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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER 2004 TPX RESPONSE ADULT BASEBALL BAT.
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| Louisville Slugger and Alcoa have teamed up to develop the newest member of their Exclusive Alloys - GEN1X with Scandium. GEN1X with Scandium combines the ultra strong GEN1X and Scandium, the best alloy-strengthening additive available for aluminum bats. The result is the ultimate combination of balance, wall thickness, performance and durability.
Features: Pro Cup™ end cap. Synthetic wrap grip. 2 5/8 barrel. 31/32 handle.
-3 BESR certified for high school and college play.
Sizes: 31"/28oz, 32"/29oz, 33"/30oz, 34"/31oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: CB204.
Code: TPX RESPONSE.
Price: $189.99 |
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2006 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER DYNASTY ADULT BASEBALL BAT (-3).
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| Features ST+20 , the newest member of
Louisville's exclusive alloys for performance and
durability. Patented Pro Cup™ end cap.
Fully anodized finish.
31/32" handle with cushioned grip.
2 5/8" barrel. -3 BESR certified for
high school and college play.
Sizes: 31"/28oz, 32"/29oz, 33"/30oz, 34"/31oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: CB206.
Code: DYNASTY.
Price: $239.99 |
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2007 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER DYNASTY ADULT BASEBALL BAT (-3).
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| Features ST+20 TPX Dynasty alloy,
the newest member of Louisville's exclusive alloys,
for the ultimate combination of balance, sweet spot,
performance and durability. Patented Pro Cup™ End Cap.
Fully anodized finish.
31/32" handle with cushioned grip.
2 5/8" barrel. -3 BESR certified for
high school and college baseball.
Sizes: 31"/28oz, 32"/29oz, 32.5"/29.5oz, 33"/30oz, 34"/31oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: CB73D.
Code: DYNASTY.
Price: $249.99 |
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2007 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER EXOGRID ADULT BASEBALL BAT (-3).
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| Features Louisville's new ExoGrid technology,
where metal is trimmed from the handle in a grid pattern
to reduce handle weight. The metal is replaced with
Carbon inserts that are several times stiffer and lighter.
Enhanced by ST+20 alloy,
the newest member of Louisville's exclusive alloys,
for the ultimate combination of balance, sweet spot,
performance and durability.
31/32" tapered handle. 2 5/8" barrel.
-3 BESR certified for
high school and college baseball.
Sizes: 31"/28oz, 32"/29oz, 33"/30oz, 34"/31oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: CB71X.
Code: EXOGRID.
Price: $329.99 |
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2008 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER EXOGRID ADULT BASEBALL BAT (-3).
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| The 2008 Exogrid
features Louisville's new ExoGrid technology,
where metal is trimmed from the handle in a grid pattern
to reduce handle weight. The metal is replaced with
Carbon inserts that are several times stiffer and lighter.
The Exogrid is enhanced by a Carbon Composite Sleeve,
which provides greater handle stiffness than aluminum alone.
Exclusive ST+20 alloy,
the newest member of Louisville's exclusive alloys,
provides for the ultimate combination of balance, sweet spot,
performance and durability.
31/32" tapered handle. 2 5/8" barrel.
-3 BESR certified for
high school and college baseball.
Sizes: 31"/28oz, 32"/29oz, 33"/30oz, 34"/31oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: CB82X.
Code: EXOGRID.
Price: $359.99 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER MLB PRO STOCK WOOD BASEBALL BAT.
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| Wood: Ash.
Finish: Black.
Handle: 1".
Barrel: Large.
Sizes: 32", 33", 34".
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: MLBM110B.
Code: PRO STOCK WOOD.
Price: $49.99 |
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2007 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER DYNASTY YOUTH BASEBALL BAT.
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| Features ST+20 TPX Dynasty alloy,
the newest member of Louisville's exclusive alloys,
for the ultimate combination of balance, sweet spot,
performance and durability. Patented Pro Cup™ End Cap.
Sims Sting Stop™ System. Fully anodized finish.
7/8" handle with cushioned grip.
2 1/4" little league barrel. Ultra-lite 13.5 weight drop.
Sizes: 28"/14.5oz, 29"/15.5oz, 30"/16.5oz, 31"/17.5oz, 32"/18.5oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: YB73D.
Code: DYNASTY.
Price: $129.99 |
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2008 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER EXOGRID YOUTH BASEBALL BAT.
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| The 2008 Exogrid
features Louisville's new ExoGrid technology,
where metal is trimmed from the handle in a grid pattern
to reduce handle weight. The metal is replaced with
Carbon inserts that are several times stiffer and lighter.
The Exogrid is enhanced by a Carbon Composite Sleeve,
which provides greater handle stiffness than aluminum alone.
Exclusive ST+20 alloy,
the newest member of Louisville's exclusive alloys,
provides for the ultimate combination of balance, sweet spot,
performance and durability.
Ultra light minus 12 weight drop.
7/8" synthetic grip handle. 2 1/4" little league barrel.
Sizes: 29"/17oz, 30"/18oz, 31"/19oz, 32"/20oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: YB83X.
Code: EXOGRID.
Price: $229.99 |
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2006 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER AIR OMAHA YOUTH BASEBALL BAT (-12).
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| Features 3-compartment, air-pressurized chamber and
tough Scandium XS alloy for top performance and
durability. Patented Pro Cup™ end cap.
Fully anodized finish.
7/8" handle with synthetic leather grip.
2 1/4" barrel.
Lightweight minus 12 weight drop.
Approved for play in all youth leagues.
Sizes: 28"/16oz, 29"/17oz, 30"/18oz, 31"/19oz, 32/20oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: YB306.
Code: AIR OMAHA.
Price: $99.99 |
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2006 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER DYNASTY YOUTH BASEBALL BAT (-13).
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| Features ST+20 , the newest member of
Louisville's exclusive alloys for performance and
durability. Patented Pro Cup™ end cap.
Fully anodized finish.
7/8" handle with cushioned grip.
2 1/4" barrel.
Ultra-lite minus 13 weight drop.
Sizes: 28"/15oz, 29"/16oz, 30"/17oz, 31"/18oz, 32/19oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: YB206.
Code: DYNASTY.
Price: $109.99 |
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2006 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER OMAHA YOUTH BASEBALL BAT (-12.5).
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| A constant presence in Omaha since its introduction
in 1998, the TPX Omaha is back for another championship run.
Developed by Alcoa and enhanced by Louisville Slugger,
Scandium XS alloy undergoes a proprietary heat treatment
which maximizes its performance and durability.
Fully Anodized finish. Pro Cup™ end cap. Cushioned grip.
7/8" standard handle. 2 1/4" barrel.
Lightweight -12.5 weight drop.
Approved for play in Little League, Babe Ruth, Dixie, Pony, and AABC.
Sizes: 28"/15.5oz, 29"/16.5oz, 30"/17.5oz, 31"/18.5oz, 32"/19.5oz.
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| Category: Louisville Slugger Bats (Baseball). Model: YB406.
Code: OMAHA.
Price: $89.99 |
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LOUISVILLE SLUGGER BATS
"The Lumber That Still Powers Our National Pastime"
(by Scott Oldham) |
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We've all gripped one in our hands and become Babe Ruth, if only for a second. We've all stood in the garage or in a sporting goods store, wrapped our fingers around the handle of a Louisville Slugger, knocked the mud from our spikes, stepped into the batter's box and called our shot. We've all won the World Series with a grand slam into the black at Yankee Stadium, or over the Green Monster at Fenway, or over the ivy-covered wall at Wrigley or against the brick building at Camden Yards.
For more than a century, Louisville Slugger has been the bat millions of little ballplayers swing the first time they ever step up to the plate. It's the bat of choice for thousands in sandlots, Little League games and big-league stadiums all over the country. And it's been the bat in the hands of professional baseball's greatest players when they've broken the records, set the standards and wowed the crowds.
Louisville Slugger faithfuls include: Ty Cobb and his incredible .367 lifetime batting average, the highest in history; the "Sultan of Swat," Babe Ruth, who knocked out 60 home runs in 1927 and 714 lifetime; Lou Gehrig with 23 career grand slams; and Ted Williams, who hit .406 in 1941, the same year Joltin' Joe DiMaggio stunned fans with his 56-game hitting streak. A Louisville Slugger was in Jackie Robinson's hands during his first major league at-bat in 1947. Hank Aaron blasted his 755th home run in 1976 with one. And Pete Rose cranked his 4256th base hit in 1986 with a Louisville Slugger. More recently, in 1993, a Louisville Slugger was in the hands of Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Joe Carter when he did what we all dream of – hit the World Series winning home run in the bottom of the ninth.
"I made that bat," says Danny Luckett with pride, referring to Carter's stick. Luckett has made all the professional bats at Hillerich & Bradsby, owner of the Louisville Slugger brand, for the last 25 years. He can turn on the TV on any given night and see his bats being swung by such modern-day stars as Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez and Tony Gwynn.
"I've got the best job in baseball," says Luckett over the hum of the tracer lathe he uses to make 200 to 300 pro bats a day. "I watch those guys use my bats, and I get a real sense of accomplishment."
John A. "Bud" Hillerich must have felt the same pride the day he spun the very first Louisville Slugger in 1884. The bat was made for Pete "The Old Gladiator" Browning, a player on the Louisville Eclipse baseball team of the 2-year-old American Association.
Ol' Pete was fighting a slump, and on this day he broke his bat. Fourteen-year-old Bud was watching the game, and talked the ballplayer into coming back to his father J.F. Hillerich's woodworking shop after the game. Hillerich and Browning picked out a piece of white ash, and the boy began fashioning a new bat under Browning's direction. They worked through the night, Hillerich periodically letting Browning take practice swings. Finally, as day broke, Browning pronounced the bat just right. That same day, Browning used that bat to go three for three, and the bat turned by Hillerich became known as the "Falls City Slugger." Before this, baseball players simply had their bats made by any handy woodworking shop in their hometown. Bud's bats were immediately in demand, both by Browning's teammates and the rest of the league.
Things happened fast after that. In 1890, Simmon's Hardware Co. of St. Louis signed an agreement with Hillerich to handle all retail bat sales. By 1894, the Louisville Slugger name graced the bats, and was registered with the government as an official trademark.
On Sept. 1, 1905, the company signed "The Flying Dutchman," Honus Wagner, one of the best hitters of the day, to the first known contract of a professional athlete for the endorsement of a retail product. The signing of Ty Cobb, "The Georgia Peach," followed closely in 1908. The contracts gave J.F. Hillerich & Son Co., then the parent company of the Louisville Slugger brand, permission to use the players' autographs on Louisville Slugger bats. Since then, more than 7700 different signatures have appeared on the bats.
In 1911, soon after a fire severely damaged the bat factory, a young buyer from Simmon's Hardware named Frank W. Bradsby joined the company and assumed responsibility for the firm's sales policies. In 1916, the company name was changed to Hillerich & Bradsby Co., the same as it is today.
This year, H&B will make 1.4 million wood Louisville Slugger bats for professional and amateur use (and over 1 million aluminum bats). That's 70 to 80 percent of the retail market. Each wood bat is made from white ash grown on 5000 acres of company-owned forest in Pennsylvania and New York. Why ash? Because it has just the proper amount of tensile strength and resiliency. And the weight of ash is also favorable. Hickory and maple have been tried over the years but they've proven too dense.
So how is a wood Louisville Slugger bat made? Pretty much the same as it was 115 years ago. First a tree, usually between 40 and 60 years old, is chosen and cut. Although Major League Baseball rules state that bat size is limited to 42 in. in length and 2 3/4 in. in diameter, nobody uses a bat that long. So the tree is cut into 40-in.-long sections that are then cut into several cylinder-shaped 3-in.-dia. billets. The billets are dried in kilns for six to eight weeks before they are shipped to one of the company's three wood bat factories–to the Louisville site where all the adult-size and professional bats are turned, or to Ellicottville, N.Y., or Troy, Pa., where the company makes its wood youth and softball bats.
At the factory, a billet is placed in one of three types of lathes–a tracer lathe (all professional bats), a backnife lathe (adult bats) or an automatic lathe (all youth and softball bats)–where it is cut down to the bat shape. In the case of the tracer lathe, a flat metal guide, or pattern, in the shape of the bat being made, is placed in the lathe. The cutting tool follows the shape of the pattern as it cuts the wood.
Major league players all have their own bat shape and weight preferences, so each player's bat is different. And most players use several different bats over the course of their careers–or even during the season. Each bat model is assigned a model number. For instance, Babe Ruth's bats, model No. R43, varied over the years from 35 to 36 in. in length and 36 to 47 ounces. The very heavy 47-ouncer was for spring training only. Lou Gehrig's bat, 34 in. long and a fairly heavy 39 ounces, was model No. G69. By contrast, today Tony Gwynn uses a featherweight 33-in., 30 1/2-ounce bat, model No. B276C (the C means it is cupped at the end). Each model number is kept on file forever.
Hand-turning bats without a pattern guide, once the only method used, is too time-consuming, expensive and imprecise. But guys like Danny Luckett still hand-turn occasionally to demonstrate the technique to tour groups visiting the Louisville plant.
Once a bat has taken shape, the bat maker sands down the nub on the bat's thin end with 80-grit sandpaper. Then it is passed on to the brander to burn in the Louisville Slugger logo. Next, the entire bat is sanded and then finished if the bat has been ordered with a natural or flame-burned finish.
Some players want a flashier look and order special finishes. Harry "The Hat" Walker, 1947 batting champion with the St. Louis Cardinals, liked two-tone bats. The treatment is now called "The Walker Finish." The black 34-incher used by New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter goes to the sander first, then to the hand dip line for the coloring and finally to the foil brander where it receives gold lettering. If a bat is ordered with a cupped barrel end, which lightens it, the cupping becomes the final touch.
Jeter, who has used Louisville Sluggers exclusively during his still-young career, sees no reason to try other bats. "I just don't care to switch to another brand," says the 25-year-old phenom. Jeter's teammate, power hitter Tino Martinez, also uses Louisville Sluggers. "I tried other bats," says Martinez between batting practice swings at Yankee Stadium. "But I haven't been able to find the balance I look for in a bat from any other company."
And finding that balance, finding a bat that feels good, is vital. According to Mickey Mantle, the most powerful switch-hitter of all time, "The first step to hitting is to find the right bat." A thought echoed by Ted Williams, a lifetime .344 hitter, when he said, "I'd have been a .290 hitter without Louisville Slugger." During his career from 1939 to 1960, Williams, a man many consider the greatest pure hitter in history, was a frequent visitor to the Louisville Slugger plant, where he hand-picked the timber for his bats.
But even with the perfect stick, hitting is far from easy. "Hitting a baseball is the single most difficult thing to do in sport," says Williams. "It's the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed just three times out of 10 and be considered a great performer."
It's those few times you succeed, however. You read the pitch perfectly, hit that ball right on the sweet spot, and hear that wonderful, crisp crack. That's as perfect a moment as life can offer. |
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