Question about an Al Unser bat

[ctownboy]

Hello all,

Since the Indianapolis 500 is currently being raced, I thought this would be a good time to ask a question about a bat I own.

I live in Indianapolis and last year I bought some baseball items at a yard sale. One was a Ferris Fain model Louisville Slugger bat, one was a Louisville Slugger Fungo bat and one was a Ray Fosse model Rawlings catchers mitt.

I know the Ferris Fain bat and the Fungo bat are probably from the 1950's and the Ray Fosse glove is probably from the 1970's. The problem I am having is with an Al Unser bat that I also bought at the sale.

It is an autograph model (just like the Fain bat) and has the older Hillerich and Bradsby logo. It has the "125" and "powerized" markings and is 33 3/4 inches long. On the end of the knob it is marked, "U24".

I know no AL Unser ever played in the Majors but was wondering if there was an Al Unser that played Minor League ball or if this might be some special bat Hillerich & Bradsby made for the race car driver. If so, when and what for?

Thanks,

David

[thxforthebp]

Hope this helps



Albert Bernard Unser (October 12, 1912 – July 7, 1995) was a Major League Baseball catcher who played for the Detroit Tigers (1942-1944) and Cincinnati Reds (1945). He was a native of Morrisonville, Illinois and the father of MLB center fielder Del Unser.

Unser is one of many baseball players who only appeared in the major leagues during World War II. He made his major league debut on September 14, 1942 in a home game against the Washington Senators at Briggs Stadium. He played sparingly for Detroit, and had his best season in 1945 with the Reds, batting .265 in 67 games with 3 home runs and 21 runs batted in (RBI). Career totals for 120 games include a .251 batting average (85-for-338), 4 home runs, 30 RBI, 41 runs, .322 on base percentage, and a slugging percentage of .355.

Unser was manager of the Midwest League Decatur Commodores from 1955-1957

[ctownboy]

Yes, that does help.

I tried to look his name up in my old baseball encyclopedia but only saw Del Unser (totally overlooked Al's small area of stats).

Does the U24 on the knob mean this is a game used bat or what? I thought most store model bats had a number which indicated either the length or weight of the bat. Also, since Unser didn't appear in many games, it would seem that having a store model bat made for him wouldn't make that much sense.

David

[MGHPro]

Yes, U24 is pro stock.
Matt

[ctownboy]

Thanks Matt.

I don't know much about bats and didn't want to bother Hillerich & Bradsby if this were a store model bat. Now I think I will e mail them and see what info they can give me about the bat.

David