Have you ever "ashed" a "cowhide covered yarnball" directly into a "20 piece tied leather" over 200 feet away? If you've never "batted" a "ball" into a "mitt" than this video may not be for you. But if you, like most kids, have any interest in baseball, then this creative and informative video will tell you where the tools of the game come from and how they are made. In Bats & Balls, two kids wander into a sporting goods store debating what is inside a baseball. Just as in all good sporting goods stores, they find Robin Ventura of the Chicago White Sox standing there, waiting to explain such things in intimate detail. Quickly we are swept off to a sawmill in upstate New York to watch bats being crafted. Then it's on to a cowhide factory to watch gloves being made, and finally over to a tannery in Costa Rica to watch baseballs being spun. Viewers will learn lots of fun facts in this video guaranteed to make you a real bore between innings at the old ballgame. (Did you know that the average ballplayer consumes a whole ash tree worth of bats each season and that a glove contains 250 yards of thread?) Well produced and fun to watch, this is recommended. Aud: J, H, P. (R. Ray)
Bats & Balls
(1998) 46 min. $14.98. MPI Home Video. Color cover. Vol. 13, Issue 4
Bats & Balls
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