AROD Game Used Home Run Bat with No Evidence of Use

[d4cliff]

I have an AROD game used home run blond Old Hickory baseball bat autographed by AROD with an inscription "HR 38, 39; 8-28-03", and an LOA from AROD stating the same. The bat is from Authentic Sports Investments (ASI).

I could not find any ball marks on the bat, so I shipped it to PSA/DNA for autograph and game used examination and authenticatioin. They authenticated the autograph, however, they stated that there is No Evidence of Game Use.

Do you think this was a mistake made by AROD and ASI, or do you think I have been scammed?

Do you know of other questionable AROD game used bats, or other equipment?

What would you do to resolve this issue?

Your responses will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Cliff

[camarokids]

Sorry to hear about your situation! Does the inscription match his signature or does it appear to be different writing?

Please post pics!

[Jags Fan Dan]

I think Tony may know of another questionable Arod homerun bat....:(

[camarokids]

I do have encouraging news, on August 24,2003 Arod is pictured using a blond Old Hickory. Source, www.gettyimages.com (http://www.gettyimages.com) . Also on September 23,2003 he is pictured holding a piece of a broken blond bat.

So there is evidence of Arod using a blond Old Hickory bat in games. In July of 2003 he is pictured using his familiar Black Louisville Slugger.

Now whether or not your bat was used to hit the two home runs with remains to be proven. Please post pics so the forum can assist....

17262

17263

17264

[suicide_squeeze]

ASI......ESM.......Scot Monette and his elfs......

Eesch!!!

If I were you, I would do anything and everything to try and contact MVP marketing since they appear to be the exclusive marketer of A-Rods stuff today. I would ask them if they would be so kind as to allow you to send the bat AND letter to A-Rod and request he review the items for authenticity. That may be a task in itself...

If you are lucky enough to get that far, ANY feedback from A-Rod could help you....and this is a HUGE longshot, but he may even remember signing it, as it is a multi-homer bat, and those are rare from what I have seen offered by him.

That said, I understand A-Rod would certainly not know if that were the exact bat he hit those home runs with, but he may be able to at least verify that the bat was used by him (or, in this case, NOT used by him), and he may give some feedback on the COA that he supposedly signed that came with it.

The more I read about the ASI items, the more I cringe. I feel for you. There are just so many red flags about stuff that came from them in the past.....

Good luck.

[d4cliff]

Thanks for your response.

[frikativ54]

If I were you, I would do anything and everything to try and contact MVP marketing since they appear to be the exclusive marketer of A-Rods stuff today. I would ask them if they would be so kind as to allow you to send the bat AND letter to A-Rod and request he review the items for authenticity. That may be a task in itself...

Good luck. :rolleyes: I would doubt that A-Rod would care a whole lot about whether or not his items are authentic. If he signed the bat and inscription in the first place, why would he double-check the authenticity years later? I know we aren't talking about gloves, but A-Rod's name came up in discussion with Denny Esken today, and Esken said that he's the kind of player who plays catch with a glove, fields a few balls with it, and then calls it game-used, just to get an extra buck. I doubt is any different with A-Rod bats. He'll use one, hit a couple of homers with it, and off it'll go to be sold to the unsuspecting collector. :mad:

[d4cliff]

Dan,

Who is Tony, and how can I get in touch with him?

Cliff

[frikativ54]

Dan,

Who is Tony, and how can I get in touch with him?

Cliff

Tony is 3arod13 on this board, and you can search posts by user. He's the guy who has a so-called A-Rod HR bat with quesrtionable authenticity. I think there have been a couple of threads on the topic. Good luck.

[gameused]

I have an AROD game used home run blond Old Hickory baseball bat autographed by AROD with an inscription "HR 38, 39; 8-28-03", and an LOA from AROD stating the same. The bat is from Authentic Sports Investments (ASI).

I could not find any ball marks on the bat, so I shipped it to PSA/DNA for autograph and game used examination and authenticatioin. They authenticated the autograph, however, they stated that there is No Evidence of Game Use.

Do you think this was a mistake made by AROD and ASI, or do you think I have been scammed?

Do you know of other questionable AROD game used bats, or other equipment?

What would you do to resolve this issue?

Your responses will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Cliff

Cliff,

I was interested in these Arod Old Hickory HR bats from ASI in 2003 and I had ASI e-mail me pics of the bats they had available (see below, the first 6 pics were first sent to me in October, 2003)

After I looked them over and inquired about prices one of the guys at ASI mentioned that the dates Arod signed were wrong and they were going to get Arod to re-sign the dates on the bats, he sent me the following 5 pics after Arod re-signed the bats.

If you look at the pics you can see your bat HR #38,39 8-28-03 and their is another signed HR #38 dated 8-21-03, two bats with HR #38, that's proof that Arod and ASI made a mistake and you should be due back a refund. I hope this helps you get your money back.

Also when did you purchase the bat from ASI?

Thanks,Bobby

[gameused]

Last pic!

[d4cliff]

Hello Bobby,

I purchased the bat in 2004 from ASI, and tried to get them to allow me to return it for refund, but they refused my request because I received an LOA from AROD.

Thanks for your response and pictures.

Cliff

[3arod13]

Dan,

Who is Tony, and how can I get in touch with him?

Cliff

Cliff,

You can email me at arod13tb@yahoo.com

Regards, Tony

[camarokids]

I am posting these pictures for Cliff, who owns the Old Hickory bat in question....

17316

17317

17318

17319

[camarokids]

Cliff's bat is the same one in the group of bats that Bobby posted pics of....
IMO The grain matches perfectly....

17321

17322

[Tedw9]

The grain matches up, but the inscription does not. Look at the numbers on both bats, the 38, 39. They are both written different. I don't understand why they would do that, but they are different. Maybe they erased the inscriptions and then realized they had the correct date/hr on the bat to begin with? Just grasping at straws here, but the writing is different between the two pics.

[d4cliff]

Hello Bobby,

Are you the one that posted a concern, during 2/2005, about seeing an AROD 2002 game used hr #16 Louisville Slugger bat being auctioned by Mastronet, and an AROD 2002 game used hr #16 Rawlings bat that was auctioned by Vintage Authentics? If so, do you know where I can get a photo of the Rawlings bat. Vintage Authentics no longer has their photo of the bat.

Cliff

[mfsquirrelmaster]

Hey Cliff,
This is very off topic and may seem crazy, but does d4 stand for Dillinger Four? The best MF'n band ever!!


"We fight the only way we can, middle finger to the man, laughing all the way Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"
DILLINGER FOUR

[gameused]

Hello Bobby,

Are you the one that posted a concern, during 2/2005, about seeing an AROD 2002 game used hr #16 Louisville Slugger bat being auctioned by Mastronet, and an AROD 2002 game used hr #16 Rawlings bat that was auctioned by Vintage Authentics? If so, do you know where I can get a photo of the Rawlings bat. Vintage Authentics no longer has their photo of the bat.

Cliff

Cliff,

Sorry for the late reply, I searched my saved pics and cannot find that photo of that Rawlings HR #16 bat. I'm not sure if I saved it.

Here's the link to that discussion, http://www.network54.com/Forum/379976/message/1107935248/ASI-Alex+Rodriguez+2002+HR+%2316+bat+a+fake-

The Vintage auction link is no longer available.

Bobby

[d4cliff]

Bobby,

Thanks for your response.

Cliff

[flaco1801]

ill never understand why a guy making 25 million a year even bothers with these bats.............

[kingjammy24]

it's clear that arod wrote the same inscription on 2 different bats. not the first time it's happened.

has anyone wondered about the logistics of how arod was supposedly able to inscribe so many bats with specific dates and HR numbers? he's issued a lot of relatively insignificant inscriptions (eg: 18th HR of the season or some such). after he hit some trivial homerun, did he separate that bat from the rest? how did he make sure that these specific HR bats didn't get mixed in with the rest as the team travelled from city to city? given the sheer amount of inscribed HR bats, how did he keep all of the dates and HRs matched up with the specific bats? did he tie little tags around each bat and keep a journal? you'd really need quite a diligent little system to pull it off accurately. meigray can do it because they're affixing unique IDs and tracking them via a database. how was arod doing it? if he's mixing up manufacturers, dates, and HR numbers something tells me he wasn't. something tells me these signings were done after the fact and if that's the case, then who was keeping track? i can't see arod diligently keeping a little bat journal and tying little tags on bat to keep them straight.

has anyone actually photomatched an Arod HR bat?

rudy.

[frikativ54]

it's clear that arod wrote the same inscription on 2 different bats. not the first time it's happened.

has anyone wondered about the logistics of how arod was supposedly able to inscribe so many bats with specific dates and HR numbers? he's issued a lot of relatively insignificant inscriptions (eg: 18th HR of the season or some such). after he hit some trivial homerun, did he separate that bat from the rest? how did he make sure that these specific HR bats didn't get mixed in with the rest as the team travelled from city to city? given the sheer amount of inscribed HR bats, how did he keep all of the dates and HRs matched up with the specific bats? did he tie little tags around each bat and keep a journal? you'd really need quite a diligent little system to pull it off accurately. meigray can do it because they're affixing unique IDs and tracking them via a database. how was arod doing it? if he's mixing up manufacturers, dates, and HR numbers something tells me he wasn't. something tells me these signings were done after the fact and if that's the case, then who was keeping track? i can't see arod diligently keeping a little bat journal and tying little tags on bat to keep them straight.

has anyone actually photomatched an Arod HR bat?

rudy.

Rudy,

You make excellent points. Players often can identify their bats. But if you are using a different one for practically every homer, then it's going to be difficult to identify them all. Is it just me, or would A-Rod really care which bat he hit which homerun with, unless it was one he used to break a major record? I would guess that A-Rod just made an educated guess as to which bat was which, signed them, and was done with it.

Why would he do it? Well, for athletes who use hundreds of bats, making guesses on five or ten bats wouldn't be that big of a deal. But for us as collectors spending our hard-earned money, it really matters. And taken together with some of A-Rod's other actions, I have serious questions about his character. Though no one can doubt that he's among the best who have ever played.

[schubert1970]

it's clear that arod wrote the same inscription on 2 different bats. not the first time it's happened.

has anyone wondered about the logistics of how arod was supposedly able to inscribe so many bats with specific dates and HR numbers? he's issued a lot of relatively insignificant inscriptions (eg: 18th HR of the season or some such). after he hit some trivial homerun, did he separate that bat from the rest? how did he make sure that these specific HR bats didn't get mixed in with the rest as the team travelled from city to city? given the sheer amount of inscribed HR bats, how did he keep all of the dates and HRs matched up with the specific bats? did he tie little tags around each bat and keep a journal? you'd really need quite a diligent little system to pull it off accurately. meigray can do it because they're affixing unique IDs and tracking them via a database. how was arod doing it? if he's mixing up manufacturers, dates, and HR numbers something tells me he wasn't. something tells me these signings were done after the fact and if that's the case, then who was keeping track? i can't see arod diligently keeping a little bat journal and tying little tags on bat to keep them straight.

has anyone actually photomatched an Arod HR bat?

rudy.


Yes, I think Tony has two of them photomatched and I've matched my own. I spoke with Matt at MVP and he told me about how AROD keeps track of these bats.

[suave1477]

Yes, I think Tony has two of them photomatched and I've matched my own. I spoke with Matt at MVP and he told me about how AROD keeps track of these bats.

CAN YOU TELL US?

[d4cliff]

I would also like to hear how AROD keeps track of his bats. Especially when you consider that AROD claims to have hit home run 38 and 39 in 2003 with my bat, and PSA/DNA's examination of it found No Evidence of Use. Also, you will find a photo of another AROD game used home run number 38 bat from 2003 posted in this forum.

[schubert1970]

CAN YOU TELL US?

If you really want to know call Matt or Mario @ MVP, they will be able to give you more specific details. I can tell you Arod doesn't just pick up a bunch of game used bats and sign them. If this was the case we wouldn't have any photomatches, unless it was by luck.

I can't speak for the prior Arod stuff, but IMHO I have full confidence in MVP.

Bill

[suicide_squeeze]

O.K., Bill, so you've bought some stuff from MVP, and you're here protecting your investment(s). We understand.

I'll ask again.....unless you feel some sort of obligation not to start spreading info you are UNCOMFORTABLE with.......How does A-Rod keep track of his home run bats????

Obviously, if the guys at MVP have told you, it's no industry or A-Rod "007" secret.

Be a sport and share it with us?

[schubert1970]

O.K., Bill, so you've bought some stuff from MVP, and you're here protecting your investment(s). We understand.

I'll ask again.....unless you feel some sort of obligation not to start spreading info you are UNCOMFORTABLE with.......How does A-Rod keep track of his home run bats????

Obviously, if the guys at MVP have told you, it's no industry or A-Rod "007" secret.

Be a sport and share it with us?

Wouldn't you rather make a phone call and get the information directly from the source instead of the person trying to protect their investment???? I'm sure anything I would say has some bias as you've already eluded to.

[suave1477]

Schubert are you for real?

Can I ask why it's a secret?

Did MVP ask you not to tell anyone?

[schubert1970]

Schubert are you for real?

Can I ask why it's a secret?

Did MVP ask you not to tell anyone?

I never said it was a secret......why would you make that up? You can look at my last reposnse. It doens't matter what I say, you'll just call it rubbish. You're second question is just dumb. Here is the number...Mario (727) 860-4951

[suave1477]

Schubert i guess you feel it's nessecary to call names

along with you being in my head and knowing what im gonna say?????

Wow your amazing!!!

[Lokee]

he is not amazing he is simply protecting his investment.:p

[jobathenut]

if i had a question about the authenticity about a item,or just a question about it...and i was given info about the person to ask,well then i would just ask that person...why grill the person who told you who to ask.....im sure its not a secret,they just want you to get the info yourself from that person that told them......and as far as a-rod knowing what bat he hit a home run with,im sure he does know and keeps track of it....all i know is i remember seeing a show that followed barry bonds around that was on espn and they went into a huge room like storage locker and he had all his game used items in there,and he said he had every game used item labeled in there,as to what game he wore it or used it in.......:)

[allstarsplus]

Sometimes it becomes a complicated situation to be the one trying to repeat the info of another. Some don't feel comfortable doing it possibly because so many people have been burned by it before.

Hypothetical, I repeat what an agent says and then the agent denies what I said. Who are you going to believe?

Hopefully, Mario can come on here and maybe educate us so we hear it direct from him!

[joelsabi]

Mario is really easy to deal with. Either email him or talk to him yourself on the phone if you have question. I don't think it is necessary for Schubert to explain it when Mario is so accessible and if you really want the information. frankly from the tone of some the questions addressed to Schubert, I would not address them since the questions sound bias.

[earlywynnfan]

I also don't know why Schubert is being attacked here, he's just passing along his opinion, along with a solid link to someone who might directly answer some concerns.

And Suave, what name did he call you?

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

[suave1477]

Sometimes it becomes a complicated situation to be the one trying to repeat the info of another. Some don't feel comfortable doing it possibly because so many people have been burned by it before.

Hypothetical, I repeat what an agent says and then the agent denies what I said. Who are you going to believe?

Hopefully, Mario can come on here and maybe educate us so we hear it direct from him!

I am not attacking anyone I asked a simple question along with some other members about information he volunteered.
If he did not feel comfortable of going into details about it then personally I look at it then why say anything.

Your basically saying I know info but dont want to share it.

If that is the case then all he had to do was say "hey MVP may have more info on arods recordings of his game used equipment"

But instead he sticks his 2 cents in (which there is nothing wrong with) but then he should expect people are going to want to know and since he was the one who threw it out there yes I am going to ask what he was told.

[suave1477]

I also don't know why Schubert is being attacked here, he's just passing along his opinion, along with a solid link to someone who might directly answer some concerns.

And Suave, what name did he call you?

Ken
earlywynnfan5@hotmail.com

Earlywynn ok he called my question dumb

Same difference im asking the question, what makes my question dumb? They are all valid questions.

[kingjammy24]

i contacted mario/mvp marketing and asked him how arod keeps track of these bats. his response:

"Alex has one of the Yankees equipment managers who works with him in keeping track and he puts the bat in a white sock and he writes which game it was from and the HR number on the sock. Alex brings us the bats and we have him sign them with the stated inscription."

rudy.

[kingjammy24]

i contacted mario/mvp marketing and asked him how arod keeps track of these bats. his response:

"Alex has one of the Yankees equipment managers who works with him in keeping track and he puts the bat in a white sock and he writes which game it was from and the HR number on the sock. Alex brings us the bats and we have him sign them with the stated inscription."

rudy.

now this system entirely depends on arod putting the bat in a white sock immediately after hitting the HR; that is, he necessarily can't put the bat back in the rack with all the others after a HR. would be interesting to watch some game tape and see if anyone notices him hitting a HR and then the batting being taken away or if it's just put back in the rack with all the others.

with this sock system, i don't see how it's possible to mix up manufacturers or dates, which alex has done. i can see that maybe HR numbers could be mixed up. how do you mix up the manufacturer though? that is, how do you hit a HR with a LVS and then somehow attribute it to a rawlings? of course, maybe the sock system was only implemented once he went to the yankees. who knows what he was doing on the mariners or the rangers.

rudy.

[schubert1970]

This is my last post on this subject.

I called MVP today so I could supply you with a correct answer about how ARDO keeps track of his HR bats.

During the game a clubhouse employee will place a sock over an Arod bat, and date it only if he's done anything of significance. Arod then keeps these bats until a signing date set up with MVP. MVP removes the sock and Alex signs the bat with the notations (date and HR#) that were written on the sock.

It's not 100% perfect, but better then how Arod use to do things IMO. Also, several of these bats have been photomatched which helps backup the story about how the correct bat is signed.

I knew about this process in general terms, but could not recall the specifics which is why I didn't want to get into any detail. If some of you we're so eager to know, why didn't you just call. It's not like MVP has been in business the past few weeks. The've been in business for a while now. I would suggest if you want additional information, you can still give them a call. I know if I had questions I would.

suave1477 - I think some on this forum are seeing through a bit of your rhetoric and accusations. I don't understand the hostility toward me, but remind me never to post again.

Bill

lurker for life.

[suave1477]

what rhetoric and accusations????????

I asked you simple questions.

I never once accused you of anything except for the fact that you called my question dumb and you did.
So if you want to call that an accusation, yes it is a factual accusation!!!

I find it funny how others said something to you, yet I am the one you single out.

God I love this forum;)

[karamaxjoe]

Some of you guys sitting in the $2500.00 seats should keep an eye on Arod this season to see if the bats actually find their way into socks right after homeruns.

For the life of me I still don't understand why the 25 million dollar man wastes his time doing this. It must cost a lot to keep an ex wife off your back. If he wants to turn around his image, he should be giving these away to charities instead of padding his bank account.

[frikativ54]

For the life of me I still don't understand why the 25 million dollar man wastes his time doing this. It must cost a lot to keep an ex wife off your back. If he wants to turn around his image, he should be giving these away to charities instead of padding his bank account.

A-Rod doesn't care about his image, which is pretty obvious from his opting out of his contract during the WS. If he did, he would be singing the Yankees' praises. He would also not have abandoned his wife and kids.

Some of these athletes are so narcissistic that nothing is enough for them. Remember, it's only 25 million. That's not enough to buy that opulent house with a huge swimming pool on the water in that prestigious zipcode.

[suicide_squeeze]

Thanks Rudy AND schubert1970 for the explanations.

It's not like we were being lazy, it's like suave said........you offered up that you knew, so we asked......nothing more.

I certainly didn't mean to make you uncomfortable by saying you probably have boughten something from MVP and were (possibly) trying to protect your investment (subtly) by stating, in fact, there was a process. All I can say is when I first learned about this forum, I spent about 2 weeks reading posts before I even signed up....and I feel I'm a fairly good judge of character. I can usually pick up on "what's behind the scenes" of certain comments on these threads.

There was nothing to pick up here.....it was all harmless. Look, we all have boughten things, and we all have a natural desire to "protect" them. I'm probably wasting my time writing all this nonsense, but I just wanted you to know I meant no attack of any kind by what I said to you (hense, my "....we understand" comment).

Things really get intense here fast......I'll try to be a bit more careful.

[suicide_squeeze]

Opps, I felt so bad, I didn't even say what I wanted to in the first place...

My bet is, if the $2,500.00 seat guys watch what happens after A-Rod hits a home run, it will probably be a bat-boy who picks up that bat and takes it back to the place where the infamous socking is then done.

I would guess it's an arrangement A-Rod has with the team "help". He probably lives and dies on their competence and efforts to keep it correct and on the up-and-up.

That also might help to explain why there may be an error made from time to time on which bat gets inscribed with what. Just my guess.

[JETEFAN]

I can't believe there are 43 posts on trying to figure Arod out !! His game used stuff has been inconsistant from day 1, it's always been that way with him and it won't change. No matter what you have or how he signed it, it will always have a grey cloud lurking overhead, that is why you can pick up Arod stuff for 1/3 of what it should be considering what he has and will do as a ball player. Just my humble opinion....:o

George

[joelsabi]

Cliff,

I was interested in these Arod Old Hickory HR bats from ASI in 2003 and I had ASI e-mail me pics of the bats they had available (see below, the first 6 pics were first sent to me in October, 2003)

After I looked them over and inquired about prices one of the guys at ASI mentioned that the dates Arod signed were wrong and they were going to get Arod to re-sign the dates on the bats, he sent me the following 5 pics after Arod re-signed the bats.

If you look at the pics you can see your bat HR #38,39 8-28-03 and their is another signed HR #38 dated 8-21-03, two bats with HR #38, that's proof that Arod and ASI made a mistake and you should be due back a refund. I hope this helps you get your money back.

Also when did you purchase the bat from ASI?

Thanks,Bobby

hi bobby,

i dont see how the two sets of photos are related. the second set of photos are not even the resigned bats. they are 3 different distinct bats apart from the original 4 bats.

[sportscentury]

I can't believe there are 43 posts on trying to figure Arod out !! His game used stuff has been inconsistant from day 1, it's always been that way with him and it won't change.

I agree. It's not just his bats, but the boxes of extra jerseys he purchased and signed "game used" when he was with Texas (and perhaps with the Mariners), along with Palmeiro and Pudge (I guess those who roid together, defraud together). Getting an item directly from a player is supposed to eliminate the need for investigating what the item is ... but in ARod's case, it is the opposite as he leads you down the wrong path half of the time. It is for this reason that I haven't obtained an ARod item for several years now. Just not worth the trouble.