'America's Pastime' didn't actually originate here in America. In fact there is evidence that can be followed back to some countries of Europe and even Russia as far back as the 1300's of similar type games being played. Baseball can be traced back to the 1700's here in America to informal games that were played much more aggressively with few rules and even fewer rules specifying the equipment that could be used, specifically the bats used for hitting. The baseball bat had no one design. Men used homemade baseball bats that were sometimes long, short, heavy, or even flat. This seemingly simple tool would not be perfected for quite some time. The earliest rules of baseball set by an organization were implemented in 1845 by the amateur New York Knickerbockers. This was a team that was formed as a social club for the upper middle classes of New York City. The club members were led by Alexander Cartwright, who is actually credited with being the founder of baseball which is widely rumored to have been Abner Doubleday. The Knickerbockers were the first to play under the 'force out' rules of the game and could no longer get a base runner out by hitting or 'plugging' him with the ball. In 1859, the rules finally set limitations on the size of the bat. Baseball bats were now being restricted to 2.5 inches in diameter. Ten years later a rule stating that the length of a baseball bat could not be more than 42 inches was set in place and that rule has been the same until today. Although, there are no Major League ballplayers using a bat anywhere near that length. By 1890, the rules regarding a baseball bat became much more detailed stating that a bat had to be round and could no longer be sawed off; this was shortly after the first American bat making company was in business. Pete Browning was a player on the hometown Louisville baseball team in 1884. Attending one of the local ballgames, then 17 year old John Hillerich, who was a wood worker for his father, watched Browning break his favorite bat in a ballgame. After the game, Hillerich went home to make a replacement bat out of white ash lumber for Browning. The next game Browning went 3 for 3 making that bat to become known unofficially as' the Louisville Slugger baseball bat'. Word spread fast of this new innovation and soon after people were paying the father and son wood workers to make more. The Hillerich's started making baseball bats under that growing Louisville Slugger name. Honus Wagner was the first player that was paid to allow his name to be engraved into the bat which is still done today. Their bats have always been top quality and have basically been the same baseball bat over time, but weigh less and have a thinner handle today. Louisville Slugger baseball bat reviews are usually very favorable in comparison to other baseball bat reviews. The 'Louisville Slugger' set the standard for baseball bat makers to follow.