Have you x-rayed your bats lately?

[Vintagedeputy]

Neat article about doctored bats and balls....

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/chea...llplayers.html

[allstarsplus]

Jim - I liked the article and it is amazing how many ways you can grab an advantage going against the rules.

8. Norm Cash (outfielder, White Sox, Tigers, 1958-74)
By his own account, Cash used a corked bat during the 1961 season, a breakout year he never came close to duplicating. In '61, Cash led the AL in batting with a .361 average, hit 41 homers and drove in 132 runs. After he retired, he demonstrated for SI how he doctored his bat by drilling an eight-inch hole in the barrel, filling it with glue, cork and sawdust.

The Norm Cash story really surprised me that corking possibly could make that big of a difference. My only question to the author (or any Forum member) is that Cash played 16 seasons in the Bigs so was 1961 the only year he corked? If it was, then the numbers are astounding to me, but if he corked his entire career then the great 1961 isn't too scientific.

Andrew