Baseball memento's origin story: Transforming a youth player's dramatic bat flip into collectible keepsake
Former Major League Baseball Players Help Turn Little Leaguer's Bat Flip into Memorabilia
In a unique turn of events, a bat flip by a 12-year-old Little Leaguer from Haddonfield, New Jersey, has been transformed into a piece of baseball history, thanks in part to the efforts of former Major League Baseball (MLB) players Jeff and Todd Frazier.
The brothers, who hail from Toms River, New Jersey, have been instrumental in the creation of a commemorative pin that immortalizes Marco Rocco's bat flip celebration at the Little League World Series. Jeff Frazier, a former player himself, originated the idea for the pin, while Todd, a well-known MLB power hitter and Little League alumnus, helped promote the concept.
Todd, who had his own famous bat flips in his Little League days and now serves as a Little League announcer, used his symbolic connection with the celebration moment to convince Marco's father, Joe Rocco, to support the pin's production and promotion at the LLWS.
Only 75 pins were produced in honor of the 75th year of Haddonfield Little League and will be traded later this month at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The pin depicts Marco flipping the bat on his home-run trot to first base with "Batflip 2025" at the bottom and "Haddonfield" inscribed on the left side.
Interestingly, Marco was unfamiliar with pin-trading culture before the incident, but he is now excited to attend the United States championship and Little League World Series final with his son. It is worth noting that the pin is not for sale, but anyone can potentially trade a pin for Marco's flipped bat, which is already in the collection of Ken Goldin, the star of the reality show "King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch."
The bat-flip incident occurred during the final of the Little League sectional tournament, and Marco was ejected and faced a suspension. However, Joe Rocco took Little League to court and won an emergency temporary restraining order, allowing Marco to play in the New Jersey state tournament. The judge did not allow Little League to appeal the decision.
The bat-flip incident received national attention and is considered a significant event in Little League this year. In response, Little League is considering adding rules to ban bat flipping. Joe Rocco has expressed the need for clarity in the rules to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
The pin was jointly released by the Rocco family and family friends and former major leaguers, Jeff and Todd Frazier. The pin is set to become part of the pin-trading culture at the Little League World Series, and the flipped bat will be auctioned separately. The proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Haddonfield Little League.
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