Number9
01-28-2007, 09:50 PM
Long-time jersey collector pondering picking up my first few GU bats and wonder if I could ask you bat guys a question about one I saw recently that belomgs to a friend.
It was a black Ryan Klesko Padres bat, I forget the brand etc. It had GREAT use on the barrel, his number 30 written on the end of the barrel, a nice tape job on the knob, and a thick hardened buildup of pine tar about a third of the way up the bat. I assume Klesko kept extra pine tar there so he had easy access to it. He could just touch that area, and boom he had a good grip.
Anyhoo, here is the part I didn't understand. As I said, its a black bat, but at the bottom near the knob, where his hands would go when gripping the bat, that part of the bat is no longer black for about 4-5 inches or so. It is now the color of natural wood I'd say, and looked like the black had been rubbed off from use or more likely even sanded off.
It was very clean in that area too and that is what did not make sense to me. The bat had the large buildup of pine tar a little above this so clearly he liked having pinetar of his batting gloves, so it seems this area where he gripped the bat would not be clean. Even if the paint has been stripped off by use or intentional sanding by him, it would have some pine tar residue there right?
Sorry I don't have pics. Just imagine a black bat where the paint has been sanded off or rubbed off where the hands would grip it. Why would that area be stripped clean and not dirty from gripping the bat there?
Could it have been taped and somewhere along the way the tape was removed and it pulled the paint off? Seems like there would be tape glue residue in that case.
Hopefully what I have tried to describe makes sense. Any opinions on this?
Thanks.
It was a black Ryan Klesko Padres bat, I forget the brand etc. It had GREAT use on the barrel, his number 30 written on the end of the barrel, a nice tape job on the knob, and a thick hardened buildup of pine tar about a third of the way up the bat. I assume Klesko kept extra pine tar there so he had easy access to it. He could just touch that area, and boom he had a good grip.
Anyhoo, here is the part I didn't understand. As I said, its a black bat, but at the bottom near the knob, where his hands would go when gripping the bat, that part of the bat is no longer black for about 4-5 inches or so. It is now the color of natural wood I'd say, and looked like the black had been rubbed off from use or more likely even sanded off.
It was very clean in that area too and that is what did not make sense to me. The bat had the large buildup of pine tar a little above this so clearly he liked having pinetar of his batting gloves, so it seems this area where he gripped the bat would not be clean. Even if the paint has been stripped off by use or intentional sanding by him, it would have some pine tar residue there right?
Sorry I don't have pics. Just imagine a black bat where the paint has been sanded off or rubbed off where the hands would grip it. Why would that area be stripped clean and not dirty from gripping the bat there?
Could it have been taped and somewhere along the way the tape was removed and it pulled the paint off? Seems like there would be tape glue residue in that case.
Hopefully what I have tried to describe makes sense. Any opinions on this?
Thanks.