Buck Weavers life story as it pertains to baseball reads like a Shakespeare tragedy. A fabulously talented third baseman that came up with the Sox in 1912 and played in both the 1917 and 1919 World Series. He was considered such a fine infielder, that even Ty Cobb would not attempt to bunt against him. During the now infamous 1919 series, Weaver hit for an average of .345 and did not commit a single error. He was charged with conspiracy to throw the series in 1920 along with Joe Jackson and six others. A Federal court found all eight innocent but the recent hiring of Kennesaw Landis as the new commissioner was his death knell. Landis was granted unlimited and unquestioned power over everything in the baseball world and he ignored the court acquittal and banned all eight for life. Weaver was the most tragic in that he claimed, and his Series performance proved him out, that he did not participate in the fix. Those claims landed on deaf ears for Landis stated that the mere knowledge of a fix, having not been reported, was reason enough for the ban. Weaver sent formal protests six times during his life. He died in 1956, the exoneration that he had hoped for almost forty years died with him. Like Joe Jackson, after his banishment, Weaver knocked around various town teams and this bat was used in one of those dusty one horse towns that had now become his world. The bright lights of the big cities and venues of New York and Chicago faded into the dust of obscurity.
This hand turned Chuck Carroll bat was made by H&B and lent to team mate Weaver while they played in cities the likes of Marshall, Omaha, Amarillo and Wichita. Buck, who no longer had bats made specifically made for him, used Chucks bat and returned it once cracked to the Louisville plant as evidenced by the very clear grease pencil hand writing of Henry Morrow. It reads as follows : Buck Weaver ?-2-23 with the team or town name no longer readable. The stamped "Carroll" and center brand are perfect and deep. The remains of the original shipping label back to H&B is still partially present on the face of the barrel. The bat shows tremendous game use with deep stitch marks on top of the barrel and swelling on all three sides with some ever so slight grain separation on the back of the barrel. The 9" H shaped handle crack has been professional glued down and there are no missing pieces. The business end of the bat has quite a few cleat marks as well.
Date Examined: 3/21/04
Title: 1922-23 Chuck Carroll block letter last name only game used bat that was used and returned by Buck Weaver in 1923.
Player: listed
Block/Script Name: block
Label Period: 1921-30
Year/s Used: 1922-23
Teams Played During Era of Bat: Barnstorming
Mfg. H&B
Model Number: pre
Length: 35.5"
Weight: 34.5 oz.
Side Writing: Buck Weaver ?-2-23
Vault Marks: No
Game Use: Heavy
Ball Marks: Yes, top.
Swelling: Both sides.
Grain Separation:: Light on back
Cleat Marks: Yes
Rack Marks: No
Nails/Screws: No
Cracked: yes, 9" H style, repaired
Pine Tar: No
Handle Tape: No
Barrel Crack: No
Dents/Gouges: No
Autographed: No
Wood/Finnish: Ash
Uniform Number: No
Knob Markings: Hand Turned
Barrel Markings: No
Provenance: Factory Side Writing, the best provenance of all.
Factory Records: No
Player Traits: Batted both, no known traits.
Grade: A7.5 with 5 base points, 3 use points, 2 points for SW and minus .5 crack, -2 bat not issued to Weaver.
MEARS Bat Index: This is the only post career documented Buck Weaver game used bat in the data base.
Comments: The only known player model game bat that dated to 1915 sold for almost 50K at auction a few years back. This is the only MEARS recorded side written barnstorming bat of one of the most famous and tragic members of the infamous 1919 Black Sox.
Included with this Buck Weaver bat is another interesting bat. It is a signature model Chuck Carroll Krens gamer that was returned to H&B by W.L. Buck on 4-12-32. There is no player W.L. Buck listed as playing in the majors or minors during this era. Interesting in that this too is a Carroll bat, the same player whose name is stamped on the factory documented Weaver bat. Could Weaver had sent this one in as well and used a fake twist on his name to get bats made to his order? Both bats show the same basic turning dimensions with asides to the Weaver being 1" longer and a slightly different knob. The Krens bat is in excellent condition as well. We will never know but it is interesting and this bat makes a great go with for the Weaver bat.
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