No. Bruns. man takes a swing at bat-making Says wood from old, waterlogged trees gives hitters more power BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer JENNIFER AMATO Baseball players Anthony Golba, left, and Brian Schroeder were among the first athletes to try out the new baseball bats created from waterlogged wood from the virgin forests of the Great Lakes region of the United States. Before the land was settled in the Great Lakes region, trees would grow for years on end without disturbance. Thousands upon thousands of acres would grow tall and wide, the canopies of leaves blocking out the sun so that the trunks would grow almost horizontally instead of vertically, creating increased strength with each ring of bark. At the onset of the Industrial Revolution centuries later, the virgin forests that lay dormant for hundreds of years were being chopped down. The lumber was floated down the rivers of Wisconsin toward Lake Superior, where it would travel to the saw mills. However, not every single log made it through the journey. Instead, thousands of logs sank and became waterlogged, too heavy for workers to pull back out of the water. They were seemingly lost forever, buried in the depths of the lakes and streams of the northern United States. That was true until about 10 years ago, when a furniture company began bringing up the wood and drying it out. The brother of North Brunswick resident Joe Nielsen was a commercial diver at the time, and knew the wood existed, so he used his company to make flooring and furniture out of the trees that had been under water since the 1800s. Despite his fervent efforts to sell the furniture, due to the extraction process the items became quite expensive. About five years ago, Joe decided to make baseball bats out of the trees, figuring the wood would be strong because of the density of the logs, the low oxygen in the water and the cold temperatures of the region. "I figured, this stuff is so old and so tight, and I always wanted to make baseball bats, so this was always in the back of my mind," he said. Nielsen pursued his venture, having a man from a university in Canada test the wood; the expert claimed it is 10 times denser than any wood growing today. Because of its strength, Nielsen and his friend, Ed Murray of Long Island, decided to create The Wet Bat Inc. "This wood was from the virgin forests that our ancestors cut down when they first went into the area and the trees had been standing for a couple hundred years. Nowadays if a tree grows for 80 years, that is a long time. A normal tree has eight to 10 growth rings per inch; my wet wood has 70 to 80 rings per inch. And what this all adds up to is a stronger bat that sends the ball 15 to 20 percent farther than any bat today," he said. The process of making the bats begins with his brother's current company, Superior Wood Group LLC, pulling up the wood by hooking a float into the logs and pumping in air like a balloon. Then, the maple and birch wood is cut into blanks and dried in a kiln in Canada for about three weeks. Afterward, the blanks are shipped to Superior Bat Co. in Jamestown, N.Y., where they are cut into baseball bats. The intricate process is done one at a time by hand. "They came out to be perfect weight-wise, which was half our battle," he said. "They can't be too heavy because if they are too heavy, no one can swing it and it will be no good." Originally, Nielsen purchased 40 4-by-4 billets, which produced about 20 bats. Since May of last year, he has expanded to 500 pieces, which were converted into about 300 bats. With one log producing about 100 bats, the possibilities are endless. "All I wanted to do was make baseball bats and make baseball bats that were good bats. This bat should be the strongest bat and make a good shot," he said. Despite what he calls the "expensive" cost of making the bats, Nielsen said that his product is of a much higher quality. However, he is quick to mention that his invention is still a piece of wood, so breaking and splintering is inevitable. In the future, he hopes to pitch his idea to Major League Baseball. He does not believe the bats will change the game of baseball, but he does believe batters will hit better and possibly increase their statistics. "If David Wright from the [New York] Mets would've swung this bat, he would've hit 40 home runs last year, I guarantee it," Nielsen said. So far, his bats have received a positive reaction from local baseball players. Sixteen-year-olds Anthony Golba and Brian Schroeder, both from Metuchen, already felt the power of the bats after a few swings at the Baseball Warehouse in Highland Park last week. "I see a difference in the wood," Schroeder said. "This is a good wooden bat, but compared to aluminum it's about the same." The 12-year pitcher and catcher added, "Instant success, that's what I saw in the cage tonight." Golba, who has played first base for 10 years, commented, "Once I got used to it, I liked it because it feels good. When I swing it, I can tell [the ball] definitely goes farther than with other bats. I would recommend it because it seems solid and because it didn't break. Even if [the ball goes] inside, it seems like it wouldn't break, so it's a good buy." Also, former Major League shortstop Mike Moriarty, who played with the Baltimore Orioles and is now a resident staff member at the baseball training facility, agreed that Superior Bat Co. products are of good quality. "The kids hit the ball well, really well," he observed. "It jumps off the bat almost as hard as aluminum. I listen to the sound of the ball and these bats have a good sound." For more information about the bats, contact Nielsen at (888) 779-BATS or at info@thewetbat.com. For more information about the facility, visit www.Baseball-Warehouse.20M.com. The center is located at 405 A Cleveland Ave., Highland Park.