Joe DiMaggio was a giant in the world of 1940's baseball. For 13 years—his entire Major League Baseball career—he played for the New York Yankees. He won nine World Series championships, second only to his younger Yankees teammate, Yogi Berra (who won ten—a feat which no other player ever has topped). Their careers with the Yankees overlapped for six years during which they won two championships together.
"Joltin' Joe" was born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio to Sicilian immigrants in California. His family moved to North Beach, San Francisco, where Joe's father (also named Giuseppe) hoped that his five sons would follow in his footsteps as a fisherman. But working-on (and cleaning) his father's smelly fishing boat nauseated him—which his father perceived as laziness. Not to worry, Little Giuseppe would make good in the end. But there was some heartache brewing for the DiMaggio clan. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Joe's parents were classified as enemy aliens. Both parents, having been born in Italy, were required to carry photo identification booklets with them at all times and were not allowed to leave a five mile radius of their home. Joe's father, Giuseppe, was forbidden from fishing in San Francisco Bay—where he had worked for years. By this time their son, Joe DiMaggio, had become a huge star, having won five World Series rings.
This 16.5" miniature ash baseball bat was made in Kentucky by Hillerich & Bradsby, the storied makers of the famous Louisville Slugger. Small, souvenir bats, such as these, were often made for promotional reasons—to bring people to the games or to celebrate a milestone in a certain player's career. Click on the photo above to learn more about this interesting sports souvenir from the Forties.
Though our Greenwich Village store is now permanently closed, LEO Design is still alive and well! Please visit our on-line store where we continue to sell Handsome Gifts (www.LEOdesignNYC.com).
To arrange a visit our Pittsburgh showroom (by private appointment only), please call 917-446-4248.