CINCINNATI, Ohio (June 17, 2010) – In light of the recent report that Pete Rose used a corked bat leading up to his record-breaking 4,192nd hit, two Cincinnati collectors had their Rose game-used bats X-rayed recently.
 
Bob Crotty, owner and founder of Green Diamond Gallery, and Mark Fugate of Diamond Sports had their bats X-rayed on June 16, 2010 and both were found to be uncorked. Crotty’s bat is a Mizuno PR4192, the model Rose used while gathering hits 4,000-4,192. Fugate’s bat is a Mizuno ATHL model that Rose used for the remainder of his career after breaking the Major League Baseball all-time hits record.
 
On June 8, Deadspin.com published the article “This is Pete Rose’s Corked Bat” by Barry Petchesky. The article alleged that Rose used a corked bat in a game against the Philadelphia Phillies in July of 1985 as he chased the record.
 
“These are two of the bats Rose used to set the all-time hits record and with the recent controversy surrounding Rose’s bats, Mark and I wanted to see if our bats were corked or not,” said Crotty.
 
The Green Diamond Gallery is a private, membership-based collection of baseball memorabilia in Montgomery. Although tickets for the event will not be sold, membership options for the gallery are available.
 
Members can also rent the 5,000 square foot facility for meetings, luncheons, receptions and other events. The unique space offers room for both formal podium-style speaking and more casual table-seating arrangements all set amongst the best collection of baseball memorabilia outside of Cooperstown.
 
The Green Diamond Gallery is an exclusive baseball club, offering photos, artifacts, and game-used equipment from the greatest players in the history of baseball. Located in Montgomery, the gallery has hosted Hall-of-Famers Bob Gibson, Bruce Sutter, Gaylord Perry, Marty Brennaman, Ferguson Jenkins, Mike Schmidt, Goose Gossage, Ryne Sandberg and Ozzie Smith in the past year.
 
All proceeds from the Green Diamond Gallery benefit the Character and Courage Foundation, which seeks to enrich the lives of youth who are physically handicapped, diagnosed with a life threatening illness, or who live in impoverished areas through baseball. For more information about the Character and Courage Foundation call (513) 984-4192 or www.characterandcourage.org.