The New York Times’ Jack Curry on the attempt by Sam Holman of the Original Maple Bat Corp. to sell his business on eBay.
When Holman (above, right) listed the corporation last month, his product description detailed how he was ready to unload everything, including his future services. He cited the building in Quebec, two acres of land, the patents, the trademarks, the machinery and a world-class client list of 150 major leaguers. Bonds, Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard and Alfonso Soriano are some of the marquee players on the list. Holman said the company needed œinspired vision and wherewithal to move forward.
At least 20 people bookmarked Holman™s entry, meaning they wanted updates during the weeklong bidding process. Holman received several calls and e-mail messages. Some people wanted to devise his exit strategy. Others wondered if the listing was a prank. And still others wanted to combine businesses.
Not every inquiry was worth Holman™s time. One official from a lumber company contacted Holman and was excited about collaborating and making Sam Bats as accessible as hammers.
œThe guy called me and says, ˜Do you think that we could sell them at Home Depot?™ Holman said. œI was in disbelief. Did he even know what a baseball bat was?
Since Bonds is Holman™s most prized client, his bats are made with the best premium lumber that Holman can buy. Still, Holman said only 5 percent of that lumber is of the quality that allows him to carve Bonds™s 2K1 model (2001 is when Bonds hit a record-setting 73 homers).
Holman is so serious about his relationships with his clients that he would not specify the length or weight of Bonds™s bat. He merely said it is about 34 inches and 32 ounces. Conversely, Holman did not mind discussing the potential value of his corporation.
When Holman parcels out his lumber for bats, he ostensibly does it by looking at a player™s statistics. Bonds™s bats are made with the top wood, followed by three other sluggers ” Pujols, Soriano and Howard.
It is not that other players get inferior wood, but the best players get the best. In fact, Holman said someone would have to offer him $1,000 to dream of getting a bat made from the wood he uses for Bonds™s bats.
Pat Dobson, a ten year big league vet and a 20 game winner for the 1971 Baltimore Orioles, passed away yesterday at the age of 64. Dobson was one of 4 20 game winnners in the O’s starting rotation that season, pitching alongside Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar and Dave McNally for the AL Champs.
There’s been considerable hand-wringing the past several days over the crazy contracts proferred to Juan Pierre, Alfonso Soriano et al., and no one is more aware of how the market’s changed than Rickey Henderson.
In the spirit of this special day for families, here’s the shy, retiring Steve Keane of The Eddie Kranepool Society’s take on Tom Glavine’s Big Decision.
What the fuck is Glavine™s hold up here? If he is that concerned about his family then retire. Show me you™re a real family man and leave that 300 wins out there and go home and play house. This guy is so full of shit I can see right through him. He wants to go back to the Braves but with New York money and the one thing going for the Braves is their GM has not has his legs cut out from under him. John Schuerholz will take Glavine back but at the Braves’ price not Glavine’s.