The Original Frank Thomas D-2 Game Used Bat

[The Lumber Company]

Dear sirs,
Is there any chance that this Ebay bat way used by the "original" Frank Thomas? I don't know much about his bats but 34" seems kind of small for a big slugger?
Thanks,
Marty

http://cgi.ebay.com/THE-ORIGINAL-FRANK-THOMAS-D-2-GAME-USED-BAT_W0QQitemZ150108430767QQihZ005QQcategoryZ60596Q QrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Ebay Listing
HERE FOR SALE IS A 34 INCH MODEL D-2 LOUISVILLE SLUGGER FROM FRANK THOMAS A SMALL CHIP IN THE KNOB A HAIRLINE CRACK ARE THE ONLY REAL FAULTS WITH THIS BAT FRANK THOMAS A GREAT SLUGGER FOR THE PIRATES AND THE METS A GREAT BASEBALL COLLECTABLE - SEND ME EMAILS FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS YOU WOULD LIKE - WINNING BIDDER TO PAY $8.00 SHIPPING - MONEY ORDERS ONLY

[MSpecht]

Hi Marty--

My personal feeling is much like yours--- with bats from say 1950 to 1965 or so, my first thought is to look for 34 1/2 inches to 36 inches most of the time, especially when looking at 'sluggers.' The prevailing thought of the period was still "size/weight equals power" It took awhile for the "bat speed equals power" school of thought to become popular.

When records are not available (we do not have The Original Frank Thomas' records), then it's anybody's guess. For instance, here is some recent research on George Kell, a contemporary of Thomas and a slugger in his own right : "Out of 42 separate orders shipped to Kell of all models between 1950 and 1960, all were 34 inches in length except for 3 orders of 34 1/2 inch, 1 order of 33 1/2 inch, and 1 order of 35 inch inch bats (3 model R43 on 2/14/54)....
37 orders out of 42 orders were 34 inch...."

While Kell may be an exception, there really is no way to know unless the factory records are available for a specific player... Much of the info in previous reference books was accumulated from researching collections, inventory, etc, prior to the time factory records became available. In that manner, it is easy to see how a team index bat could have altered the 'records' for any specific player, when there were no reliable factory records records to cross check the information at the time. With a bat like The Original Frank Thomas' mentioned above, look for faded vintage uniform numbers, provenance, etc to assist in your decision.

By the way, according to America's Bat, the preferred bat for The Other Frank Thomas (The Big Hurt variety) was a 34 inch C271...... ?????

Good Luck

Mike Jackitout7@aol.com