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See website for details. And we return to our American stories. Up next, a story from Jack Marucci. Jack is the director of performance in Louisiana State University's athletic department, but also the founder of Marucci Sports, a company known for its baseball bats. Here's Jack with a story of how his company came to be.
Let's get into it. You know, we're from a coal mining town, pretty humble beginnings. We're from a pretty immigrant family. My mom was 11 when she came from Spain and my grandfather's from Italy. So we're half Spanish, half Italian. But and that was the makeup of most of the people we grew up with. Everybody was pretty ethnic. You know, we went to the Italian church and Saint Teresa's.
We thought that's how it was everywhere. So my mom, her dad came over to be a coal miner and we went back to see her where she grew up. It was like it was like San Diego. Why would you leave this place?
They lived right by the ocean. But I guess times are so bad. They had a civil war. The economy was bad and wars breaking out.
This was like in the early 40s. But her dad comes over here right before the war and he's trying to save money, bring the family up. But he's trying to save money. He's trying to bring the family up, but he can't get back and forth. So my mom didn't see him until 11 years until he could save up the money. So she was 11 the first time she saw her dad. Then my dad's side, my grandfather came over when he was 15. Then he got deported because you had to be 16.
Or you can see on the Ellis Island report, we found it. Somehow he got through all that. And they said, well, you're only 15. So he had to go all the way back. You know, they were afraid. He was afraid they were gonna make him a priest.
He didn't want to become a priest. So he started a restaurant. It was called Shady Side Inn. It was built from nothing. It was just a little deli. And they built it into a place where banquets could seat up to six, 700 people. I mean, it just kept growing.
You know, it was the same thing. That's when I first probably came across the first professional athletes because we used to check coats. Me and my brother were like 10 years old and you're checking coats, man. And they're giving you these big coats and we'd stay up late.
And we're so tired. That's the first time Willie Stargell came in with the Pittsburgh Pirates. We saw his coat and we're going, hey, let's check in his pockets. We weren't looking for money, but we found a business card with the Willie Stargell star. We thought, you know, you know, so we used to get tips. You know, they'd give you a buck. You know, you could make, if it's 100 coats, you're making 100 bucks. You know, you split it.
That's 50 bucks each. Not bad for a 10 year old. My dad ended up being the butcher. My dad did the bartending. So we came up pretty much, you know, we had the one shower in the house.
All three boys slept in one room. And then my sister. So, you know, it teaches you a good work ethic. Obviously, Western Pennsylvania is an area that it's blue collar. And, you know, you're going to learn things that you don't think it's going to be a good work ethic. You know, you take that typing class back then, and now everything's computers. You learn how to type. Then you take a woodshop class that you learn how to use a wood lathe, you know, which down the road would become, you know, something that I could learn to use to my advantage and, you know, help develop a bet for my son.
You never know what's going to influence you. My son was, he's about 17 years old, Gino, and we're watching, we used to watch a lot of baseball. And I didn't play old videos of Roberto Clemente.
So that became his guy. He wears 21 today. He wore it as a little league. He got back into 21 because of Roberto Clemente. So, again, Western Pennsylvania, we're a little bit obsessed, of course, and we're going to force them to like the Pirates and the Steelers and the Penguins.
So that's just part of what we do. And he liked Bonds' bat. He saw the black and two-tone and wood bat.
He goes, Dad, I like that. Man, I want to play with a wood bat. That's different because wood bats weren't even mentioned back then. Now you've got wood bat tournaments and everybody likes the wood bat.
So I end up calling all these bat companies. None of them, they all had stock bats. None of them were small enough or short enough, really. It was really the size. Everybody maybe was an inch off. I needed a 27.
They only stopped at 29 or I stopped at 28. So I started looking around and there were some old bats stored here at LSU. I'm looking at them and I said, all right. Then we had a quarterback, Matt Ma. I started talking to Matt.
Matt played for the Cubs for three years. And I said, Matt, I'm thinking about making a bat for my son. Do you mind if I, I'm going to make one and I want, I'm going to bring it in. Since you played, tell me what we need to do to make this thing tapered right. So I made the first one. I have it in my office today. Top heavy.
I use electrical tape to do whatever. I carved in, I think that one was the Geno Crusher. So then I put his school he was at. That was my first one.
So the next one I start making, I got a lot better. And that was the Geno Slugger was I think the next one. So he starts hitting with them and he had the DNA to hit. He had the good eyesight.
He was a front-eyed dominant kid and he was pretty good. So he starts getting in little league. He's using a wood bat. Okay. This is different, but he's, he's one of the best hitters. So everybody on the team goes, well, if he's hitting good with that bat, I want one with my name, my kid's name on it. So that's why I formed.
Okay. We'll form a little company, Marucci Bat Company. So I bought a shed.
I bought it from Canada. It's a cedar shed. And I told the guy what I wanted because I thought cedar is going to last longer in this weather.
The mildew, the, you know, it's not going to rot. I said, I want doors in the front and the back. He goes, why do you want that? I said, have you ever lived in Louisiana? I said, it's like living on the equator. I said, I need air flow. So I put a fan in there and that was my bat shop.
That was 2002. I always joke around. I said, Saban was a little stressful.
So it was a nice stress relief to get away from. So, um, after football, I'd spend nights and the neighbor would come over and go, what are you doing? There's sawdust everywhere. I go, I'm making bats. He goes, you're making bats?
He goes, give me a couple. You know, everyone, as soon as they saw it, they go, I want one. So I started 25 bucks.
I mean, the wood cost probably 15 because money was never a thing. I felt bad. I felt bad that I was going to charge somebody for it. Then I said, well, I better start charging because, you know, the first major league bat was Eduardo Perez. I was going up for an athletic trainer's convention and we're catching up and I was going to go to the Cardinals game. And I told him what I was doing.
He goes, bring me one up. And he gave me a model, which was a common model. Everything was based off a Louisville Slugger model.
So C243. I said, all right, I think I can find one in the pile because LSU had some wood bats laying around and I found one that I, so I got the hanger and I would hang it on the hanger and I would do it by feel. I would cut the bat.
I got pretty good by then, by eye and feel. So I made him, I think I made him two. And I'm thinking, what's he going to do with these?
Maybe he's just going to put it up in his house. I thought it was neat that a major league guy, you know, so he meets me in front of the hotel and he pulls out the box and his eyes light up. And he goes, man, he goes, I'm going to use this tonight. I said, what? I said, this thing's going to explode, Eddie. I said, I seen seven, eight year olds swing this. I said, you're going to swing this, this thing. I said, he goes, I'm going to sneak it in because I wasn't licensed. You know, the logo is this big logo.
There's all these regulations which you find out. And he goes, I tell you what, I want you to come down for batting practice, meet some guys. And you've been listening to Jack Marucci tell the story of how his bat company came to be. The child of immigrants who came from Spain and Italy and who basically learned the lessons of life in a working class town in western Pennsylvania, finds himself at Louisiana State University being the strength coach back when a guy named Nick Saban was coaching their SEC powerhouse squad. And to just get some time away, he just started making bats first for his son and pretty soon for a Major League Baseball player. What happens next?
More of Jack Marucci's story here on Our American Stories. Is your body trying to tell you something? Maybe you feel more tired in the morning. Maybe your focus isn't as sharp as it used to be. Maybe you're having trouble sleeping or feeling bloated.
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See website for details. MODO.US And we continue with our American stories and with the story of Jack Marucci and if you're a ball player, a baseball player that is, the story of Marucci bats who came on to challenge the almighty Louisville Slugger and from a shack in his home in Louisiana. So, he gets me down there and he goes, this bat is unbelievable.
He goes, I use it in the Cade. Then he introduces me to Barry Larkin. He's playing for the Reds. I got a picture of Larkin holding this bat and he says, I tell you what, we're playing in Houston. I want you to make me one.
I said, all right, I'll make you one. So, me and my son go to Houston and he says, get there early for batting practice. He wants you to bring the bat. So, I'm walking in the stadium with a bat. I gave it to my son. I go, here, Jenna, you take it.
He was only nine at the time. And I said, they won't yell at you. I said, I'm not going to bring a bat in the stadium. So, he's bringing it in and we walk all the way down. They're taking batting practice. And there's people around in the stands.
I don't know what to do. This is the first time I've done this, actually brought a bat to the game. And Larkin kind of sees us. He gives us thumbs up and everyone behind us is going, oh, that's funny.
You know, they're all like amazed that because they're all trying to get autographs and there's people everywhere. We're in the stands with our bells right behind the dugout. So, the bat boy comes over. We hand the bat over to him. Everyone's going, wow, how's he getting him to sign that bat? They're all going, how's he getting a sign?
We're trying to get all of our, they're kind of getting mad. So, the bat boy takes it right over to Larkin. Larkin starts putting on the, they call it a moto stick, the tackiness and like pine tar it up. And everyone starts going, wait a minute, he's going to hit with that bat. I mean, we just brought it to him. It's a bare bat. He starts taking BP with it. So, we're watching the game. His second at bat, he was the first guy to get a hit with it.
Up the middle. That's big time. And to me, I said that was it. I mean, this thing was in my backyard a couple days ago and this guy's using a major league baseball game. I said, oh my God.
I mean, this is ridiculous. That was probably one of the best ever and still probably one of the best moments ever. And Eduardo Perez, I can't say enough good things about him. He's one of the best human beings. He helped the company more than anybody because he talked to all these players and he's showing them and I'm sending them more bats and he's sneaking them in the game and he's leaving me voicemails.
Man, I hit Alenia against Nomo. I mean, it was just the excitement of, it was like contraband. You know, we're sending contraband up there. And he goes, you're going to get a call from Manny Ramirez. I said, okay. So, I get a call from Manny Ramirez. He goes, I need some bats for the playoff run. I go, again, you're going to be in the playoffs.
You can't use these bats. He goes, no, he wants them. I talked to him about it.
He saw mine. I said, okay. So, Manny calls. I said, well, Manny, we're about to take off.
We're about to play Georgia. So, we're getting on a flight and I'm cutting them off and I said, let me get back and I'll cut them. So, I spent three nights making bats. I made three bats for them. And I said, maybe I'll use them for batting practice or whatever. I don't know. So, I put a model number on it.
It's called a CB24 and I send it up to them. And then Kevin Millar saw them. He got all excited about them.
So, this is 2004. And I got pretty good by then making them. The finish, I was hand doing everything, putting a nice image. It looked shiny. It looked like furniture.
That's what Eduardo Perez and I all said, it looks like furniture. So, fast forward a couple of years ago, I saw Orlando Cabrera on that same team. I remember why he's significant. I'm watching the game and Orlando Cabrera is using these bats in this playoff game. So, I asked him. I never talked to Orlando about it. He used Manny's bats.
I sent them. I said, weren't you afraid you're going to get in trouble? He goes, no. He goes, let me tell you something. I hit like 370 in that series and those bats, that ball was coming off. He goes, I remember like it was yesterday.
So, this was two years ago I'm talking to about that 2004 playoff. He goes, I remember those bats like it was yesterday. He goes, you know, we put the tape on the bottom, kind of flared out. The other one, he goes, I wanted a little thinner handle. So, I got the trainer scissors and I shaved the handle down. Made it thinner.
And he goes, I always wanted to know. I didn't know what company it was. I wanted to order more. But never heard of it.
I didn't even know what this was. And he goes, that model number, that CB. I said, well, let me tell you something. Somebody gave me a tip about five, six months after that series. They were on eBay. I found two of them. I said, I have them in my office. I bought them back.
I didn't tell them who I was. I have those two bats that you hit with in the playoffs. You know, you never know how they get out of the clubhouse. I said, do you know what the CB stood for?
He goes, no. I said, curse buster. I put CB to break the curse. I said, I put the curse buster of the Yankees. And that's when the Red Sox were down three games and they came back and they won the World Series. And I have those bats in my office. It's just, it's one of those things you just never know. You know, it started getting bigger, the business.
I always wanted them to order small amounts because I had to cut them at the time. And I was getting tendonitis. I swear to God, I got bad.
This is the first time I had epicondylitis. And then we got more automated, obviously. But we were trying to turn down business and people were wanting them. The next big player would be Carlos Beltran. Carlos Beltran and we end up having a whole met team from Jose Reyes, Beltran, LaDuca, you name it. David Wright. And all those people in the division saw those bats.
Those guys were hitting well. He would tell everybody that these bats are unbelievable. So, at the time, you know, he ordered a half dozen. So, he orders the bats. We ship them out and I get a phone call from him. Jack, you only sent me five bats.
I ordered six. I said, I know. He goes, what do you mean you know? I said, do you understand that I was trying to get you the sixth bat? I cut like 10 to 12 bats.
They weren't the quality I wanted. In silence. He goes, that is unbelievable. So he goes, you don't make like batting practice bats.
You just don't fill it. No. What do you mean batting practice bats? I'm not going to mention companies, but it was Louisville and Rawlings, basically.
That was it. I mean, there's other companies, Cooper. Companies that he was using says, you know, I only could get, he's going to use four to five bats out of the dozen. He thought the other ones were subpar. That's how they did it.
So, being naive and thinking, I'm just going to give you the best quality. And he loved it. It was the right thing to do to make it look right. You know, the paint was going to look good. The detail in the stamping and the knob. You know, I would stamp in the player's number. So, all that detail was in there.
When it was made, like a born on. I mean, no one had that. Everyone was just mass producing bats. You know, these guys, that's their living. You know, Albert once told me, you know, I love a lot of things in life. You know, I love my wife. You know, I love my bats. I love my kids.
Maybe not sometimes in that order. But, you know, you're joking. Because their bats are livelihood. So, no one was making bats like that for these guys. You would think they would be. He coined the frame, every bat's a gamer.
So, every bat's a gamer. Yeah. So, I always told people, you know, we were always chasing the quality. You're not going to chase the dollar.
You're not going to chase that money. Chase the quality, the stuff will come. So, that spread like wildfire. So, the word of mouth was so powerful. And baseball's a close knit community. And that's where that really took to another level. We became the number one bat company probably about two and a half years ago.
By a pretty large market now. But, you know, you're in sport. And probably one of the best things that you do here all the time, it is a game of inches. And if those companies made that bat one inch longer, I wouldn't have probably made bats. Because they would have made a bat for my son and I would have been it. One inch.
Dictated to do something. And you know, you think about this also, it's the last sport that has used a wooden instrument. Golf has gotten away from wood. Lacrosse. Tennis used to use tennis wood rackets.
Hockey had, you know, so the purity of it allowed somebody to do what we were able to do. And it's created jobs. Probably over close to a hundred jobs. Eighty jobs for people. You know, just because of a wood shop class.
So, you know, there's a lot that humbles you if you look at that stuff. You know, you can go to an airport and, you know, there was a little kid that was flying back from home from Pennsylvania. Lay over in Charlotte Airport and the kid had the name on his shirt and he had the bag. And he was sitting next to me. I said, those bats aren't any good.
Why are you wearing those bats? I said, Louisville is a lot better. He's getting all mad at me.
He's getting mad. I said, I can't even pronounce that name. I said, I wouldn't use that stuff. I said, Louisville is much better. He was there flying with his grandfather.
He says, no, he loves those bats. You know, so I found out they were coming down for a baseball camp at LSU. You know, so I shared the story with him and I had him come over to the office and show him all this stuff.
It was pretty fun. And a terrific job on the production and editing by our own Monty Montgomery. The story of imagination, the story of problem solving, and the story of innovation. Jack Marucci's story and Marucci sports story here on Our American Stories.
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