# Corked bats and Pete Rose possibly lame **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 23, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820 "2003-06-23T17:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Muldoon\_s\_Squishiness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/13edae/32.png) [@Muldoon\_s\_Squishiness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muldoon_s_Squishiness)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/1 "2003-06-23T17:46:28Z")
In addition to being a homophobe, an inveterate gambler and a liar, “_Charlie Hustle_” himself, Pete Rose, used corked bats in his last few years while desperately pursuing Ty Cobbs mark of most alltime hits. This according to a friend of Rose. Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be a way to take more luster off, something new comes up. I find it disturbing that this wasn’t picked up by the national media while they were busy cruicifying Sosa a few weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/2 "2003-06-23T19:37:48Z")
Of course, SAMMY SOSA USING A CORKED BAT is a headline that constitutes significant news, because it’s **surprising.** It’s real news - whoa, look at this! Sosa cheating! Now, contrast that with this selection of headlines of roughly equal novelty: **Rose Cheated, Claims Witness Vatican Sources Reveal Pope “Probably Catholic” Zoologists Discover Bears Defecate In Wooded Areas MIT Study: Two And Two Equal Four Sun Rises In East For 1,537,416,298,773rd Consecutive Day** I mean, are YOU surprised Rose was a stinkin’ cheater? Me neither. ---
**Author:** ![Blunt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Blunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blunt)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/3 "2003-06-24T02:16:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BogieBlanca \* > \*\*I find it disturbing that this wasn’t picked up by the national media while they were busy cruicifying Sosa a few weeks ago. \*\* I think the big difference here is that Sosa’s bat broke in a game, leaving undeniable proof that he was using a corked bat. Accusations by one of Rose’s “friends” of course proves nothing. Also, even if Rose was corking his bat, it would have happened almost 20 years ago. Sosa’s incident was reported as it happened and events unfolded. ---
**Author:** ![Crunchy\_Frog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ebca7d/32.png) [@Crunchy\_Frog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crunchy_Frog)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/4 "2003-06-24T03:04:01Z")
I just had to hop in and say Rose using a corked bat just doesn’t make sense to me. The cork is supposed to make the bat lighter, generating more bat speed during the swing which equals more power. Rose was never a power hitter, so how much bat speed would he need to generate singles anyway? ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/5 "2003-06-24T03:11:24Z")
I would think just the opposite, actually, **Crunchy Frog.** More bat speed means you can get to more pitches, and maybe get the fatter part of the bat on that inside pitch to force it over the infield. I’m not anything near a physics expert, so I wouldn’t be shocked if I’m wrong, but a lighter bat makes more sense to a singles hitter than a power hitter, in my opinion. I would think that if you want to hit something far, you’d want to do it with a heavier object. Then again, people still cork bats to hit home runs, so what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayfield_St.Cloud)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/6 "2003-06-24T11:07:10Z")
I gotta say that what **Jimmy Chitwood** said makes sense to me. Maybe this should have gone in GQ so that someone more knowledgeable in physics might wander by and explain it to me. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/7 "2003-06-24T11:44:16Z")
Still, he’s never run around with the most savory of people. Who is his friend? Another inveterate gambler? A con? A porn king? I’m just saying the person’s credibility may not be all that wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/8 "2003-06-24T12:31:26Z")
The big cheater. And what about those other cheaters? Like [Gayord Perry, Tom Sutton, Ty Cobb, Nolan Ryan, maury Wills and Whitey Ford?](http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/baseball/20030609-9999_z1s9cheats.html) Quote Leo Durocher: > [@](#): > > Putting his foot in the way of a baserunner was simply part of Hall of Famer Leo Durocher’s game. Said he: “I’d trip my mother. I’ll help her up, brush her off, tell her I’m sorry. But mother don’t make it to third.” And Frank Robinson: > [@](#): > > “Some of that stuff might be against the rules or against some code, but none of it is against the law,” Frank Robinson told the Miami Herald last year. “There’s nothing wrong with trying to find an edge. That’s smart. That’s not cheating.” Baseball is NOT a gentleman’s game and it never has been. As Ty Cobb said, it’s “something like a war”. Someone else said (but I don’t know who) “if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying”. BTW, can anyone cite any evidence that corked bat actually _helps_? I mean evidence, not that players use it. Turk Wendell thought the number 9 helped him. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/9 "2003-06-24T13:16:24Z")
[A brief interview](http://www.ajprint.net/archive_authors/canfield/interview.html) with Robert Adair, one time official physicist of MLB. His opinion: it may help singles hitters very marginally. Whatever other benefits there might be are mainly psychological. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/10 "2003-06-24T13:35:34Z")
Thanks, **Jonathan**! I suspected as much. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/11 "2003-06-24T13:47:38Z")
I’ve got his ‘Physics of Baseball’ book. It’s complicated. And I took one hell of a lot of physics and math in college and it’s STILL complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayfield_St.Cloud)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/12 "2003-06-24T15:32:55Z")
Thanks, **Jonathan Chance**. It doesn’t sound like the cork gives any real advantage, particularly in hitting the long ball. Apparently, some baseball players still believe that it does, otherwise why would Sammy Sosa have kept a corked bat around to “put on a show” during batting practice? Looks like there’s some Major League superstition and ignorance there that needs Cecil’s attention. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/13 "2003-06-24T15:37:17Z")
Are you kidding? **SOME?** These maroon’s are as superstitious as anyone you’ll ever meet. They’ll believe just about anything anyone who’s ‘made’ (i.e. inside MLB) will tell them is ‘handed down wisdom’. Don’t even get me started on the myth of Batting Average. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/14 "2003-06-24T15:44:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > **… Tom Sutton** Good ol’ Tom Sutton. Whatever became of him? Oh yeah. He changed his name to Don and was never heard from again! ---
**Author:** ![Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayfield_St.Cloud)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/15 "2003-06-24T16:13:35Z")
OK, **Jonathon** , I’ll bite. What do you mean by the myth of Batting Average? Agree on the superstitious nature of baseball players. I think it extends to a lot of top-level athletes. I know I’ve heard stories of pro football players clinging to various rituals and disgusting articles of clothing in the belief that they “bring luck”. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/16 "2003-06-24T16:22:16Z")
I think he means that batting average isn’t the be-all, end-all of Important Stats, although many seem to feel so. To get a better idea of a batter’s worth, one should look more at runs produced and OPS. ---
**Author:** ![Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayfield_St.Cloud)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/17 "2003-06-24T16:52:12Z")
Right, **dantheman** , the subject of what statistic or group of statistics best indicates a baseball player’s value has, of course, been debated for years. However, I didn’t understand that in the context of superstitions like wearing the same “lucky” sweatsock for 16 years until it rots off your foot or corking your bat, so I thought perhaps **Jonathon** meant something else. You know, something like “you should always scratch yourself 4 times and let your tongue hang out of your mouth and grunt twice when facing a bald, tatooed right-handed Minnesotan on a Wednesday”. I’ve seen them do this, you know, but I always just thought it was bad manners, not to gain an edge. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/18 "2003-06-24T16:55:50Z")
I think **JC** was just being a cranky old man. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayfield_St.Cloud)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/19 "2003-06-24T17:16:52Z")
Oh. What was that whooshing noise just now? Good catch on the Tom Sutton, by the way. I read that and just zipped right past it. Of course, maybe he meant Tom Seaver. Would he have been any less likely to have cheated than Don Sutton? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mayfield\_St.Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayfield_St.Cloud)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820/20 "2003-06-24T17:31:38Z")
Oops. Err, cancel that last thought, since Don Sutton is clearly mentioned in the article and Tom Seaver is not. Duh. Time to go do something constructive, methinks. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corked-bats-and-pete-rose-possibly-lame/183820.md?page=2)