I Know Why the Caged Bird Swings

Batting cages are strange structures when seen from the road. They're like translucent circus tents, filled with what appear to be frustrated jugglers struggling to really get going. I don't care what a batting cage looks like, it's the service that it provides that's key: In a batting cage, you can go absolutely nuts swinging at pitch after pitch. It's a classic, stripped down example of "Man vs Machine." The best part being that if you're the only person there, you can just lie and say you beat the machine. He won't talk.

As difficult as it may be to hit, say, a medium-speed baseball in a batting cage (when it's not ricocheting off the back netting and smacking you in the head), it's actually more difficult finding the batting cage itself. Today, my friend and I tried to seek out a batting cage in the town we were visiting, only discover that the place was "closed for business." Odd turns of phrase aside, the place wasn't accepting batters. While in the process of going to another cage, one that was "open for business," we discovered a website that actually 100% suited our needs: Battingcagefinder.com.

That's right. There's a website for finding batting cages. I'll let that sink in for a moment.

The Internet is a strange place, filled with all sorts of very specific information. It has its blessings and its curses, but despite everything it never ceases to completely surprise me from time to time. An entire website devoted to an accurate listing of batting cages is not only unreal, but wholly awesome. It didn't help us whatsoever, but that's not the point. It exists, and I'm happier for it.

So next time you get the urge to take on the machines, rip a few homers, and generally make a fool out of yourself... there's probably a directory willing to point you in the right direction.