When was the last time you heard about a major technological advance in the design of the wooden baseball bat? I'm thinking sometime back before Wrigley Field was built. Sure there's a science to it, but the bat has been made pretty much the same way for decades.

The problem with wooden bats is they break. Often. And forget it if you catch a pitch off the handle, the vibration will send a sting up your hands that's more painful than watching Michael Phelps host SNL. So most recreational baseball and softball players grab an aluminum or composite bat instead. But what if you like the feel of a wooden bat? Grab a Radial Bat.

The guys over at Radial Bat wanted to create a bat that was as durable and unbreakable as a metal bat, that was balanced, eliminated vibration, and had a larger sweet spot. How'd they do this? Wedges.

In a big departure from the usual milling of a bat from a single piece of wood, twelve separate wooden wedges are fit together to create a tight, omni-directional grain pattern on the surface. This allows the ball to always hit the firmest wood for a larger sweet spot. With a dramatic reduction in the vibration. And a reduction in weight.

It also means that if the bat were to crack, only that single wedge would fail, not crack in half sending a sharp projectile hurling towards the pitcher. They're so confident the bat won't break, they offer a limited one year warranty against it.

No more broken bat singles. First instant replay, now this.

Ash from $100-$120
Maple from $130-$150
www.radialbat.com