Melky Home run bat on ebay

[Masimen]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-Melky-Cabrera-Game-Used-2-HR-Bat-New-Yankee-Stadium-1st-Walk-Off-HR-/200789167137?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebff78c21#ht_1104wt_962"]http://http://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-Melky-Cabrera-Game-Used-2-HR-Bat-New-Yankee-Stadium-1st-Walk-Off-HR-/200789167137?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebff78c21#ht_1104wt_962[/URL]

This bat is signed as a 2 home run bat by Cabrera. The attached pics shows him hitting one of the 2 home runs in question. The bat in the below pics clearly shows tape. Is it possible that the tape was removed and then the bat was used without tape after the fact? Possibly, but one would think there would be some residue.

[Masimen]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-Melky-Cabrera-Game-Used-2-HR-Bat-New-Yankee-Stadium-1st-Walk-Off-HR-/200789167137?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ebff78c21#ht_1104wt_962

This link should actually work!

[sportscrazy13]

I'm the owner of the bat. I asked about the tape when I purchased it. Melky's agent confirmed with Melky that this was the bat and he said yes 100% that is the bat he used, and that he used and that he cracked it when he hit the HR and took off the tape to double check if he cracked it because the bat felt good in his hands and he was going to keep using it if it wasn't cracked.

[joelsabi]

isn't this three bats?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFNP5dygXZ0

1:06 (Batboy grabbing a black bat with tape from the ground)
1:17 (Batboy walking with the way from dugout)
1: 25 (Melky in dugout carrying a black bat without tape)


then, a two-tone bat on ebay.

[sctizzle]

From the game shots, it looks like it isn't tape but a metal baseball bat grip that Melky and Cano used to use..so that might not leave any residue however it looks like the crack is higher than where the grip stops so I would assume he could have seen the crack without taking the grip off...

[joelsabi]

From the game shots, it looks like it isn't tape but a metal baseball bat grip that Melky and Cano used to use..so that might not leave any residue however it looks like the crack is higher than where the grip stops so I would assume he could have seen the crack without taking the grip off...

that makes sense. found this photo of melky using what you said is a bat grip on a two tone bat.

http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/oufielder-melky-cabrera-of-the-new-york-yankees-watches-a-news-photo/87143651


here the best photo of the bat on the walkoff but its very low resolution.
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-04-22/sports/17919851_1_melky-cabrera-yankees-dan-giese

but why would the current owner say that there was tape?

[dwn1955]

I have a similar Melky bat with the same manufacturing date but it had a much shorter life. It has a rubber-grip type wrap on the handle which I'd compare to a tennis racket. I imagine if removed it wouldn't show much. I also have a Posada black 320M which Melky used to hit career HR #24, one of 5 Yankee homers that day, 4/17/09, for their first win in the new Stadium. Only some pine tar on that one.

[sportscrazy13]

There was rubber grip/tape on the bat when Melky used it to hit the HR's. The rubber grip/tape was then removed at some point before bat was sold.

[joelsabi]

There was rubber grip/tape on the bat when Melky used it to hit the HR's. The rubber grip/tape was then removed at some point before bat was sold.

ok if grip/tape are synonymous, then there is no contradiction from what sportscrazy13 said.

I trust Mario at MVP so I am glad that this tape is explainable. Knowing this trait of using a rubber grip/tape by some players can be very handy.