Tricks of the Trade
Saturday, February 7th, 2009In the shadow of corporate sponsorship and in this day of endorsements and big contracts, it’s easy to say “the game has changed,” and wonder how it used to be. But even in those golden days, big companies and big contracts loomed over proud family operations. In Sean Kirst’s column, we get a look at a hometown bat manufacturer who was well known for making top-quality bats, but not for seeing them recognized on the field. Even though Joseph Kren’s bats were respected as strong, resilient sticks by top players of the twenties and thirties, most guys were under contract with Lousiville Slugger.
Kren’s story is more than a feel-good story of a local manufacturer. It’s a history of pride in a product and the craft of baseball bats—bats that brought success to slammers like Charlie Gehringer and Frankie Frisch. Kren’s bats even made it to the record books and Hall of Fame, with George “Highpockets” Kelly’s game bat from the early twenties when he hit three home runs in one day.
The big names stay more familiar, but the family names still get their days in the sun.