Here's a vintage ad for Bat Day at a Blue Jays game. I'm not sure what year this ad is from, but there's no area code in the telephone numbers for Go or the TTC, so this is from the 2000 season or earlier.
Also, the Angels are listed as the California Angel, and they haven't been known as the California Angels since 1996. That's how I remember the Angels. They were the California Angels, the team where I first saw Reggie Jackson and Rod Carew play. In 1997 they became the Anaheim Angels and in 2005 the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and in 2016 the Los Angeles Angels, their fifth moniker.
The bat being given away here to the first 20,000 and all children under 14 is sponsored by Chef Boyardee, so it's not the free bat from my youth. I have fond memories of receiving a free bat at old Exhibition Stadium, only that bat was sponsored by Catelli. I guess at some point Catelli tapped out and Chef Boyardee filled the void.
The picture above is not my bat, but that's the bat I remember with great fondness. It was perfect for playing baseball in the backyard.
