Blog: May 17-May 23, 2010
May 17, 2010. Both Yadier Molina and Jason Motte were swinging Gwynn-finished Marucci bats in today's game. It's the first time this year I've noticed Molina using anything other than X-Bat... The last time I was in the team's Authentic's Store, I was told MLB is doing another broken bat study. So, the team apparently won't be getting any new bat inventory for a while.
May 18, 2010. Holliday used a Gwynn-finished Old Hickory tonight. It was his eighth different kind of bat this season (manufacture/finish/wood), breaking a tie with Mather, who has used seven distinct bats... A couple interesting pieces have shown up on eBay this week. First, here's a Mark McGwire bat that's advertised as being used for HR number 576. I don't see anything in the photos to suggest otherwise; it has the proper use characteristics for a 2001 gamer... Second, here's an Albert Pujols jersey advertised as being worn in the 2000 Arizona fall league. Again, no reason to doubt this one. One might struggle with the prices on these items (especially the Mac bat), but they both appear on the surface to be great pieces of memorabilia.
May 19, 2010. It's no secret that Pujols game-used jerseys are rare. About the only ones you can count on as being legit are the spring training shirts sold or auctioned by the team (and even some of those have questionable use). If you've been waiting for the Cardinals to auction one, here's your chance. Other spring jerseys available thru 5/23 (5 p.m. CDT) include Molina, Franklin, Freese, Rasmus, Garcia and Ryan.
May 20, 2010. Another day, another new bat for Holliday. Today, it's a natural Marucci... Pink bats used by players on Mother's Day are already available online from MLB.com. Unfortunately, no Cardinals bats are listed. It took just 10 days from use to auction. Impressive... Apparently, Skip Schumaker uses one of Troy Glaus' old gloves, as noted in this article. During Monday's game, a ball got stuck between two fingers, keeping Skip from making the play. That shouldn't be a problem anymore now that bullpen catcher Jeff Murphy added some stitching between the fingers.
May 21, 2010. With Whitey Herzog's HOF induction this summer, talk about retiring numbers -- including the Rat's #24 -- has started again. The Cardinals maintain they don't want to retire too many numbers because they're don't have many with which to work. But, an analysis I did today suggests the real issue is that the Cardinals simply don't wear numbers as high as players on most teams. Ranking teams by their average uniform number (all numbers added, then divided by 32 -- the number of active players, the manager and six primary coaches), the Cards are 18th. The team could wear higher numbers and not look out of place at all. See "Notes and Articles" for a closer look.
May 22, 2010. P. J. Walters made his '10 debut today, being called up to replace Brad Penny, who went on the DL. He's wearing #62 as he did last season. He even got to bat; he used a natural ash LS... Kyle Lohse used a black Marucci.
May 23, 2010. Chris Carpenter is still using the flame-finished ash LS with the H&B 125th anniversary logo. That bat has to be at least nine months old... The Albert Pujols game-used spring training home jersey, auctioned by the Cardinals on the team's Web site, sold tonight for $1,970. I'm shocked at how low that price is. Wonder why? Molina sold for $580. Other available jerseys ranged from Franklin at $225 to Freese at $405.
