Lefty
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- Joined
- Jul 4, 2002
- Posts
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This from Peter Gammons.
Corking bats nothing new
For those who burst veins condemning all Sammy Sosa has accomplished because of the corked bat incident, here is a story from the good old days. According to a former Red Sox player, once a month Boston clubhouse man Johnny Orlando took a half-dozen Ted Williams bats out to the batting cages beneath the center-field bleachers.
The rope cages were oily, and anything rubbed against them would get a thick, black, oily residue. According to the former Red Sox player, Orlando rubbed the ends of Ted's bats on the ropes.
Why? Williams supposedly had a stash of corked bats, which the player claims he used only in batting practice to put on shows.
"If people knew what went on in the '50s and '60s," another former player said, "they'd be very surprised. There's almost nothing being done today that hasn't been done for generations."
Corking bats nothing new
For those who burst veins condemning all Sammy Sosa has accomplished because of the corked bat incident, here is a story from the good old days. According to a former Red Sox player, once a month Boston clubhouse man Johnny Orlando took a half-dozen Ted Williams bats out to the batting cages beneath the center-field bleachers.
The rope cages were oily, and anything rubbed against them would get a thick, black, oily residue. According to the former Red Sox player, Orlando rubbed the ends of Ted's bats on the ropes.
Why? Williams supposedly had a stash of corked bats, which the player claims he used only in batting practice to put on shows.
"If people knew what went on in the '50s and '60s," another former player said, "they'd be very surprised. There's almost nothing being done today that hasn't been done for generations."
