Story time: ......I was raised on a farm outside the small town of Advance, Missouri (pop 692 US Census 1960). I only mention the population because I have heard people talk about living in a small town and they mention 20,000 people...... uh, we thought 20,000 was the big city.
We didn't have a stop light..... hell you have to drive 16 miles to see a flashing light and that was only there to bring attention to the stop sign. You see it was 45 miles on highway 25 in between stop signs.....
The early 1970's was a great time to be a kid in small town America. It might have been small, but it was mighty!!! State Championship banners on the gym wall prove that!!! For the most part you didn't have to leave our little piece of paradise..... for instance as a kid my baseball glove was purchased from Richmond's Hardware store. I still remember a giant bin full of gloves in the middle of the store, and searching through it for just the right one...... I also got a red whiffle ball bat & ball that day...... my love affair with the game was on.
Oddly enough, no bats were in the store..... Lucky for me on the next block the Western Auto sold both. I loved that bat, it was the perfect size and weight for me, surely I was well on my way to being the second coming of Babe Ruth.
Back then it seemed every baseball bat was made in Louisville, Kentucky by the Hillerich & Bradsby company. (Great field trip if you haven't been there, it's a must go for every baseball player!!!) My Louisville Slugger was no exception, I was so proud of that bat...... I still remember the price $3.50
It broke the first time I used it...... Never fear, my dad had tacks and electrical tape and a lesson to teach about the value of a dollar. You see I had to swing a broken/fixed bat for a long while........
I am reminded of this story because my son, Brody broke is bat during a game last night. Kids today wouldn't know how to use tacks and tape to bring a bat back to life..... Hell, it's probably against the rules these days. But rules are not the only things to have changed in the last 50 years, seems $3.50 doesn't buy a bat these days.
So what do you think they cost? How much would you expect to pay for a wood bat..... a bat that could break after just 1 swing...... My son broke a Mizuno, made of bamboo..... people say they are nearly impossible to break (bullshit). To replace that bat is $110.
They say Baum Bats are some of the best wood bats today...... They are currently $299 Wow..... my dad was upset a $3.50 didn't survive a practice, I can only imagine saying dad can I have a $110 bat..... uh, let's just say I wouldn't dream of asking for the $299 bat. (Which one do you think I ordered for my son?)
I mentioned the Louisville Slugger museum in Kentucky. I have been twice, once as a fan.... and once the guest of the Atlanta Braves. Baseball prospects get special attention, my sons were invited in 2023 to get fitted for a bat. The invite was for Dillon & Logan.....but little brother Brody got to go too.
You can get the same treatment....I think it runs $399, but our fitting was on the Braves dime. This is what we learned, all 3 boys liked different bats (and the same bats). I there are lots of different bat models..... my sons got to try almost 100 different models. These were there favorites.
Logan:
1. Model C271 (The same bat Derick Jeter used)
2. Model I13M
Dillon:
1. Model I13M
2. Model C271
Brody:
1. Model M110 (The bat Mickey Mantle used)
2. Model I13M
3. Model C271
I thought it was interesting that all 3 boys swung over 100 bats that day.... and they all narrowed them down to liking the same bats for the most part.
In today's world kids order off Amazon, or some other website.... or maybe pick between a bat or two at the local sporting goods store. It was very special to go behind the scenes and have a professional show us all the bats, and then test swing them all....... It's a memory I will cherish all my life. It doesn't matter if the bat was $3.50 or $299.....the dream is all the same.
