"I especially remember at that time, Jerry gave me one of those huge, oversized Louisville Slugger baseball bats. And I was deeply appreciative of that. I still keep it in my office. And, believe me, it comes in handy late at night, when I've had enough diplomacy for one day and I want to hit somebody. So I thank you, Jerry."
John Fogerty plays the song "Centerfield" on his baseball bat guitar.
Ralph Kiner, Monte Irvin and Hank Greenberg posing with an oversized bat.
Ernmark silverquillBy best guess, the bat itself is about 12' long. The lathe it was turned on is also located nearby, along with other interesting items. The park itself is an interesting destination as it bills itself as the largest free-admission park.
To find the bat - head toward the northernmost area of the park, near the Kiddie Carousel.
| Web Address: Roadside attraction web site Price of Admission: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Weekday Hours: From: 11:00 AM To: 10:00 PM Weekend Hours: From: 11:00 AM To: 10:00 PM |
THE MUNSTERS ORIGINAL EDDIE MUNSTER BASEBALL BAT |
| Sold for: | $113.53 | ||
| Ended: | Jun 22, 2008 |
Story about the Big Bat by Bob Bartosz: As the 1975 Baseball Season was coming to an end, there was a lot of talk about the 100th Anniversary of the National League (1876-1976). All the teams in the National League were preparing to honor this big event. New Uniforms, hats, logos etc. Being a photographer and covering the National League games for a local South Jersey newspaper I came upon the idea to celebrate this event also. During the winter months I acquired a huge piece of turn of the century Teak wood and using a pattern off of a Greg Luzinski Model bat, I had a local machine shop cut a model of it on their lathe. The bat was about five foot tall in size. The bat was taken to a county vocational school to their wood shop. There it was sanded down with a very fine sand paper to give it a proper smooth finish. I had two large decals custom made at a local printing shop bearing the Logo of the 100th Anniversary for the National League. At the start of the 1976 season in April I took the bat with me to the Phillies Clubhouse at Veterans Stadium where it got a lot of attention from the Phillies players and I had all of them autograph the bat with a Sharpie Pen. I than took the bat over to the Visitors Clubhouse and had each player also sign the bat. I continued to do this as each team came in to Veterans Stadium during the 1976 Season. Everyone was very happy to sign the bat ( back in the early 1970's days there were no large groups of photographers and few autograph-seekers hounding the players like you see today). When the Dodgers came into town everyone graciously signed the bat with one exception. The Dodgers pitcher Mike Marshall refused to sign the bat. Mike was a very pleasant person and explained to me that he would not autograph any item. Many of his teammates urged him to sign the bat but he still refused. He explained that he felt terrible about this but that was his policy. As a good will gesture, he gave me his personal 1975 All-Star Game bat. As the year went on I was able to get everyone in the Clubhouse to sign the bat. I was hoping to give the bat to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown NY, as my wife and I were frequently going there during the Induction Ceremonies and covering the Hall of Fame games. Throughout the years we have donated many items from the old Connie Mack Stadium and photos to the Hall of Fame and we were hoping that they would exhibit the bat but I was told by them that they just did not have any room for new displays. This was back in the mid 1970's before all the new construction and the new changes that you see at the Hall of Fame today. After the 1976 season, the bat was put on display in various malls here in South Jersey. I was able to take photographs of many of the players that signed the bat, and both the photos and the bat attracted many thousands of baseball fans who came to see it. As the years went by I had stored the bat away in a closet. I had a lot of fun creating this unique tribute to the National League's Centennial, and sharing it with others over the years. I am now retired and have disposed of much of my baseball collection and have decided that the bat should go to a new owner. I am sure it will find a deserving home. Sincerely, Bob Bartosz. Now retired Sports Photographer
The bat weighs 14 pounds and measures 54 inches in length. It is signed by hundreds of players. This is a simply amazing display piece. Everyone who sees it wants to hold it. It is also a display piece with a great story. The fact that Mike Marshall is so legendary for his refusal to sign, and the autographed bat is accompanied by the All-Star Game bat presented to Bob Bartosz as a token of Marshall's remorse, adds a fascinating additional dimension of interest. The bat is also accompanied by a selection of twenty-two original photographs taken by Bob Bartosz of players from various teams signing and posing with the bat in the clubhouse. The only National League player aside from Mike Marshall that Bob Bartosz knows that he happened to miss getting to sign the bat is Willie Montanez. SOLD FOR $4,640.00
REA
HUGE RARE VINTAGE 1941 OVERSIZE KREN BAT
JOSEPH KREN was a famous baseball bat maker
whose clients were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Hornsby, and others.
Like the Major League Baseball superstars he made bats for,
KREN, himself, was finally inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in the year 2000.
[He's in the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall. His tools were donated to the National Baseball Hall]
JOSEPH KREN immigrated from Germany in the late 1800's, and settled in the Syracuse (NY) North Side German community, where he founded his baseball bat (and billy club) industry in the late 1920's. He attended Syracuse's oldest Catholic church, ST. MARY'S CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION on N. Salina St., which serviced the spiritual needs of the German Catholic Community.
JOSEPH KREN turned this rare one-of-a-kind huge baseball bat
[Ah, but did he? Where's the logo?]
to be auctioned off at ASSUMPTION'S 1941 PICNIC.The names on the bat are the names of the parishioners who bought auction tickets - there were over 100!
The bat is 46" long, 5" wide at the top, and weighs about 7 pounds. The handle rim has a shallow chip (pictured below). There are multiple other mini-chips, scratches, rub marks, and paint spotson the bat, in addition to an eyehook hole, where it was hung at a home bar for years. Nevertheless, this may hold the distinction of being the largest KREN BAT in existence.
[Could be, but who's counting giants bats (but us)? Exactly how close to seven pounds is it? How big is that kid and what's the bat's length?]
KREN'S name does not appear on the bat, but it is obviously his craftsmanship.
[... obviously, since it's a bat that's too big and heavy to use in a game. Look at the sloppy label, clearly a master at work.]
I am sure that some people in Syracuse will be emailing me to see if any of their relatives names are on the bat. Since many of the names are faded and/or hard to read, I hope you will understand that I can only take the time to do the research for interested buyers.
[I'm sure you can imagine any name you wish]
A GREAT HISTORICAL SYRACUSE COLLECTIBLE and TRUE MUSEUM PIECE.
[... except for, uh, the "true" part, and, uh, the "museum" part]
This museum quality sports collectible is in FAIR to GOOD CONDITION.
