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Roy Campanella Game Used Bat
Roy Campanella wasn’t only baseball’s 1st black catcher but, though it’s not generally known, also baseball’s 1st black manager -- before he even got to the big leagues. There’s a bit of a technicality to the story, but it nonetheless is a fact and attests to Campy’s canniness and leadership qualities. It was 1946 and Campy was on the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Class-B minor league team in Nashua, New Hampshire (Eastern League), which was managed by a fella named Walt Alston. Campanella, fresh out of the Negro leagues, hit .290 that season, led the league in fielding and won the MVP award. And in one game, when Alston argued a call and was ejected, he handed the lineup card to his burly catcher, making Roy Campanella manager for a day (he won the game, giving him a perfect record). That Alston didn’t even have to think twice about the decision, regardless of the racial taboos in baseball, speaks volumes about Campy’s standing as a man, not merely a black man. The next season, of course, he would get to show those traits in the big leagues when promoted to the big club in Brooklyn. Over the ensuing decade, he would win 3 NL MVP awards and reign as the best all-around backstop in the game. This classic game used Louisville Slugger model G80 bat did some of the damage Campy produced in hitting .276 lifetime with 242 HRs and 856 RBIs. The dark colored bat shows good game use and has “Campanella” in block letters stamped on the barrel and ball marks up and down from shaft to barrel. Bat is uncracked, measures 34” in length and 8” barrel width, and weights 32 oz. Truly a great symbol of a man who brought dignity and respect wherever he went. From the Charlie Sheen collection.
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