Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Acquires Personal Flask Set of Ted Williams

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory has added another rare artifact to its collection–the authentic personal flask travel case used by baseball great Ted Williams. 

The elongated cased set of three glass liquor flasks is a remarkable piece that was used by the Boston Red Sox great in the 1950s. Williams’ initials “T.S.W.” are impressed on the outer casing of the set that includes three glass flasks. Each flask is protected by a custom-fitted brown leather sheath with gilt lettering titled, “Bourbon”, “Gin”, and “Scotch”. A small portion of liquor remains in each of the three flasks.

“We’re excited about this handsome addition to our collection,” says Anne Jewell, Executive Director. “This artifact supports efforts to promote Louisville tourism with the successful Urban Bourbon Trail and other new bourbon-related attractions springing up in our neighborhood along Museum Row on Main.”

Theodore Samuel “Ted” Williams played his entire 22-year Major League Baseball career with the Boston Red Sox. Nicknamed “The Splendid Splinter”, Williams was one of baseball’s all-time greats.  

A two-time American League Most Valuable Player, Williams led the league in batting six times and won the Triple Crown twice. He is especially remembered for being the last player in Major League Baseball to bat over .400 in a single season. Williams was also a great patriot as he left baseball twice to serve his country as a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot. The drink case will go on public display in September.

Tony Gwynn to Receive 2012 Living Legend Award from LSM&F

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory will honor Baseball Hall of Famer and San Diego Padres great, Tony Gwynn, with its 2012 Living Legend Award on Friday, November 9^th. Gwynn will be recognized during a special recognition ceremony that kicks off the Ninth Annual Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Auction. “Tony Gwynn exemplified the character and leadership of a Hall of Famer throughout his entire career,” said Anne Jewell, Executive Director of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. “The Living Legend Award recognizes greatness both on and off the field and Tony Gwynn has been a tremendous ambassador for America’s pastime throughout his life,” she said. 

Nicknamed “Mr. Padre”, Tony Gwynn played all of his 20 seasons with the San Diego Padres. He was known as one of the most consistent contact hitters in baseball history, posting a career batting average of .338. During his illustrious career, Gwynn never batted below .309 in any full season. The left-handed slugger won a record-tying eight batting titles between 1984 and 1997, joining Honus Wagner as one of only two players in the National League to accomplish that feat. He is the only player in major league history to win four batting titles in two separate decades.

Gwynn helped lead San Diego to the only two World Series appearances in franchise history. He was a 16-time National League All-Star and was voted to start  in that contest 11 times. Using a Louisville Slugger B267 model throughout his career, Gwynn earned 3,141 hits and finished his playing days ranked 17^th in career hits. He was a first ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, receiving a remarkable 97 percent of the votes. 

In addition, he has been the honored by the San Diego Padres numerous times since his retirement.  His No. 19 jersey was retired by the franchise in 2004. The Padres also honored Gwynn with a statue in PETCO Park and have named the street the stadium is on Tony Gwynn Drive. Gwynn is currently the head baseball coach at San Diego State University, his alma mater, where he played both college basketball and baseball for the Aztecs. 

Outside of baseball, Gwynn and his wife founded the Tony & Alicia Gwynn Foundation (TAG), a non-profit organization that assists charitable programs whose focus is helping underprivileged children and young adults grow into productive citizens.  TAG is especially interested in character development—encouraging positive attitude, behavior, communication and discipline in youth— that provides a foundation for success later in life.

“Throughout my entire baseball career I was a very proud member of the Louisville Slugger family,” Gwynn said. “It is a great honor to be recognized by Louisville Slugger. I am grateful that Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory is supporting TAG and helping youngsters accomplish their dreams of attending college.” he said. Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory has produced a limited edition B267C model collector bat autographed by Gwynn. Only 100 signed bats are available and the cost is $325 per bat, which includes two tickets to the invitation-only Living Legend celebration. Proceeds from the sales of these special bats will benefit the TAG Foundation. For more information or to purchase a bat, please call 502-588-7271 or email giftshop@slugger.com.

Past recipients of Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory’s Living Legend Award are Johnny Bench (2011), Ernie Banks (2010), Hank Aaron (2009), Frank Robinson (2008) and Ken Griffey, Jr. (2007).  

LSM&F Goes Political - Obama and Romney Signed Baseballs on Exhibit

As Election Day draws near and the political climate continues to heat up, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory has uncovered one issue that both presidential candidates have endorsed – baseball! Autographed baseballs from each candidate, President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney, are now currently on display at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. This unique, one-of-a-kind display mixes politics and America’s pastime, while capturing the passion of the upcoming election.

Regardless of who is elected this November, a “Sox” fan will be sitting in the Oval Office next year. And while both Obama and Romney share a love for baseball, they differ on which “Sox” team to cheer. President Obama’s favorite team is the Chicago White Sox and he’s even thrown out the first pitch at home games. Meanwhile, Romney, the former Governor of Massachusetts, does not hide his love for the Boston Red Sox.

Earlier this year, the White Sox/Red Sox rivalry intensified when Boston traded team captain and fan favorite Kevin Youkilis to Chicago. During a speech in Boston, President Obama jokingly thanked the Red Sox for trading Youkilis to his team. The crowd rallied with boos and his remarks were followed by comments from Romney in support of his beloved Red Sox.

LSM&F Welcomes Robinson-Inspired Barnstorming Youth Team

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory proudly welcomed the Anderson Monarchs, a youth African-American baseball team from South Philadelphia, on July 12th as they barnstorm across the country in tribute to Jackie Robinson and Negro League Baseball.

The inner city baseball team stopped at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory as part of a 22-day, 4,000-mile journey that also includes stops at the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City and the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.   

“We feel privileged to host the Anderson Monarchs as they travel across the country and share their passion for baseball with America,” said Anne Jewell, Executive Director at Louisville Slugger Museum Factory. “It is inspiring to see the Monarchs celebrate the history of the game that we all love so much.”

Along with taking a team photo in front of the World’s Biggest Bat, the Monarchs were given a special tour of the museum that focused on the Negro Leagues and highlighted Philadelphia baseball. During their time in Louisville, the Monarchs attended the Louisville Bats’ batting practice and played the East Louisville Bats. 

“When planning our trip of the most iconic baseball destinations, Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory was one at the top of our list,” said trip organizer and team coach Steve Bandura.  “Our entire team loved the award-winning museum tour and seeing the factory where the baseball bats are made,” he said.

The team is honoring baseball great Jackie Robinson by traveling the country in a refurbished Flexible Clipper touring bus once used by the 1947 Philadelphia Phillies.  The tour started in New York City on June 30th and will wrap with trip to Cooperstown on July 23rd before returning to Philadelphia. 

For more information on the Anderson Monarchs or to view their itinerary, please visit www.andersonmonarchs.org. 

LSM&F Brings Baseball History to Chicago

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory “hit” the road with a traveling interactive experience created for Chicago’s U.S. Cellular Field the weekend of June 22–24 as the White Sox took on the Milwaukee Brewers.

The baseball memorabilia on display included an authentic, game-used bat from White Sox legend “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. Also on display was the bat used by Hank Aaron to hit his 700th career home. Fans also had the chance to hold game-used bats from current White Sox players Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski.

“These bats are part of baseball’s rich history and it’s an honor to share them with the great baseball fans of Chicago,” said Anne Jewell, Executive Director at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. “Rarely do we display these artifacts outside of the museum." she said.

In addition to Konerko and Pierzynski authentic game-used bats, fans were also able to hold replica bats of the following players:  Carlton Fisk, Luis Aparicio, A.J. Pierzynski,  “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, Adam Dunn and Robin Ventura.

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Celebrates 100 Years of Fenway Park

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory commemorated the 100th birthday of Fenway Park with a day full of special progamming. Former Red Sox and current Louisville Bats pitcher Ron Mahay stopped by for a question and answer session with museum guests about what it's like to play in the shadow of the Green Monster. Mahay opened his career as an outfielder and shared a story about how future Hall of Famer Jim Rice took him to the outfield the morning of his first start and hit fungoes off the wall so Mahay could get a crash course in The Monster.

Guests were also treated with a chance to hold a game-used Ted Williams bats in our Hold a Piece of History exhibition. It is the first time this prized piece was taken from its permanent display for our guests to hold.

The celebration coincided with the opening of Ballparks: From Classic Cathedrals to Concrete Donuts, our summer exhibition featuring photography of more than 25 stadiums, past and present, by Jim Dow. It also marks the first time LSM&F plays host to artifacts direct from the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Partners with Kids Against Hunger and Student Volunteers to Package 7,000+ Meals

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory partnered with Kids Against Hunger and student volunteers from Coleridge-Taylor Elementary School on Wednesday to package more than 7,000 meals for needy families. The “pack-a-pallet” volunteer effort served as the official launch event of the new satellite of Kids Against Hunger in Louisville.

In just under two hours, the crew of volunteers worked together to package a complete shipping pallet of 33 cartons of food. The food packaged today will be distributed to hungry families in Haiti and in the Louisville area. 

 “We are proud to take part in the official launch event of Kids Against Hunger in Louisville,” said Anne Jewell, Executive Director at Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory.“ It was inspiring to see volunteers of all ages working together, having fun and producing amazing results that will surely make a difference for hungry families in need,” she said.

Kids Against Hunger is a humanitarian food-aid organization, dedicated to feeding starving children throughout the world. The organization’s approach to ending hunger involves mobilizing volunteers of all ages to package and distribute meals to starving children and their families in more than 60 countries, including the United States.

Kids Against Hunger-Louisville relies on the support of community groups, schools, churches, businesses and individual donors to sponsor packaging events. To learn more, visit their website at www.kah-louisville.org.

ABC City Guide For Kids Applaud Factory Tour

ABC City Guides for Kids has released its annual Top 7 Family Destinations list. According to Family Travel expert, Matthew Rosenberger, 2012 will be another strong year for family travel.

1. Pittsburgh, PA – Heinz History Center  and the Carnegie Science Center are world class.  Ride the Duquesne Incline for the best view of Kidsburgh and the city's 3 Rivers.  Visit Primanti Bros., the Strip District and Andy Warhol Museum.
2. Atlantic City, NJ – So much more than casinos here, visit the Absecon Lighthouse,  Historic Gardner's Basin, Steel Pier and Ripley Museum, then enjoy salt water taffy on America's first Boardwalk or at the beach.   Visit Tony's for great pizza and the other White House for a submarine sandwich.
3. Times Square, New York – See the Gazillion Bubble Show on Broadway, ride the Giant Ferris Wheel inside Toys "R" Us, and visit the Hershey and M&M super stores.  At the end of the day, grab a seat on the red steps in Father Duffy Squareand soak in the sights and sounds of the Crossroads of the World.
4. Chicago, IL – Plan a summer visit during the Taste of Chicago Festival.  Schedule plenty of time for Museum Campus, Navy Pier and the Art Institute. Lincoln Park Zoo, Lake Michigan and Wrigley Field are mandatory stops.  Wind down with a stroll on Michigan Avenue.
5. Philadelphia, PA – Start at the Rocky statue then race to the top of the Art Museum steps and plan a city sculpture scavenger hunt.  Stop by the Franklin Institute and Mummers Museum then grab "one wit" at Geno's or Pat's in South Philly before heading to a Phillies game.
6. Louisville, KY— The Louisville Slugger Museum may have the best "factory" tour in the country.  Visit Churchill Downs, Ali Museum, and Louisville Stoneware factory and gallery.  Kids will want to eat every meal at Lynn's Paradise Cafe.
7. Washington, DC – The Smithsonian Museums, International Spy Museum and Newseum will be bustling all year. Plan a visit during the National Cherry Blossom Festival and catch a Nats game too.

About ABC City Guides for Kids: ABC City Guides for Kids, has been producing all-in-one alphabet book, activity guide and souvenir books since 2003. For more information visit http://www.kidstravelguides.com

SOURCE ABC City Guides for Kids