RIP: H & B Louisville Slugger (As we've always known it)

[asu66]

LOUISVILLE — Hillerich & Bradsby, the company that made bats for a who's who of baseball greats, including Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, announced a deal Monday to sell its Louisville Slugger brand to rival Wilson Sporting Goods for $70 million.

The deal is expected to close this summer. Twenty-percent of the company's United States employees will lose their jobs in the deal.

Hillerich & Bradsby is best known for making its Louisville Slugger baseball bats.

But the 130-year-old batmaker also makes baseball gloves, golf clubs and other sports equipment. It has faced headwinds in recent years, starting with a threat to its source of ash wood for its professional and amateur wooden bats.

About 60% of Major League Baseball players use Louisville Slugger bats, and the company has sold more than 100 million, according to H&B's website.

Wilson's deal to acquire the global brand, sales and innovation rights of Louisville Slugger still requires approval from H&B shareholders, according to the companies' joint announcement.

Read on here...http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ml ... /70329556/

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

How soon before the bats are made in China?

[asu66]

How soon before the bats are made in China?

I'd say about six months after Wilson gets the trademark rights. The Chinese are already sourcing the entire world for supplies of kiln-dried white ash.

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

How soon before the bats are made in China?

I'd say about six months after Wilson gets the trademark rights. The Chinese are already sourcing the entire world for supplies of kiln-dried white ash.

It is a bit of economic jingoism and I am generally not all that nationalistic, which is obvious from a few posts I have made on this and the old board, but I do wish the various major league sports and their player unions would have a agreement that uniforms and equipment would be made with decent livable pay and benefits in a country that has some level of freedom. That would not mean 100% USA as Canada and other countries would qualify in my book, but these sports leagues have the money to do this. It would provide a few jobs with good pay and not be part of a race to the bottom.

[AppinVA]

We don't see eye to eye politically often, but I agree on this front.

[scatman77]

LOUISVILLE — Hillerich & Bradsby, the company that made bats for a who's who of baseball greats, including Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, announced a deal Monday to sell its Louisville Slugger brand to rival Wilson Sporting Goods for $70 million.

The deal is expected to close this summer. Twenty-percent of the company's United States employees will lose their jobs in the deal.

Hillerich & Bradsby is best known for making its Louisville Slugger baseball bats.

But the 130-year-old batmaker also makes baseball gloves, golf clubs and other sports equipment. It has faced headwinds in recent years, starting with a threat to its source of ash wood for its professional and amateur wooden bats.

About 60% of Major League Baseball players use Louisville Slugger bats, and the company has sold more than 100 million, according to H&B's website.

Wilson's deal to acquire the global brand, sales and innovation rights of Louisville Slugger still requires approval from H&B shareholders, according to the companies' joint announcement.

Read on here...http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ml ... /70329556/

Elementary school at good ol' Mt. Ulla and recess was the best part of the day. We'd all bring our gloves and bats to play softball. Think "The Sandlot" with softball because we weren't allowed to use a baseball. You knew that you were "accepted" when everyone else wanted to use your bat. I had a good H and B Slugger that met that challenge. Good times..........

[asu66]

LOUISVILLE — Hillerich & Bradsby, the company that made bats for a who's who of baseball greats, including Babe Ruth and Ted Williams, announced a deal Monday to sell its Louisville Slugger brand to rival Wilson Sporting Goods for $70 million.

The deal is expected to close this summer. Twenty-percent of the company's United States employees will lose their jobs in the deal.

Hillerich & Bradsby is best known for making its Louisville Slugger baseball bats.

But the 130-year-old batmaker also makes baseball gloves, golf clubs and other sports equipment. It has faced headwinds in recent years, starting with a threat to its source of ash wood for its professional and amateur wooden bats.

About 60% of Major League Baseball players use Louisville Slugger bats, and the company has sold more than 100 million, according to H&B's website.

Wilson's deal to acquire the global brand, sales and innovation rights of Louisville Slugger still requires approval from H&B shareholders, according to the companies' joint announcement.

Read on here...http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ml ... /70329556/

Elementary school at good ol' Mt. Ulla and recess was the best part of the day. We'd all bring our gloves and bats to play softball. Think "The Sandlot" with softball because we weren't allowed to use a baseball. You knew that you were "accepted" when everyone else wanted to use your bat. I had a good H and B Slugger that met that challenge. Good times..........

Ditto, only at Spencer Elem. I had a 36" H & B "Duke Snider" Slugger from Montgomery Ward; and even at that length (extremely long for 7th and 8th graders), it was the most used bat on the field.

[WVAPPeer]

I was lucky in that I had access to bats (who cares if they were cracked) - as a batboy for the Bluefield Orioles I got to keep the broken bats - I had a set-up in my basement where I would put small nails in the area of the break and then use black tape to cover that area - Good To Go !!!

I still have a Boog Powell broken bat from his time in Class D ball which he autographed many years later ---

[brocktune90]

I have a broken Ted Kluszewski bat from when my dad was a batboy for the Chattanooga Lookouts. Cincinnati came through on a promotion tour. The bat is framed on my wall.