Mike M.

Mike M. is the hands-on owner behind Iron Mako Media, the publisher of Bat & Bucket. He writes the site's guides the way he'd want them written for his own family: which certification stamp the league actually requires, what size fits which age, and which pick you can buy without second-guessing it.

How Mike chooses the gear on this site

Every page on Bat & Bucket is built the same way. Mike reads the governing body's rule (Little League's bat rules and division ages, USA Baseball's bat FAQ, NOCSAE's helmet standard) and quotes it; reads the maker's product page for the certification stamp, the sizes, the construction and the warranty, and quotes that too; reads the maker's or a named retailer's sizing chart for the age band; and scores each pick on the public rubric at the methodology page. It does not mean he has swung, worn or fitted the specific unit, and no page on this site says otherwise. He has not been given a bat by a maker and has not been paid for a placement.

If a page ever describes something Mike has done with a specific piece of gear, it will say exactly what was done. Until then, “sourced” is the honest label, and the trade for it is that every figure on the site links to where it came from, with the date it was read.

What you won't find here

• Credentials, coaching titles or years-of-experience claims he hasn't provided.
• Claims that he owns or has tested a bat, glove, helmet or cleat he hasn't.
• Amazon prices, star ratings or review counts.
• Rankings paid for by a brand. Commissions never set a score or decide a pick.
• Medical advice. The heel-pain page cites pediatric sources and says so; it is not a diagnosis.

Contact

Questions, corrections and rule changes go to mike@blackironathletics.com or the contact form. Mike reads every message. More about the publisher is at Iron Mako Media.