Source: Mears
In an era when bats typically last no more than a few MLB games, the practice of nicknaming them is likely to disappear, but one of the most famous bats ever, Shoeless Joe Jackson’s Black Betsy, continues to hold a place in baseball lore.
Jackson, a .356 career hitter, had his bats produced by both Spalding and H&B (Some were handmade, and simply finished by Spalding), with H&B continuing to reproduce them as store models for decades to come. These bats were not as uniform as bats are today, with lengths from 34 ½ to 36 ½ inches and ranging from 36 to over 40 ounces, they dwarfed most modern bats.
Source: SCETV.ORG
If you want the experience of swinging one today, replicas can still be found at Phoenix Bats, and they can even be personalized.
