Blooey-Ville Slugger Curved bat

The Blooey-Ville Slugger Curved baseball bat was produced in the 1950s, based on an 1890 patent. It is not known who produced the bat, but it was reported in a 1955 Green Bay Press newspaper that the Blooey-ville Slugger curved baseball bat was brought to a baseball clinic conducted by the then Bay Beach manager Teddy Fritsch, Braves center fielder Billy Bruton and pitcher Ernie Johnson. The phrase "his famed Blooeyville Slugger" was used, indicating that Fritsch might have produced the bats himself or had them made. The Blooey-ville Slugger model also has "Curve-Ball" Fritsch' on the barrel.

Another model has a barrel stamping that reads "Russ Meyer" a pitcher for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955. Just a speculation that the bat was made for him by Fritsch. The stamping on the bats are humorous, and there is no manufacturer markings. The center brand reads "BLOOEY-VILLE - SLUGGER" a play on words for Louisville Slugger. To the right reads; "Not recommended for fast balls or good hitters-" The knob features a question mark. The Fritsch model reads "Curve-Ball." Fritch was quoted in the article "The bat is bent as you could see, and is used against spit ball pitchers"

The Curved baseball bat was patented in 1890 by inventor Emile Kintz. In 1911 Kintz a Chicago native made a push to market his curved baseball bat, claiming that the bat will revolutionize the game and improve averages. He began to manufacture the bats in 1908. The bats were not received well, and only fell into the hands of a few players. Chicago White Sox leftfielder Pat Dougherty used the bat in the 1906 World Series against the Cubs and did well with it. Chief Bender got a hit with the curved bat, and declared that it was one of the best ever. Kibtz also cited that many of the Cuban players in the country had great success because they used his bat.

Both Chicago baseball club owners, Charles Webb Murphy and Charles A. Comiskey were supplied with samples. Kintz was expecting large orders, but the bat never caught on. The Detroit Tigers experimented with the bat towards the end of the 1910 season and thought it was a "Useless freak," and a joke. The tigers had fun with it, and were amused at best.

Blooey-Ville Slugger Curved Baseball Bat


Blooey-Ville Slugger Curved Baseball Bat	Blooey-Ville Slugger Knob

KEYMAN COLLECTIBLES RELATED RESOURCES

	KeyMan Collectibles Baseball Memorabilia Facebook Group - Post Questions and comments relating to Baseball Collectibles and Memorabilia. Interact with other collectors or show off your collection.
	KeyMan Collectibles Forum - A great option for those that "Don't do facebook" Post Questions and comments relating to Baseball Collectibles and Memorabilia