Axe Bat Wins Converts, But Has To Overcome Baseball Traditionalists

There's an age-old tension between honoring tradition and embracing innovation. A family-owned sporting goods company in suburban Seattle is confronting that tension in the sport of baseball. Baden Sports of Renton, Washington, is going to market with what it calls a "better" baseball bat.

The traditional round-handled baseball bat has been a fixture on sand lots and in stadiums for 150 years. Back when bats were turned out on a lathe, there was good reason for the symmetrical design. But now computer-guided machine tools can churn out any shape you want.

From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Tom Banse of Northwest News Network reports on the company's patented Axe Bat.