Red Sox Bat Notes

[gameused]

Anthony -

I have inserted below an image of my manny bat broken on 9/29/07, an X-bat identical to the one he hit the big ALDS Walk-off with a week later. The number stickers are the same this year for Manny and Ortiz. When I looked in the bat rack this weekend, all their gamers had these silver stick-on numbers. Most others still had the silver marker numbers on them.

Bobby - Thanks for the info as well. I have been building my sox collection for a couple of years and am also still searching for that elusive Ellsbury X-bat. Given how closely he monitored his lumber last weekend, it will be a tough one!

Alternate topic: Why are there so many uncracked Ortiz bats out there? Does he just use them a few times in BP and sell them? Most of his gamers on TV have trashed tops since he often drags them in the dirt on the on-deck circle. But most of those for sale are pretty clean on top...Lots of BP bats out there? Anyone have ideas how to tell an Ortiz BP bat from a gamer? I know Bobby has a good selection going, and I have bought a few, but am now pondering this question...

Matt

Matt,

I heard that David Ortiz is a guy with a big heart, that's why they call him "Big Papi". A friend of mine called me a few years ago and said that his "boys" had a ton of his game used stuff, bats, jerseys and cleats that they were looking to sell. Ortiz takes care of the people close to him, that's why their so much of his stuff floating around. His stuff could show a ton of use or hardly any use, just depends on when he gives it away. Below is a pic of Ortiz giving a kid a game used bat away at Fenway this year.

Also, on that ALDS Manny X-bat you mentioned, I own that bat he used to hit the ALDS walk off HR vs the Angels, Manny smoked a 96-mph Francisco Rodriguez fastball way over the green monster, that same bat was also used in game 3 of the ALDS in Anaheim to hit a HR off of Angels pitcher Jered Weaver. David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez led off the top of the 4th with back-to-back homers in that game.