I think I've lost some faith in PSA/DNA Taube bats/Brew fans come in...

[camarokids]

I have a Tino Martinez 2004 Devil Rays bat I bought from JT Sports, which I like. Another forum member questioned the writing on the knob end cause it did not match his. Also there is a minor league ball mark on it.

The thread got a little bit out of hand...

Anyways JT contacted me and offered to buy the bat back.

JT also assured me the bat was good. I told him I wanted to keep it.

A great person to deal with!!!!!

[rjdgonebats]

What are the certain markings on the knob of Fielders bats??? I have only seen his uniform number ?? Could you clarify what you mean. Thank you

[3arod13]

I've dealt with John. He authenticated an item for me. Responded to everyone of my emails quickly, and also when out of his way to help me on other matters. Most trustworthy person I know in the hobby.

[Masimen]

Not to beat a dead horse or anything, but I have been dealing with John since I purchased my first bat from him in 95 or 96. Couldn't be a better guy to deal with.

[cjclong]

I'll add to the comments of those who respect John. One time he knew I was looking for a Pudge bat and let me know about one. When I contacted him he said he was no longer offering the bat, he had checked it out and did not feel he could authenticate it.

[Mark17]

It looks like everyone is saying the same thing (call John.) I just want to give an example of what happened when I did that.

I was interested in a 1961-64 Billy Williams gamer that had been graded GU8 by John and Vince Malta. There were a few things I was concerned about, being a relatively new collector. First, the weight did not match factory records exactly, second, the ball marks were on the wrong side of the barrel for a lefthanded hitter, and third, the model number, S2, was his pro-stock model.

First, I emailed Vince Malta about the pro stock and weight issues. He replied the next day with a lengthy and informative email, explaining weights are not precise, that the Williams bat, weighing 31.6 ounces, could easily, and probably was, listed as 32 oz by the factory. He cited an example where the actual weight and factory-designated weights were off by more than a couple ounces. He also told me that weights don't fluctuate much with bats post 1950, since the moisture is removed during the manufacturing process.

I asked about the pro-stock issue. Vince told me that the factory records aren't much help in that regard, since bats were made for and shipped to minor league teams, colleges, and so on, but that his opinion was that there were few, if any, 61-64 pro stock Willams bats out there, based on the fact that he hadn't seen very many from that era.

Vince suggested I call John Taube about the ball marks on the wrong side of the barrel, so I did. John took my call, and we had a very pleasant and informative (for me) discussion. From his photo archives, he pulled up examples of Billy Williams gamers, and said, "I'm seeing some with use on the left barrel, and some with use on the right.... Let me ask you this: Which side of the bat has the widest grain?"

I looked at the bat, and the side with the heavy use definitely had wider grain. John said that's what his examples were showing, and that some players believe wide grain makes for a harder hitting surface and therefore will hit label-up or label-down based on which side of the bat they think has the better hitting surface.

Bottom line: Vince and John took the time to explain to me why this bat did indeed match factory records, was not likely pro-stock, and had correct usage characteristics for Billy Williams. I was more certain than ever that they know what they're talking about and I did purchase that bat.

Footnote: I happened to be talking with Terry Steinbach about this last year, when he told me about wider grain being a better hitting surface. I mentioned what John had said, about some guys going label-down to use the side with the wider grain, and Terry got a look on his face as if to say, "What a great idea!" Because, when we're kids, we all hit label-up without thinking about the grain of the bat.