THE OPENING LINE

Monday, Aug. 14, 2006 | 7:29 a.m.

Instead of a gun, I keep an Adirondack Big Stick under my bed, in case of emergency. I wish I had the Jackie Robinson model Louisville Slugger I used in high school instead. You could permanently put a burglar on the 21-day disabled list with one of those.

The only time our coach allowed us into the equipment room was on "Bat Day." Starters were allowed to pick two brand new Louisville Sluggers, which were to last the entire season, from the long, corrugated boxes. The bench jockeys got one.

I usually took a Jackie Robinson and a Nellie Fox, bats with handles as thick as Vinnie Barbarino's accent.

It seemed like a bat with a thick handle would be harder to break on a 40-degree spring day with the wind whipping in off Lake Michigan. I also figured that a bat that looked like a redwood might produce a few more bloop singles than one that looked like a toothpick.

By my senior year, most guys on my team were swinging aluminum bats. Not me. I used a new Jackie Robinson and a Ralph Garr - a bat with a medium handle and no knob, which was very radical at the time.

Robinson's bat was 33 inches long and weighed 35 ounces. (No wonder I couldn't get around on a high school fastball.) Major League Baseball retired Robinson's No. 42, but Louisville Slugger no longer turns out his model R17. When I asked the bat-maker in Kentucky if he'd make one, he said that if I were a member of the Robinson family, he would put a piece of lumber on the lathe.

I am not related to the Hilleriches nor did I marry a Bradsby. I just think it's cool that although I couldn't hit like Mickey Mantle I could use his bat. (Although, curiously, Mantle was more fond of Dale Long's bat than his own model.)

Other facts about Louisville Sluggers around which to wrap your pine tar rag:

According to popular legend, the last guys to swing it were Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa during the summer of '98.

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

Portland Beavers at Las Vegas 51s, 7:05 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, Cashman Field

Hard to believe that this is the second-to-last chance to see the 51s miss the cutoff man.

TICKETS: $7-$12.

ON THE WEB: www.ticketmaster.com

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

New Mexico Burn at Las Vegas Showgirlz, 7 p.m. Saturday, Valley High School

Pro football isn't just a guy thing anymore. These ladies can punt, pass and kick better than you might think.

TICKETS: $3-$8.

ON THE WEB: www.lvshowgirlz.com