Memorial Stadium, home of the Huskers.Coach Tom Osborne and quarterbackMueller Bell Tower. This is a pretty neat bell tower. In addition to chiming on the hour, and half hour, it chimes music during the day.Johnny Carson was an alumnus of the University of Nebraska.He generously contributed financially to the university over the years.Replica of his “Carnac the Magnificent” turban.This is a stainless steel tree! Pretty cool! Created by Roxie Paine in 2004. Paine has created several stainless steel trees that are displayed throughout the US.The University of Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory is the officially designated tractor testing station for the United States and tests tractors according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development codes. We knew about this by watching the Nebraska episode of Aerial America. While we were at the test track, they tested two tractors.
Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals.Kauffman StadiumGeha Field, home of the Kansas City ChiefsSculpture of Lamar Hunt, the founder of the Kansas City Chiefs, and one of the original founders of the old AFL.Hall of Famer Len Dawson, who led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl win, 1970.Pat Mahomes, who led the Chiefs to their second Super Bowl win, 2020.
We didn’t realize it when we planned this trip, but the PGA tournament was held in Tulsa on the weekend we were here. Of course, not knowing so not planning, we did not go in to watch.But I got a shot outside the gate.And the Goodyear blimp was there.
The Bricktown area of Oklahoma City is a rehabilitated area near downtown. It has many upscale shops and restaurants, and a minor league baseball stadium.Statue of New York Yankees baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle, an Oklahoma native.Statue of Cincinnati baseball Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, another Oklahoma native. He is still considered by many (including me) to be the greatest catcher in baseball history.Statue of baseball Hall of Famer Warren Spahn, another Oklahoma native. He is the all-time leader in wins by a lefthander in baseball history, pitching mainly for the Braves.Statue of Jim Thorpe, considered one of the greatest athletes of all time, is also from Oklahoma.There are horse-drawn carriages rolling throughout Bricktown, with neon lights!Mickey Mantles restaurant.
This was a pretty neat museum in downtown Louisville KY. This the the Hillerich & Bradsby baseball bat factory. They produce baseball bats! Many pro baseball players help design their own bats for this company to produce. Their story is very interesting.All of the wood for the bats come from the region along the Pennsylvania-New York border. The wood from the trees is cut into “billets”… …which are then cut into baseball bats using this special lathe, which spins at 50,000 rotations per minute! It was amazing to watch this machine do its work. Here, it has already cut the handle and is spinning toward the barrel of the bat. This machine is used to make all the bats for the major league baseball players.This lathe, called “Hempel tracer lathe”, is used to cut all other bats for “normal” people.This machine takes each bat and cuts off the knob from the barrel, stamps the bat’s length, sands the end of the barrel, and airbrushes the bat to clean off dust particles.Many bats at various stages of completion.Cool three-legged stool.The museum part has some neat statues. Here is their newest, Roberto Clemente.Jackie RobinsonTed WilliamsDerek JeterBabe RuthMajor Leaguer Pete Browning used this bat in 1887. His nickname was the “Louisville Slugger”, for whom the bat is now named.Babe Ruth’s bat. The story of this bat is pretty cool…Jersey and bat used by Honus Wagner in 1915.Joe DiMaggio used this bat during his 56 game hitting streak in 1941.Hank Aaron used this bat to hit his 700th career home run.Hillerich & Bradsby made this special chair to honor Hank Aaron becoming the all-time home run king.They call this the Fort Knox of Louisville Slugger. It contains over 3000 different bats created by the players who used them, including many of the greats of the game, like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, et. al. It also holds their signature plates and bat patterns.After you tour the factory you get a free miniature bat souvenir. Of course I had to pose in front of the big bat! The big bat is an exact scale model of Babe Ruth’s bat from the 1920s. The model is 120 feet high, with a 9-foot diameter, and weighs 68,000 pounds. It is made of carbon steel.
