Ball bat with rebound core

A damped core ball bat comprising:

• a tube having a top opening, a bottom opening, and a tube wall forming a barrel portion, a tapered portion, and a handle portion having a diameter smaller than a diameter of the barrel portion;
• a cap covering the top opening;
• a rigid inner damper having a tubular shape with a hollow interior, wherein the inner damper is not attached to the cap;
• a resilient attenuator sleeve disposed over the rigid inner damper, wherein the rigid inner damper is disposed inside the barrel portion and the resilient attenuator sleeve is compressed between the rigid inner damper and the tube wall;
• and
• a knob covering the bottom opening.

A method for fabricating a damped core bat comprising the steps of:

• forming a tube having an opening;
• providing a tubular inner damper;
• covering the tubular inner damper in a resilient attenuator sleeve;
• inserting the tubular inner damper and the resilient attenuator sleeve into the tube;
• expanding the tubular inner damper radially;
• compressing the resilient attenuator sleeve between the expanded tubular inner damper and the tube;
• and
• enclosing the opening.

A method of fabricating a damped core, ball bat comprising the steps of:

• forming a tube having an opening;
• providing a damped core having a free floating inner damper;
• inserting the damped core through the opening into the tube so that the inner damper is suspended therein and does not contact the tube;
• and
• enclosing the opening.