In The Mystery of the Dangerous Flying Bats , Popular Woodworking magazine looks at why baseball bats break more than they used to.

Is it due to using a different type of wood?  No, bats break because current players prefer longer, lighter bats with thinner handles and a "bigger business end."

And to make the handles thinner, some players are shaving them. Can’t you imagine the MLB clubhouse equipped with a Brian Boggs shavehorse and set of spokeshaves ?

Given these guys probably lack much woodworking know-how, I have this mental image of the rookie hearing about shaving the handle to improve his performance. I see this kid with his bat all lathered up and his razor stropped and ready to shave. That cracks me up!