Sports ball, bat, and associated methods

Abstract

A sports ball for use in baseball-type games includes a hollow, substantially spherical plastic ball that has a plurality of substantially planar, intersecting regions covering an outer surface thereof. Preferably the ball also has a weight that is substantially less than a weight of a regulation baseball, for enhancing safety in use. The sports system further includes a bat for use with the ball, or with any similar ball, preferably a plastic ball. The bat is a hollow, elongated member that has a handle portion adjacent a bottom end and a barrel portion between the handle portion and a top end. The bat further has a sheath surrounding at least a portion of the barrel portion. The sheath has a coefficient of friction higher than a coefficient of friction of a surface of the barrel portion, for imparting “traction” to a struck ball.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of playing a baseball game comprising:
 throwing a plastic baseball, the plastic baseball including a hollow plastic shell, an outer surface of the shell being composed of a plurality of solid planar surfaces, every one of the plurality of solid planar surfaces directly adjoining multiple adjacent ones of the plurality of solid planer surfaces such that all boundaries between the directly adjoining ones of the plurality of solid planar surfaces are convex and a number and arrangement of the plurality of solid planar surfaces being sufficient to allow the plastic baseball, upon being thrown at a flat surface, to rebound from the flat surface at an angle visually imperceptible from that which a spherical ball having a diameter and weight equal to that of the plastic baseball would rebound from an identical flat surface after having been thrown at the identical flat surface in a manner identical to the plastic baseball;   wherein throwing the plastic baseball includes imparting a spin thereto such that the plastic baseball curves during flight.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plastic baseball is thrown with spin such that the plastic baseball rises during flight. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein every one of the plurality of solid planar surfaces is directly adjoined by at least another four of the plurality of solid planar surfaces. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein there are more than 50 solid planar surfaces. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the plastic baseball is thrown toward a batter. 
     
     
         6 . A method of enhancing the curve characteristics of a plastic baseball, the method comprising:
 forming the plastic baseball from a hollow plastic shell composed of a plurality of solid planar surfaces such that every one of the plurality of solid planar surfaces directly adjoins multiple adjacent ones of the plurality of solid planer surfaces, and all boundaries between the directly adjoining ones of the plurality of solid planar surfaces are convex.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein every one of the plurality of solid planar surfaces is directly adjoined by at least another four of the plurality of solid planar surfaces.