Any thoughts on Photomatch??

[Tay1038]

I'm in the process of buying this Sammy Sosa 98' gamer. I would like to hear anyone's thoughts on this being a possible photomatch. The photos are not the best but you get the gist. What do you think...

Thanks in advance,
Taylor

[Tay1038]

Here are photographs of the knob and the rest of the photos.

[Jags Fan Dan]

At first glance, that looks very promising!

[Jags Fan Dan]

In the right hand photo where he is leaning away from the pitch, there appears to be an imperfection or mark on the silver ring around the bat. Is that present on the one you are looking at?

[Tay1038]

No, I believe that is just a shadow from the tilt of the bat. If you look closely at the tape on the knob, you can see the impression where the tape is rolled up. You can also see the resemblance of the tape on how it covers the bottom on the knob. What do you think?

[Jags Fan Dan]

I like it and I personally think it is the same bat. The ball marks all line up and the placement of them in regards to the logo looks good. I agree that the tape job appears to match up. The only thing I was questioning was the size of the upper, bigger ballmark, but the angle of the bat in the photos of Sosa holding it are likely giving an incomplete view of it.

[Jags Fan Dan]

This photo seems to show the ball marks pretty well, and that top ball mark is a biggie. I think this only solidifies it further.

[Jags Fan Dan]

It would be interesting to know if he took this bat to Atlanta the very next day and used it to hit the 440 foot homer off of Maddux in the first inning!

[Tay1038]

Thanks man... I really do appreciate your thoughts that you have shared with me not only on this bat but on my McGwire 1998 gamer as well. I know no body is obligated to share their thoughts but when someone takes the time to write and post photographs really means a lot. Thanks again!

I think it is very possible that Sammy used this to hit dinger #9. He homered in the 1st inning off Maddox.. Can't count it out...

Having two bats that are awaiting game photos on the next day games for being possibly HR bats, not too bad of picks I'd say for April!

[kingjammy24]

taylor

the great thing about a photomatch is that, obviously, it leaves no doubt. if something leaves doubt, then it's not a photomatch. it may be close, but it's not a match.

the ballmarks look promising but i can't be certain that they're the exact same ballmarks. consider how many black rawlings bats sosa used in '98 and how many of them likely had ballmarks in the same area on the barrel. a ballmark can often leave a wholly unique imprint. unfortunately, the getty pics don't show the specific ballmarks with enough clarity to be able to definitively conclude that they're the same ones.

as for the tape job, sosa was a taping madman in '98. it seems overwhelmingly likely that he had a specific system in how he'd tape his knobs. much like griffey's criss-cross jobs, which all look predictably similar because he's done them the same way thousands of times over. the photo of the taped knob showing the section cutting across may very well simply be an indicator of how he physically tapes the knobs and as such is likely present on all of those taped knobs.

that's my 2 cents on the bat and on photomatching. everyone wants a match and, in general, i think sometimes they're a little presumptuous or liberal. they'll photomatch a team logo on the front of a jersey, for example, with no consideration of the back of the jersey or even the sides.

your sosa bat may very well be the one in the photos but personally i think it's inconclusive because the getty pics aren't detailed enough.

rudy.

[Vintagedeputy]

I have to agree with Rudy on this one - the ballmarks are not conclusive on that bat.

[Tay1038]

Thanks guys for your thoughts, However, I'm pretty confident in what I see between the comparison of these photos and this Sammy Sosa bat. As I was with my 1998 McGwire bat...

[Jags Fan Dan]

I agree that the photos may not be able to be said 100% that they match, I do feel that the preponderance of the evidence suggests that it is the bat in the photos. Odds start getting pretty long that another bat of the exact same kind is going to show the same ball markings and have the same tape on the knob. This is just my unprofessional opinion, of course.