Tethered ball batting practice device

Claim 1

A batting practice device comprising a handle, an elongated flexible line connected to the handle and a ball connected to the end of the flexible line remote from the handle whereby the ball and flexible line may be swung in a circular path about the handle so that the ball may pass over a plate so that a batter may practice swinging a bat at the ball as it passes over the plate, said ball being in the form of a hollow, substantially rigid plastic member having a plurality of holes therein, said handle being in the form of a generally cylindrical handgrip having finger-receiving recesses therein, a rigid dowel fixedly disposed in the handgrip and projecting axially from one end thereof and terminating in substantially a flat end with the dowel being constructed of wood, said flexible line being constructed of plastic material and having a closed loop on the end thereof adjacent the handle, a coil spring having a loop at each end thereof with the loop on one end of the spring being engaged in the loop on the line, a metal D-shaped ring engaged with the loop on the other end of the spring, a metal strap engaged with the D-shaped ring and including overlapping end portions disposed against the flat end of the dowel, a screw extending through the overlapping ends of the strap and into the end of the dowel with the head of the screw spaced from the dowel slightly more than the combined thickness of the ends of the strap thereby enabling the strap to swivel about the axis of the screw, said D-shaped ring being pivotally received in the central portion of the strap with the central portion of the strap being formed into an offset loop receiving the straight portion of the D-shaped ring to enable the D-shaped ring to pivot about an axis generally tangential to the periphery of the end edge of the dowel, the end of the flexible line remote from the handle extending through a perforation in the ball for connection therewith, said coil spring is provided for cushioning forces exerted on the ball when the batter strikes the same with the swivel defined by the screw and the pivot axis defined by the Dshaped ring and the connection between the D-shaped ring and the spring as well as the connection between the spring and the loop on the end of the line enabling angular displacement of tHe line and ball thereon in any direction in relation to the handle thereby enabling the handgrip and dowel therein to be disposed substantially in a vertical direction and the flexible line and ball to move in a substantially horizontal path with the path of movement of the ball being varied by manipulative movement of the handle during manual movement thereof which causes the swinging movement of the ball and line.