Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

[rj_lucas]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

That looks like what he was warming up with. I just didn't take any photos of that. Maybe start a new thread and see if anyone else has any photos or info. Also go through Flickr.com and see if anyone posted up some Pujols BP photos.

I am wondering for Bert's bat what he did back in 2002. Donut, sleeve, weighted warmup bat?

Not sure about BP, but early in his career Albert used a donut in the on-deck circle, and you'll often find donut impressions on the early gamers. I have video of him using the donut in 2001, but it's on VHS so I'd need to get it transferred to digital to grab some screens.

I'm not sure when he stopped using the donut on-deck, Jeff Scott has tracked every Pujols AB since 2005, so he might know.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

[allstarsplus]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

If you have photos of Albert using the weighted steel bat in BP, could you match these attached photos? Believe it would be from the 2010 season.
Thanks,
Don
woodbat@bellsouth.net

That looks like what he was warming up with. I just didn't take any photos of that. Maybe start a new thread and see if anyone else has any photos or info. Also go through Flickr.com and see if anyone posted up some Pujols BP photos.

I am wondering for Bert's bat what he did back in 2002. Donut, sleeve, weighted warmup bat?

[metsbats]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

I feel like we're all missing something here. The guy who started this whole mess, basketballbones, was mentioned in another thread as being Mike Schultz, a recognized suspected fraud in his own right, thought to have forged numerous game used items to date. A good number of forum members have communicated directly with him and a few of us (me included) have purchased items from him... later to discover the item was junk. He not only pushes bad stuff, he operates with multiple emails, seller IDs, paypal accounts, and uses the same made up story with anyone who's roped into the crap he's selling.

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=39798

I mention this because we're letting him do exactly what he wants to do. He rained on the parade by openly questioning Bert's bat. He did it in a way unaccepted by this community. And now he gets to sit back and watch all of us scramble to prove to each other that Bert didn't do a thing to the bat. But why are we ignoring the fact that this guy just tipped his hand and pushed his luck by dropping in to cause a stir? I would like to think the fact that another member recognized this guy, making an old thread relevant again, would prompt us to continue to compare notes and build a case against him. The members of the community do some amazing things everyday with the way we help each other out. So why are we letting a criminal just drop in and ruin the party and get away with it?

I say this openly because I hope this crook reads this and knows we know about him. I strongly suggest we work together to turn something over to the authorities in this knucklehead's area so he gets a nice little knock on his door. We all know very well how quickly we can produce old emails, pictures, etc for just about everything else we care about. So why not care about this and do something about it? I would love it if we did.

Nationals2k9,

One issue at a time my friend.

We don't see this as scrambling but an exercise at what the Forum and it's members do best. In this case it was analyzing a situation which involved one of our own. (remember no bias and we should question things both inside and outside the House)

Please be assured that the Moderation committee will be considering next steps to take with the member who started the original thread.

[Bravesfan]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

Great post nationals2K9. I am pretty new here but I appreciate this site and its members. I hope others think about your post and answer the call.

[nationals2k9]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

I feel like we're all missing something here. The guy who started this whole mess, basketballbones, was mentioned in another thread as being Mike Schultz, a recognized suspected fraud in his own right, thought to have forged numerous game used items to date. A good number of forum members have communicated directly with him and a few of us (me included) have purchased items from him... later to discover the item was junk. He not only pushes bad stuff, he operates with multiple emails, seller IDs, paypal accounts, and uses the same made up story with anyone who's roped into the crap he's selling.

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=39798

I mention this because we're letting him do exactly what he wants to do. He rained on the parade by openly questioning Bert's bat. He did it in a way unaccepted by this community. And now he gets to sit back and watch all of us scramble to prove to each other that Bert didn't do a thing to the bat. But why are we ignoring the fact that this guy just tipped his hand and pushed his luck by dropping in to cause a stir? I would like to think the fact that another member recognized this guy, making an old thread relevant again, would prompt us to continue to compare notes and build a case against him. The members of the community do some amazing things everyday with the way we help each other out. So why are we letting a criminal just drop in and ruin the party and get away with it?

I say this openly because I hope this crook reads this and knows we know about him. I strongly suggest we work together to turn something over to the authorities in this knucklehead's area so he gets a nice little knock on his door. We all know very well how quickly we can produce old emails, pictures, etc for just about everything else we care about. So why not care about this and do something about it? I would love it if we did.

[chakes89]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

Bet that cost a lot to ship

Haha

[woodbat]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

Here was Pujols this year. 3 bats out on that tarp for his BP session. One was taped and 2 were not.

What I noticed about Bert's bat is it looks like it had possibly a weighted sleeve or donut impression just above the Rawlings "R". Now that was 2002, I observed Albert's 2010 BP session and he swung around a weighted steel bat and didn't put a donut or sleeve on his BP bat warming up.

[ATTACH]46137[/ATTACH]

If you have photos of Albert using the weighted steel bat in BP, could you match these attached photos? Believe it would be from the 2010 season.
Thanks,
Don
woodbat@bellsouth.net

[metsbats]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

I'm getting to this party a little late, as the original posts were written well after my bedtime

I just wanted to make two quick points. First, add my voice to those who count Bert as a stand-up guy, as honest as the day is long.

Second, Bert is right on the money when he says that Albert's bats sometimes feature sharp, well defined lines from a tar rag.

Notice the lines on my 2005 SAM, one down by the grip, the other above the logo. Those are rag lines.

Rick
rickjlucas@gmail.com

Rick,

Good information. Check out the handle on the Bert bat and you can see some staining on the area which would have been covered by tape on the BPH bat. One would expect to see a clean area under tape after the tape is removed.

[metsbats]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

That is correct David. I was looking at the bat on BPH's site as a potential addition to my collection. As I remember, it was just under $700 and even for a BP bat, it seemed like a cool item of Albert's to have.

I also remember Bert's bat on his website saying that his Rawlings had "BP AND Game use".

I notice some differences in the amount of tar around the lower handle area between the two bats which I circled also.

So given the physical differences between the BPH bat and the Bert bat and the fact that BPH had this very bat in their inventory while Bert had possession of his, can we all draw the conclusion that there is no way the BPH bat was the bat in Bert's auction?

[allstarsplus]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

A closeup of this tape job for reference this past season.

[allstarsplus]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

Here was Pujols this year. 3 bats out on that tarp for his BP session. One was taped and 2 were not.

What I noticed about Bert's bat is it looks like it had possibly a weighted sleeve or donut impression just above the Rawlings "R". Now that was 2002, I observed Albert's 2010 BP session and he swung around a weighted steel bat and didn't put a donut or sleeve on his BP bat warming up.

[bigtruck260]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_f...ujols+rawlings

According to this thread the 2002 Pujols was still on BPH's inventory as of July 2008 and at the same time Bert mentioned he was in possession of a 2002 Rawlings Pujols. Assuming Bert is referring to the 2002 bat he just sold on ebay I'm not sure how the BPH bat can be the same one.

That is correct David. I was looking at the bat on BPH's site as a potential addition to my collection. As I remember, it was just under $700 and even for a BP bat, it seemed like a cool item of Albert's to have.

I also remember Bert's bat on his website saying that his Rawlings had "BP AND Game use".

[metsbats]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

As Jeff stated Pujols typically used Rawlings during BP but to a lesser extent in game situations in 2001 and 2002. This would certainly explain why the end of the barrel looked like it was taped at one point. The Rawlings may have been a BP bat promoted to a gamer. Bert indicated both green BP ball marks and dark game colored ball marks on this bat too.

[chakes89]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

Is it just me or does it look the barrel of the top bat had tape on it at one time?

Because there is an noticeable change in color as it goes from light to dark around around the "L and S" in "Pujols"

This might just be from the wood grain or it may have come from tape being on the barrel then being removed.

Just a thought (And sorry if this was already mentioned)

[metsbats]

Re: Pujols 2002 Rawlings - Important Please read!

http://www.gameuseduniverse.com/vb_forum/showthread.php?t=17384&highlight=pujols+rawlings

According to this thread the 2002 Pujols was still on BPH's inventory as of July 2008 and at the same time Bert mentioned he was in possession of a 2002 Rawlings Pujols. Assuming Bert is referring to the 2002 bat he just sold on ebay I'm not sure how the BPH bat can be the same one.