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After being away from the game of baseball as a player (in an organized league) for over 20 years, I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to catch up to fastballs in excess of 80 mph anymore. I took the plunge and signed up to play in my first over thirty baseball (NOT softball) league. That’s where having a baseball site like BaseballReflections.com comes in quite handy. I’ll spare you the details…the bottom line is that the kind people at Mattingly Baseball (yes, the former Yankee, but one of the few I have the utmost respect for…he was always (to my knowledge) a gentleman in the game) sent me three bats to try out in exchange for this (albeit late) review!

Originally it was only two bats (the 33” aluminum V-Grip™ Ripped Adult bat & a V-Grip™ Adult Ash Wood bat), but after the first ash was sawed off in a game just above my hands (my fault for swinging a ball so far inside), they swiftly rushed me out a replacement Ash along with the sweet Cherry Maple (also a 33” V-Grip™ Adult Wood bat). This showed off their great service and dedication to their customers which obviously did NOT go unnoticed! You can find the specifications of each bat in this review at the bottom of this article.

What was that you asked? What is a V-Grip™? It is part of the patented V-Grip™ technology/technique. Here’s a description of it from the man himself, Donnie Baseball, Don Mattingly…

And here’s the official Mattingly Sports video on the V-Grip™ Technology which is a little longer & more detailed…

Let me tell you, I wish I knew this back when I was playing as a teenager! I will just have to wonder if it would have improved my hitting ability. The only problem I now face is not knowing if I still had the ability to hit pitches in excess of 80 mph or if the V-Grip™ technology made up for the decline in my bat speed, as Mattingly says in the video, the V-Grip™ technology improves your bat speed by up to 7%.

The only adjustment that may need to be made is getting use to the shape of the bat handle as I have had teammates that shied away from using it because of that. But for me, it just feels natural (or it did after the start of the first round of batting practice).

I cannot recommend these bats with any more praise. For more detailed specifications on the bats I used last season (and will again this (2011) season), please refer to the rest of this post!

RIPPED Aluminum Adult Baseball Game Bat

• Mattingly’s MB55Sc Scandium Alloy is the highest quality alloy available. The Ripped bat is the first and only bat to combine performance enhancing alloy Technology with performance enhancing V-Grip™Technique into one dynamically engineered game bat (TNT).
  • Patented V-Grip™ TECHNOLOGY – Promotes proper hand alignment for increased bat speed.
  • MB55Sc Scandium Alloy- Optimized ratio of Scandium to provides a stronger and more durable material.
  • DIRECT POWER TRANSFER- Stiff handle maximizes energy and returns it to the ball.
  • LOCKED N LOAD END PLUG II- Maximizes trampoline effect.

V-GRIP™ Adult Ash Wood Bat

– Patented V-Grip™ technology
– High quality Apalachian White Ash
– Black (it also comes in Natural) Post Catalyzed High Gloss Finish

Barrel Diameter: 2 1/2
Handle Diameter: 31/32

Length: 33”

Price: $69.99

V-GRIP™ Adult Maple Cherry Wood Bat

– Patented V-Grip™ technology
– High quality Canadian rock maple
– Cherry post catalyzed high gloss finish

Barrel Diameter: 2 1/2
Handle Diameter: 31/32

Length: 33”

Price: $79.99 (down from $89.99 in 2010)

I found the Maple bat to have a slightly wider barrel as well as being a bit heavier, too (not as advertized)..

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