Louisville Slugger made a custom MLB Prime bat for Purple Row and it's awesome

Thanks to the kind folks at Louisville Slugger, I can go play baseball with my friends or kids or whomever and do so equipped with the same bat that major league players use.

The company's MLB Prime line allows any Average Joe or Basement Blogger to create their very own version of what many of the league's stars -- including Nolan Arenado, whose bat (the C271 model) mine is modeled after -- use to crush homers at Coors Field and at other ballparks assuming balls actually fly over the fences there. During the selection process, the shopper can choose which player model -- Arenado, Adam Jones, David Wright and many others -- they want as well as the material, whether it's maple, ash or even birch.

From there, choosing whether the bat should be uncupped -- as well as the right color scheme -- presents a multitude of options and a tough decision. For my bat, purple and silver were obvious, but I also chose a neon green to make the text and other features of the wood stand out.

The shopper can customize the text on the barrel, the color and finish of the Louisville Slugger logo, and the color/type of bat grip (if grip is desired at all; for me, it was a welcome addition). To finish off the process, the length and weight of the bat as well as custom knob engraving are completely open to the customer and leave room for creativity.

Once you're done, you get a good look at what you'll end up receiving after a brief waiting period during which the bat is manufactured. Here's mine:

Looks pretty cool, yeah? Just wait until you see the finished product. Are you ready?

OK, hold on...

Whoops, wrong photo. Sorry. Technology can be difficult. I don't know how you kids these days do it!

OK, here we go...

Sweet packaging!

I don't think they said anything about a keepsake, so this is pretty cool! I wonder who autographed it...

It me, the boss.

See?

Anyway, at a cost of $169.95, this is an affordable way to get a piece of the majors while making it all your own. Try it out, and let me know what you think. Thanks again to the fine folks at Louisville Slugger!