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Home , Ben Zobrist, Ernie Banks, Jason Heyward, Jim Thome, Joe Tinker, Paul Konerko

6 7 A .400 for nostalgia A Going up to bat with Cubs, White Sox greats at the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory DAILYHERALD.COM/ENTERTAINMENT

COURTESY OF LOUISVILLE SLUGGER MUSEUM & FACTORY It took 200,000 pine needles to make this bear pining for a Cubs in the museum’s special exhibition “Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Oddball.”

By Katherine Rodeghier present, including Chi- Daily Herald Correspondent cago Cubs and White Louisville Slugger Sox greats , “Look, there’s .” , Andre Museum & Factory

DAILYHERALD.COM/ENTERTAINMENT COURTESY OF KATHERINE RODEGHIER Sure enough, a home plate with the Dawson, , Where: 800 W. Main St., Museum visitors can take a swing with a bat legend’s name on it and a and Ken Louisville, Kentucky, (877) once used by a major leaguer. replica of his bat in bronze stands near Griffey Jr., who played 775-8443, sluggermuseum. a street corner. As my husband and I half a season for the Sox several with the Cubs and Sox are under com stroll along Museum Row, a.k.a. West in 2008. Bats on display promotional contract with the company, Main Street, in Louisville, Kentucky, we behind glass include Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. including Cubs starters spot more tributes to big names in the those used by Sox leg- Monday through Saturday, 11 and and major leagues. We spot end “Shoeless” Joe Jack- a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday with Sox players Alex Avila and and and Cal son and Hall of Famer extended hours July 1-Aug. and J.B. Shuck. travel Ripken Jr. Some 60 names , member 9. Last tour begins one hour The first bats were are enshrined on this of that legendary 1908 before closing. fashioned in a wood-turning factory milelong Walk of Fame. Cubs team. Admission: $14 adults, $13 that made bedposts and balusters. J. And what do they have You can see the seniors 60 and older, $8 kids Frederick Hillerich, the German immi- in common? Each stepped notches grant who founded the factory in Lou- 6-12 up to the plate with a Lou- carved in his bat for isville, scoffed at making bats, but his isville Slugger in his hand. each of his 60 home Greater Louisville Conven- American-born son, Bud, was an ama- SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2016 It’s a fact driven home runs in his 1927 season tion and Visitors Bureau: teur baseball player and took the bat COURTESY OF KATHERINE RODEGHIER COURTESY OF LOUISVILLE SLUGGER MUSEUM & FACTORY at 800 W. Main where a and admire the bat Joe (888) 568-4784 or goto Fans learn about baseball greats and their bats in the museum. business to heart. The Louisville Slug- A 120-foot-tall-replica of Babe Ruth’s bat attracts attention outside 120-foot-tall bat marks DiMaggio used in his louisville.com ger trademark originated from the nick- the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. the entrance to the Lou- 56-game winning streak. science of hitting a hands over players’ signatures burned name of the player for whom Bud made isville Slugger Museum & One of the galleries has baseball. Head to the onto wood. There’s a special section the first bat in 1884. Factory. A scale replica of lifelike sculptures of baseball greats and batting cage to put their wisdom into for Hall of Fame Slugger managers On a tour of the factory, you’ll see how Babe Ruth’s 34-inch Slug- an opportunity to stare down a 90 mph practice, using new models of Louisville and contract players, including Daw- bats were once hand-turned on a lathe, A worker in the Louisville Slugger Factory ger, it’s hard to miss. from . Sluggers or choosing from replicas of son, and Tony LaRussa. and then a guide walks you through the demonstrates how bats were hand-turned. Now Inside, you can hold In a film narrated by James Earl Jones, bats used by , Evan Longo- Griffey’s name will be added this sum- current process of turning them out on they are shaped by computer-guided machines. actual bats used by major players such as Thome and ria and “Mr. Cub” Ernie Banks. mer. About 60 percent of major league SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2016 SUNDAY, COURTESY OF KATHERINE RODEGHIER league players past and share their insights into the art and On a Signature Wall, you can your players use Louisville Slugger bats and See LOUISVILLE on page 11