1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

[farley18sfgiants]

the pictured bat was given to me by willie mays at a game in philadelphia in 1961. my brother played for the giants from 1957-1961. i think it was made in 1958 or 1959. the controversy is over the knob stamp because another bat like this has never been documented in public record. the knob stamp is 282 with a double stamp of the letter s & d overtop each other.

[GoTigers]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

I may very well be wrong about this, but I believe the "S" would denote a 33" bat and the "D" would be used on a 35" bat. How long is this bat?

[farley18sfgiants]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

this bat is 33"... which i'm being told is uncommon to willie mays. here is proof however odd it may be- it exist. he cracked this bat during the game and walked over to the stands and handed it to me.

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

I remember your brother Bob...he had a card in the 1962 Topps set. It listed him as a member of the White Sox, but the photo was a close-up in a Giants uniform with no cap.

Dave Miedema

[farley18sfgiants]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

yes... that is correct. he rode the bench with the giants behind great players like cepeda and mccovey and asked to be traded to another team where he stood a chance to start.

[both-teams-played-hard]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

I remember your brother Bob...he had a card in the 1962 Topps set. It listed him as a member of the White Sox, but the photo was a close-up in a Giants uniform with no cap.

Dave Miedema

[sox83cubs84]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

yes... that is correct. he rode the bench with the giants behind great players like cepeda and mccovey and asked to be traded to another team where he stood a chance to start.

The White Sox would have been his best shot, as the starter was Joe Cunningham at 1B...a good player, but not a McCovey or a Cepeda, or even close. The OF would have been a possibility, too...the best names were Al Smith and Jim Landis. Once he was dealt to the Tigers, he had a young Norm Cash in his way at first and Kaline, Colavito and Bruton patrolling the outfield

I wonder how differently things might have gone for Bob had he been drafted by one of the expansion teams...?


Dave Miedema

[MSpecht]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

Here is some information that was posted previously (see Post 2)

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=2912

Dave Grob at MEARS has done significant research on Adirondack c, d, and s series bats as well, some of which is available on the public portion of the MEARS site as well.

Mike jackitout7@aol.com

[farley18sfgiants]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

[farley18sfgiants]

Re: 1958 1959 Willie Mays Bat Help

It Was The Spring Of 1961 And My Brother After A Great 1960 Season In Tacoma Was Called Up To San Farncisco. He Wanted Dad And I To Come To A Game In Philadelphia Near Our Pennsylvania Home. We Arrived In Philadelphia The Night Before At An Upscale Hotel Where The Ball Team Was Staying. I Believe It Was The Warwick Hotel. Dad Was Uncomfortable With The Grand Scale Of This Place But, Bob Insisted We Stay There With The Team. He Had Introduced Us To The Players Including Willie Mays And We Had Extensive Conversation With Him. The Next Day At The Game I Remember The Teams Warming Up And Generously Giving Out Baseballs. During The Game Willie Mays Cracked A Bat And Walked Right Over To The Stands And Handed It To Me. I Couldn't Believe The Great Willie Mays Had Remembered Me From The Night Before. When We Returned Home I Put A Few Nails In The Crack And Taped It Up. Life Moved On And The Bat Found A Home In The Garage Closet. In The Late 1970's When My Son Started Playing Ball He Emptied The Closet Of All The Old Pro Ball Equipment. He Became Curious Of The Mays Bat And Untaped It ..to Find It Cracked. The Bat Had Some Pine Tar On It And He Taped Back Over That Area. The Bat Remained There Until Aug Of 2011. I Started Digging Through The Old Baseball Memorabilia With The Thought Of Selling These Items To A More Deserving Home. That Is When I First Paid Attention To The Knob Stamp, Lettering And Such To Actually Date The Bat And Gain Some More Knowledge. My Brother Will Also Verify This Bat To Be A Mays Game Bat Despite Some Others Opinions.