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As long as there has been baseball, there have
been Louisville Slugger bats. The factory and offices stand in the commercial
district, just off of the main drag of downtown.
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The Big Bat stands in front of the main entrance,
marking the building, and acting as a lure to the faithful. It certainly
makes the place easy to find, for the tourist.
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The bat rests, on the brick paved entrance.
Next to the plant is a window and glass shop, which seems pretty appropriate.
The ball going through the window, marks the glassworks, as clearly as the
bat marks the Slugger factory.
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A look inside, along the main corridor. Tours
of the factory are available. Well, maybe next time. Note the little girl,
in the middle of the photo, with the pink bat.
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The glass sign indicates that this is the signature
wall, containing the names of all of the players that have been involved
with the Louisville Slugger.
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Another look at the signature wall, which contains
8000 signatures.
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And still another look, in the other direction.
Signatures are arranged by date, with the oldest being off to the left.
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The Louisville Slugger signature wall.
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Just inside of the front entrance, with the
welcome desk, and the signature wall behind. The gift shop is off to the
left, and the factory tour starts off to the right.
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One last look at the signature wall, at it's
starting point, by the factory doors. This starts at the turn of the last
century, with players of whom I have never even heard.
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The hall of fame section of the wall. These
are the signatures of the players, who are in the National Baseball Hall
of Fame.
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There is, of course, a gift shop. Actually,
some pretty neat things are for sale here, including bats, balls, miniature
bats, and an assortment of clothing.
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This sign is set in concrete, among the brick
paving at the base of the Big Bat.
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The Big Bat, with parents, and others, posing
in front for photos. It has become quite the tourist attraction.
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A look up the body of the Big Bat.
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Bat blanks, awaiting the final turing that will
turn them into the stuff that dreams are made of. The blanks are arranged
in racks, with numbers indicating weight and density.
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The bats are still turned by hand, by craftsmen
who were trained by men long retired. This is the genuine article.
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A special workstation, where bats are turned
for pro use. These are the bats that you will see in the hands winning the
games, and setting the new records.
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