As a collector of Sports Illustrated, I recently picked up a few mint newsstand copies from the 80’s. I enjoy going back through old copies and reading some of the articles. My latest read is the July 24th, 1989 copy featuring Gregg Jefferies on the cover swinging a shattered bat, with the headline, “Wooden Bats are Doomed”. Written by Peter Gammons, the story talked about “the end of an era”, describes the reasons wooden bats will no longer be used in the Major Leagues, and even quotes Jack Hillerich:
"I certainly see a time in the not-too-distant future when everyone will be using some alternative bat—aluminum, graphite or some composite," says Jack Hillerich, the third-generation president of Hillerich & Bradsby, which, because of its Louisville Sluggers, has been synonymous with baseball bats for more than 100 years. "A wood bat is a financially obsolete deal. If we were selling them for $40 apiece instead of $14 or $16.50 I the company's prices for minor league and major league bats I. then we'd be making a sensible profit. But we aren't. We can't charge that much. The time will come when even the majors will use aluminum or graphite."
And another quote: "No one even wants the major league business anymore," adds Chuck Schupp, H & B director of professional bat sales. "
My questions are as follows:
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068610/1/index.htm
I would especially like to hear from Brian Hillerich!
Joel
"I certainly see a time in the not-too-distant future when everyone will be using some alternative bat—aluminum, graphite or some composite," says Jack Hillerich, the third-generation president of Hillerich & Bradsby, which, because of its Louisville Sluggers, has been synonymous with baseball bats for more than 100 years. "A wood bat is a financially obsolete deal. If we were selling them for $40 apiece instead of $14 or $16.50 I the company's prices for minor league and major league bats I. then we'd be making a sensible profit. But we aren't. We can't charge that much. The time will come when even the majors will use aluminum or graphite."
And another quote: "No one even wants the major league business anymore," adds Chuck Schupp, H & B director of professional bat sales. "
My questions are as follows:
- What has changed since 1989 to falsify this prediction?
- If nobody wants the MLB business anymore, why are there so many new entries into the marketplace?
- What is the current view of wood vs. other materials at H&B?
- Is there anything close to wood made of newer materials?
- If wood bats went the way of the Dodo bird, would this make alternative material bats more valuable because the supply would be that much less?
- How would it affect your collecting habits?
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1068610/1/index.htm
I would especially like to hear from Brian Hillerich!
Joel
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