Sweet Spot: 125 Years of Baseball and the Louisville Slugger - Hardcover

David Magee; Philip Shirley; Foreword By Ken Griffey Jr

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1600781764 ISBN 13: 9781600781766

Publisher: Triumph Books, 2009

Synopsis

Away from the game and the players for which it was crafted, the baseball bat is a sleek but humble creation. Yet in the hands of batters both young and old who have been stepping to the plate on diamonds around the world for more than a century, the bat is a powerful tool, capable of yielding lasting memories or making legends of a lifetime. And no bat has had more impact on baseball and the players of the game than Louisville Slugger, the tool of the trade used by millions-from the major leagues to college and youth leagues. In accordance with Louisville Slugger's 125th anniversary, the complete history of the bat, its impact on the game, and the ongoing story of Hillerich and Bradsby's family business is told in these pages. Blending firsthand stories from former and current major leaguers with details from more than 100 years of craftsmanship and contribution, this comprehensive history of baseball's bat and its impact on America's game is a must-have and must-read for anyone who has ever stood at the plate waiting on a pitch-or watched as a fan-hoping for a miracle.

About this title

From the Publisher:

"I'd have been a .290 hitter without Louisville Slugger." --Ted Williams

"Every home run that I hit in the major leagues was with a Louisville Slugger." --Harmon Killebrew

"Never, never once did I use any other bat but Louisville Slugger." --George Brett

"You flash back to Lou Gehrig's speech or Babe Ruth stories or images of Hank Aaron circling the bases again and again, and you realize we are connected to those flashes." --John Hillerich IV, CEO of Hillerich & Bradsby Co.

"There's a history to Louisville Slugger that I think everyone in baseball respects." --Jim Thome "The game changes over the years. Players run faster. Balls are hit harder. New ballparks are built. But the one thing that does not change is baseball's connection to the past, and for many of us that starts with Louisville Slugger...." --Ken Griffey Jr.

"I've used the same bat--same model, same size--since day one in the minor leagues." --Derek Jeter

From the Inside Flap:

When the game of "town ball" was born in the late 18th century, it bore little resemblance to the game millions of baseball fans know and love today. There were often more than nine men in the field, foul lines were absent, the infield was rectangular, and players used bats in all shapes and sizes--from short, square clubs to long, skinny broomsticks. As the fledgling sport began to gain popularity, teams and leagues throughout the country began to look for opportunities to standardize the rules of play and improve the quality of their most important piece of equipment.

Then, in the late 19th century, a young Kentucky woodworker named Bud Hillerich crafted his first baseball bat from a piece of white ash. The game of baseball would never be the same again

About this edition

• Publisher: Triumph Books
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1600781764
• ISBN 13: 9781600781766
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 176