Great equipment can give us considerable advantage over opponents. Special cleats grab a damp infield better than others. Sunglasses and black eye paint help during a blistering afternoon game. The hat we take for granted also shades us. Warm-up weights for the on-deck circle help to accelerate our swing while at the plate. Batting gloves improve our grip. A great bat with a lot of "pop" produces sharper hits.
A memorable incident with a "corked" or loaded bat took place in 1985 at Miami University's annual history department picnic. The senior faculty were playing the younger faculty in softball, and we played a trick on our older colleagues. Before the game I bored the middle of a wooden bat,--drilling a two-foot deep hole down its center. Then I filled it with small Superballs and glued the end of the bat back in place. The sawdust-glue mix disguised the cut. Before the game we hid a large handsaw beneath the picnic blanket of a couple sitting near the ball diamond--but unassociated with the event. Then, to the junior faculty's delight and astonishment, the plan worked to perfection. The chairman of the department selected the wooden bat-the only non-aluminum bat on the fence. After he hit a long fly ball, a junior faculty member yelled from the outfield--"Check the bat! Check the bat, it sounds corked!" Of course, the senior faculty just chuckled and dismissed it. But another of my colleagues piped up (on cue) "Let's check it out! Does anyone have a saw?" Immediately, the couple pulled the handsaw from beneath their blanket. I promptly took it to home plate and proceeded to saw in half the bat. (One of the senior professor's initials had been etched into the handle for an added incriminating effect.) A photographer "just happened" to be walking by as the bat was cut open. Out poured the Superballs. They bounced off the bench and rolled in front of the puzzled crowd. For a few seconds, a state of shock came over the home team. Had the chairman brought a loaded bat? Within minutes, smiles began emerging and a lively laughter ensued.
At the professional level, corked bats are no laughing matter. You can choose from thousands of bats which you think give you the best opportunity to hit the ball, but they must be officially approved. They are good bats only if they are legal. In the end, they are great bats only if they are legal, help your game, and fit your style. Equipment is so important that athletes often make more from endorsements than through salaries. What is the most common signature you see on baseball equipment? Is it a Mike Piazza-signed catcher's mitt? A Randy Johnson baseball? A Frank Thomas-jersey? Mark McGwire-bats? Cal Ripken, Jr. wrist bands? The smallest pieces of equipment allegedly can give you the edge--even nose strips for breathing! Perhaps the most heavily advertised piece of equipment is the shoe. Nike, Reebok, Converse and Adidas have become household words. Oakley, Champion, Louisville Slugger, Rawlings, Cooper, and Wilson all are popular vocabulary words and reflect our preoccupation with good equipment. Do these items really make a difference? You bet! Have you used a state-of-the-art aluminum bat? It doesn't seem fair. It's the same in golf. The Taylor Made Burner Bubble driver produces 10- to 30-foot longer drives. When the swing is the same and the ball travels farther, the equipment obviously makes the difference. Some interesting principles can be gleaned from the use of our equipment in competition:
The equipment, even if superior, must match its intended purpose to be functional. If you buy a $300 first-baseman's mitt and try to play shortstop, you've increased instead of diminished your chance of error. The best Air Jordan shoes will be of little use in trying to beat out a grounder. And on a silly note, think of the difficulty in trying to hit a curve ball with a Taylor Made Burner Bubble driver. Misused equipment loses some of its value for competition. The use of a bat to hammer down a base, or to vent anger, would create an uneven batting surface. A baseball thrown against a wall or bounced on the sidewalk becomes lopsided and difficult to use. Misplaced equipment becomes of no use for competition. How many times have you seen a young player borrowing a mitt on game day? At the time of the writing of this chapter, the Heads Up lost-and-found contains three mitts-two of which are rather nice! Furthermore, unused equipment is also of little use. Parents and coaches are prohibited from warming up young pitchers between innings because of numerous recorded injuries--ones that would have been prevented had the adults worn the proper catcher's gear. The wrong size of equipment turns its intended advantage into a disadvantage. If the helmet covers your face then you're more likely to wander in front a pitch than to be protected from an errant throw. The best bat hanging on the dugout fence is of no use if it's two sizes too large--it can turn a great swing into a late swing. Illegal equipment nullifies a victory. If you used a corked bat, you've gained an advantage unfairly, one that disqualifies you. So, if you hit a homer with it, so what! Think of the equipment used by sprinter Ben Johnson-steroids. His "fastest time" for a human was meaningless. Yes, he was the fastest-but with illegal help.5 The better the talent the more noticeable the equipment. No matter how well one is equipped, the batter bagging three homers per game will receive more questions about his bat than a weak swinger. Few people looked to Larry Bird's shoes for extra spring in their jump. But they were curious about his training routine and equipment for shooting exercises. Who cares what clubs a weekend golfer uses? However, these same golfers sure follow Tiger Woods' club selection. Nearly all Nike golf apparel and Titlest equipment soared in sales after Tiger sported the swoosh symbol and DCI clubs.
Perhaps you are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. The small David slew the mighty vile enemy of his people, the giant Goliath. Reflecting on the principles we've just considered for equipment use, several can be found in David's preparation for battle. The best equipment in his country was handed to him--it was King Saul's armor! But it didn't fit. He rejected it, knowing that the wrong size of equipment would turn its intended advantage into a disadvantage. A modern parallel would be the receiving of Shaquille O'Neal's shoes before game time. Except for souvenirs, they would hinder our efforts to compete successfully. David's sling was a fine piece of equipment, the quality of a brand name today; it was functional and had served him well. David felt comfortable entering the duel with this in hand. He hadn't misused the sling or misplaced it. Although he had never intended to use it to kill a person, it was intended to throw stones at lethal speeds. In short, his equipment helped him to stay focused on and to accomplish the task at hand. He glanced at the giant and gazed at God (1 Samuel 17:38-40). The Bible gives us some rather direct instructions for choosing "equipment" that will help us to compete and win in the race set before us-life. St. Paul, the author of much of the New Testament, writes the following to some of the first Christians from the area of modern Turkey (north of Israel).
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Ephesians 6: 10-20
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