As panther 52 has said, corking a bat doesn't not have the effect that people think it does, it simply makes the bat lighter and not something that helps turn the bat into a rocket launcher, so when someone is using a corked bat I really don't think its a big deal and nowhere near the level of other forms of cheating such as sterorids, or scuffing balls-- however it is still against the rules and must be considered cheating.

Sure its cheating, but it isn't new.  Several of Ruth's bats were corked, as were a few other big names.  There's some argument as to how effective it is.

One of the funniest episode of this involved Graig Nettles back in 1974.  In a game late in the season he hit a home run against the Tigers. The next time up, he hit a broken-bat single and the bat exploded, with six superballs bouncing out as the Tiger catcher tried to scoop them up.

Corking one's bat has nowhere near the effect of swinging an aluminum, as stated by PlanetaryGear. In fact, the effect of swinging a corked bat versus a regular wood bat is negligible because although you may get some added bat speed, you lose mass to the bat. Force = Mass x Acceleration, so what you gain in bat speed and lose in mass generally cancel each other out. According to a study conducted by Daniel A. Russell of Kettering University, the effect of corking a bat is virtually non-existent. Having said all of that, corking bats is still wrong because all players should use roughly the same equipment so that we can see who is the better player, not who is using the most scientifically modified equipment (similar to how NASCAR has banned certain modifications to race cars).

It's cheating, to be sure, but it isn't a new thing. Goes back to the 20's at least- Ruth and the largely forgotten Browns slugger Ken Williams were both accused of this.

Yep, that's cheating also.

Corking the bat makes it lighter, and thus, easier to swing faster. Almost, but not quite, the equivelant of using an aluminum bat. It is definetely cheating, though sometimes I am inclined to give the (unknowing?) perpatrators the benifit of the doubt.

(numbah coughs sammy under his breath)

While it is cheating and deserves just punishment, steriods are the real issue with cheating hitters. . .then again, it is funny to listen to the lame excuses hitters give: That bat wasn't mine! I don't know anything about that! It's like listening to the drunk shirtless rednecks on COPS. . .