| Issue #26, September 22, 2006 |
Swinging Indoors
Fall is fast approaching. The sun will begin setting earlier each evening and the chilly weather that comes with the season means people will start staying indoors after work or school, instead of relaxing or playing games outside. Being stuck inside the house is a dreadful way to spend an afternoon or evening, unless you enjoy sitting on your couch watching television and checking e-mails. A person can only do so much indoors before frantically searching for ways to make the time pass. There is one indoor activity coming to mind that loads of people will enjoy. However, there is a different and possibly more exciting way to round the bases indoors.
“Hitting is better than sex,” Hall of Fame baseball player Reggie Jackson once said. Therefore, in order to guarantee yourself a joyous fall, invest in an indoor batting cage.
Creating your own indoor batting cage is relatively simple with today’s technology. The hardest part may possibly be fundraising for the costly cage. If money is no object, set up a cage in your house to truly understand Reggie Jackson’s comment on hitting.
The first step in the process of installing a batting cage in your home is finding the proper place to hit like Joe DiMaggio. A basement or garage would make a decent batting area. But if your significant other doesn’t mind setting up the hitting area anywhere in your house, why not put one in the living room or kitchen?
Once a suitable spot is located, start ordering the equipment needed for your indoor paradise. Depending on the amount of money set aside to purchase the items and how skillful an athlete you are, an electronic pitching machine sending softballs or baseballs to the plate ranging from 40-95 miles per hour can be purchased for around $1,400. This device is made for Little League level players or professional athletes. Strictly for your Little Leaguer, a machine pitching the ball from 30-60 miles per hour is more reasonable. The cost of the slower pitching machine is around the range of $500. Professional or serious baseball players may prefer a pitching machine with the capability of throwing a 95 mile per hour fastball or a 75 mile per hour curve ball during the same session. This high tech piece of machinery costs in the ballpark of $2,400.
A cheaper way to have batting practice would entail buying a pitcher’s L-Screen and Net for about $200 and putting it in the batting area. Then the hitters can have their parents, siblings, or friends throw them strikes, while the person heaving the ball can practice their pitching form.
However, no batting should take place without a net to stop the ball when it is pitched and missed or hit. Having a batting cage without a net would cause lots of problems since the ball would ricochet off the furniture. Some professional baseball teams spend close to $700 for nylon nets to stop the batting practice balls. A less expensive option, ranging from $450-$520, is called KVX200™. This material is lightweight, doesn’t absorb water, and resists breakdown in direct sunlight and can also be used outside if the indoor batting cage turns into an outdoor one during the summer.
The nets will not work properly unless there is a frame in which the net can be hung. Batting cage frames with all the supplies necessary to set it up will cost in the area of $175-$775, depending on the length of the frame and the items that are included. A heavy-duty backdrop for $130 should be set up on the frame behind the batter’s box. This way when a batter swings and misses, the ball will not hit the back wall. The ball will hit the backdrop and fall down to the ground, saving the walls around the house from unnecessary damage.
A batter’s mat is an optional item that will let the hitter know where to stand. However, a hitting area can be created by taping the floor; save yourself $250 and spend your money on other items.
The leftover money can go towards the dimpled balls that are used for the pitching machine. A box of a dozen dimpled baseballs will cost close to $30, while twelve dimpled softballs will set you back $35. And don’t forget a bat. It will be hard to hit without one.
Now that you are all ready to swing for the fences, make sure to wear protection. Remember to purchase a batting helmet, that is, before stepping up to the plate.
–Justin DeMarco
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