THE LOUISVILLE SLUGGER

Author

Matthew Garringer
August 05, 2023

Good evening. This is Dead Legends. The daily newsletter that glides into your inbox like a Jordan Hicks slide piece.

Let’s dive in.

Today’s story is about the ballplayer who inspired one of the most iconic brands in baseball.

Every one of us has probably had a bat from Louisville Slugger at one point.

The brand has deep roots that go back to the late 1800’s, and most modern-day companies use LS models like the 271, 243, and 110.

There’s literally not a bat company on Earth that doesn’t make a model 271.

What’s way more interesting than the company though, is the namesake - Pete Browning.

Louis Rogers “Pete” Browning played in the Major Leagues from 1882-1894.

His best seasons were with the Louisville Eclipse (who later became the Colonels) from 1882-1889.

During those years, Pete never hit under .300 (aside from his last season), and one time he hit .402 (1887).

When he left the American Association, Browning had the highest batting average in the league’s history.

His dominance at the plate combined with the fact that he was a hometown kid earned him the name “The Louisville Slugger.”

But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses for Pete.

Unfortunately, he suffered from mastoiditis - which is a condition that can result in deafness, vertigo, facial palsy and brain damage.

He constantly got headaches, which he tried to alleviate by drinking.

Pete even said himself, "I can't hit the ball until I hit the bottle."

Naturally, he got suspended several times throughout his career for his excessive drinking, and it didn’t necessarily help his performance on the field.

Even though he continued to hit well, Pete led AA outfielders in errors during the ‘86 and ‘87 seasons.

And for some odd reason, he refused to slide, which made him a pretty bad baserunner too.

He had a few other quirks too.

First off, the guy would keep track of his batting statistics on his shirt cuffs, and would introduce himself as “The Champion Batter of the American Association.”

Gotta love that level of humility.

Pete also had a very intimate relationship with his bats - speaking to them, and giving each of them a name, often inspired by a Biblical figure.

He also believed that each bat only contained a certain number of hits, and thus, he would “retire” bats periodically when he felt they had run out of juice.

Because Pete was so particular about his lumber, he became the first player to have his bats custom-made.

During a slump in ‘84, Browning commissioned John “Bud”" Hillerich to make him a bat - the next day he went out and got three hits.

The rest, as they say, is history.

BASEBALL TRIVIA

Look out for the correct answer in tomorrow’s intro!

STRANGE NAMES

If you're just joining us, we play this game every day where we try to find the weirdest names throughout baseball history.

Why? Don't ask us, it's just something we like to do.

If you've been rocking with us for awhile now, you know what time it is.

Today's winner is:

Dotterer’s baseball journey took him far and wide.

He played in the minors and the Latin American leagues along with a short career in the big leagues.

Mostly, he was a backup catcher during his five-year stint in the majors.

His stats won’t impress you, but his stories definitely would.

During our research, we found stories about Dutch shooting pool with Willie Mays, catching a baseball dropped out of a helicopter, and playing against Satchel Paige in Cuba.

Very interesting dude.

THE DEAD LEGENDS ARCHIVE

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