Pete Browning historic Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville. Browning was an important figure in baseball's history. In addition to his accomplishments as a player, which have made him a popular candidate for the Baseball Hall of Fame, his legacy is expressed in the game in other ways as well. Browning is probably best remembered today as the inspiration behind the Hillerich & Bradsby company's popular "Louisville Slugger" line of baseball bats. He was the first player to purchase a bat from the company, and they adopted the name a few years later to honor his patronage and capitalize on his fame. Browning's
Louisville Bats Memphis Redbirds. The RiverBats became the Triple-A team for the Cincinnati Reds in 2000. They also left Cardinal Stadium for Louisville Slugger Field, a new stadium in downtown Louisville, seating 13,131 with a more intimate baseball setting than their previous ballpark. Spectators enter the stadium through the restored "train shed" building, which was formerly the Brinly-Hardy Co. warehouse. The team's attendance was about 685,000 in the first season of Louisville Slugger Field and 663,961 the following year. In 2002, the team dropped the word "River" from its name and became simply known as the Louisville Bats. While the logo and