The Madison Mallards announced today that Sunday, June 22 will be Corked Bat Day. To coincide with the Pepsi Bat Day giveaway, there will be live demonstrations and experts at the Duck Pond. The first 500 kids in attendance will receive a free full-sized bat compliments of Pepsi.
An expert from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Physics Department will explain the science behind corking a bat. There will also be a live demonstration on how to cork a bat. Furthermore, there will be an X-ray machine at the Duck Pond to examine every bat used during the game.
“The Northwoods League guarantees no corked bats will be used and we will go to any extent to protect the credibility of our league,” Mallards General Manager Vern Stenman said.
Even if corked bats were legal, Mallards Head Coach Darrell Handelsman is strongly against the idea. “I choose to focus on the fundamentals of the game,” Handelsman said. “The big leaguers may need to hit home runs to be exciting, but we don’t need corked bats to bring excitement to the Duck Pond.”
“We guarantee a quality, entertaining, cork-free day at the ballpark,” Stenman said.
Preliminary research shows that corking a bat does not provide any major enhancement. The Mallards hope to educate baseball fans that the advantages of using a corked bat are menial and baseball can be exciting by concentrating on the fundamentals.