- Timm…berr!
Fact. It takes 40,000 trees to make one seasons worth of bats for the Louisville Slugger company. C ya next time.
- Big Bat…
Fact. The largest baseball bat in the world is 120 feet tall! It stands outside the Louisville Slugger factory and museum in Louisville KY. Only two people are big enough to swing this bat, the Jolly Green Giant, and Paul Bunyan. Wait, is Paul Bunyan still alive? C ya next time
- Big bat. Pt 2
Despite making the most famous wood bats in the world, the giant Babe Ruth replica bat outside the Louisville Slugger factory is hollow and made of metal. The bat weighs 68,000 pounds. It would hold 30,000 gallons of your favorite liquid. That should be enough to get thru one baseball season. “Mountain Dew” for me, please. C ya next time
- And, no syrup…
Fact. Bats made of Maple wood are used by 80% of Major League players. C ya next time.
- Not enough choices…
Fact. There are only 5,000 models of Louisville Sluggers that a professional baseball player can choose from. All 5,000 have some variation from any other bat. C ya next time
- The Real Deal…
Fact. Every professional baseball bat made by Louisville Slugger has the word ” genuine” stamped on it. The word, only appears on bats made after 1976. C ya next time.
- Mr. 714
Fact. During his career, Babe Ruth used a bat weighing between 42-44 ounces. Today’s sluggers use bats weighing between 32-35 ounces. With a little bit lighter bat, I wonder how many home runs Ruth could have hit. Hmmm… C ya next time.
- That’s heavy…man!
Fact. The heaviest bat ever used in the Major Leagues was 48 ounces (3 pounds). Edd Roush used a bat weight for 18 years. Could he hit? He’s in the Hall of Fame. C ya next time.
- Lots of wood…
Fact. Players today go through as many as six or seven dozen bats in a season. (6×12) 72. (7×12) 84. C ya next time.
- That’s the breaks…
Fact. Edd Roush NEVER broke a bat in 18 Major League seasons. C ya next time.
- Not leftovers, again…
Fact. Joe Sewell used the SAME bat for 14 Major League seasons. He named the bat,”Black Betsy”. And, you guessed it. He’s in the Hall of Fame. C ya next time.
- Too fast…
Fact. A baseball can be hit further and faster with a metal bat than a wood one. In an effort to keep pitchers from getting line drived so often, pro players only use wood bats. C ya next time.
- Flying Dutchman…
Fact. In 1905, Honus Wagner signed a contract to produce the 1st bat with a player’s signature, the Louisville Slugger, becoming the first sportsperson to endorse a commercial product. C ya next time.
- Sign me up….
Fact. Since 1905 over 10,000 Major League players have signed a contract to use Louisville Slugger bats. C ya next time.
- Sultan of Swat
Babe Ruth, maybe you’ve heard of him, was the 1st player to hit 25 home runs in one season. The year was 1919. By this time, the game of baseball is about 80 years old. C ya next time.
- Who is Bennie?
Bennie the Talking Ball is the central character in my book, Bennie is a ROMLB (Rawlings Official Major League Baseball) baseball. In this story, he’s going to break down a big league game from his perspective. Cute, and slightly humorous. Sure to be a Home Run for baseball fans. A Ball’s Game: The Ball Talks . Available at: https://www.benniethetalkingbaseball.com
- One Stop Shopping
Everything pertaining to my book about a talking baseball at a big league game can be found at:
http://www.benniethetalkingbaseball.com
A Ball’s Game The Ball Talks (professional cover) or A Ball’s Game (self published cover) is available in print, audiobook and free digital download. Also, don’t miss my fun baseball facts from the ball’s point of view:
http://www.benniethetalkingbaseball.com
- Fun Baseball Facts
Below you’ll find my baseball facts from the ball’s point of view. But, first there are a few commercial announcements for my book about a talking baseball at a big league game. Check out the book and facts. Enjoy.
A Ball's Game 