team names on bats

[tigerdale]

To my understanding now, bat companies (other than louisville) can no longer put team names on bats, also no longer can they put 'world series' or 'all-star' on them. Louisville has paid MLB for these rights & other companies must stop doing this practice....I have all ready seen a grandy bat this season minus the team name on his Abat. Has anyone else heard this??

[Birdbats]

I hadn't heard that. In the past, any manufacturer could put the team name on their bats if they paid MLB for the rights. Most didn't pay to do it. Some that did, like Rawlings, stopped by their own choice. H&B still pays for the right to add team names, but I haven't heard where they have any kind of exclusive. I'm sure Brian Hillerich has the scoop, but he might be out of pocket at the moment.

[cjclong]

On at least one occasion recently Old Hickory put the team name on one of their bats. The bat that Sammy Sosa used to hit home run 600 was an Old Hickory borrowed from Kenny Lofton and had Lofton's name and Los Angeles Dodgers on the barrel (It looks odd in the Rangers display of Sosa 600 home run memorabilia). I asked the Old Hickory people about it and was told they could put the team name on bats if the team game permission which in this case they obviously did.

[tigerdale]

to my understanding, this is just starting in 2008.