CANSECO/McGWIRE COMBO BAT?

[hblakewolf]

Forum Readers-
Offered on ebay is a Worth bat signed by Canseco as being from 1988. Penned on the knob is 25, and as such, the seller is claiming that it was also used by McGwire and the A's clubhouse man told him so! Is it just me, or is this a HUGE stretch to claim it was used by both players? As I always say, HOMEWORK. How about a single photo of MAC swinging a natural colored Worth bat in 1988 (or any year!)? Personally, this is the first time I've ever heard of McGwire using this brand of bat.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Jose-Canseco-Mark-Mcgwire-Bash-Brothers-Game-Used-Bat_W0QQitemZ260063925703QQihZ016QQcategoryZ60596Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

As s sidenote, this is the same seller who was offering Canseco's 1st ever homerun ball on ebay. I emailed him, seeking the ball that bounced off of Jose's head when he was roaming the outfield, however, never heard back.

Interesting.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[suave1477]

Hello Howard, I am a little confused by what your saying. Are you saying this bat was not used by McGwire?

Isn't it possible it was Cansecos bat and he lent it to McGwire and could have used this bat to try it out on one game or so and decided he didn't like it and gave it back to Canseco or something of that nature.

The seller is selling it as probable explaination of where the 25 came from but in reality everyone can see what your getting, a Jose Canseco Gamer as stated in the Canseco LOA.

[CollectGU]

FYI. This is not the same ebay seller that sold the 1st HR ball.

[hblakewolf]

Hello Howard, I am a little confused by what your saying. Are you saying this bat was not used by McGwire?

Isn't it possible it was Cansecos bat and he lent it to McGwire and could have used this bat to try it out on one game or so and decided he didn't like it and gave it back to Canseco or something of that nature.

The seller is selling it as probable explaination of where the 25 came from but in reality everyone can see what your getting, a Jose Canseco Gamer as stated in the Canseco LOA.

Suave-
We will never know what this actually is, who used it, or any details associted with it as there's no proof of any sort.

You ask if Canseco "lent it" to McGwire? Maybe. Then again, maybe McGwire asked for a Worth Canseco model and used it. Maybe McGwire used it and gave it back to Jose. Maybe Jose used it, handed it to Terry Steinbach, who in turn gave it to Walt Weisss who then gave it McGwire who added his 25 to the knob. Who cracked it? McGwire?

If McGwire used it, as you note, and gave it back to Canseco, don't you think Canseco would have put his 33 on the knob? Don't you also think Canseco would make mention in the LOA about McGwire also using it?

How do we know that Canseco even used it without a 33 on the knob? Is it possible McGwire took it when it was brnad new, put his 25 on the knob and cracked it during a game? If that's the case, then Canseco never used it and that's why it's void of Canseco's 33 on the knob.

My point is simple-where is there one ounce of proof McGwire ever used this bat or for that matter, a Worth Jose Canseco Model bat during 1988? EVERY PHOTO I FIND OF MCGWIRE HITTING IN 1988 SHOWS HIM SWINGING A RAWLINGS GREEN RING BAT. CAn someone produce a photo with this type of Worth in hand?

Enough Said.

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[cubs01]

howard wolfe,

Here is your proof. I often read postings on this forum and rarely if ever post myself. I am at times too amazed by what what I read to offer a post of my own. I think there is a lot of value from this forum and site. It has saved a lot of collectors both time and money including myself.

I actually do not know the current seller / owner of the Canseco - Mcgwire bat. I was however, at the show (tri star show in kansas city, Mo in May of 2003) where Canseco and his agent had a dealer table and were selling Jose's game used bats and jerseys. His agent Doug was the one in charge of all pricing for Jose's stuff. I had the option to buy this exact bat from his agent with Canseco sitting right next to him. I passed on this bat with an original sale price of $300. I instead purchased a Yankees game used world series bat for the same price signed with world series inscription. All items sold came with same generic COA signed by Jose. Not 1 minute after I passed on the Canseco - Mcgwire bat another collector bought said mentioned Worth for $300. I was not more than a foot or two away from Jose when the new owner of the worth noticed the "25" on both ends. The new owner showed me both ends which I did not see when I elected to pass on the bat. I encouraged him to ask Jose about the number "25" on both ends since Jose was sitting right at the table across from us. Jose did in fact tell both of us that Mcgwire did in fact use this bat. He stated that he gave Mcgwire the bat on a road trip as Mcgwire was low or out of bats. When they returned back to Oakland Mcgwire gave it back to Jose. Jose then used it and cracked it. I was standing but 2 feet away and listened to the entire conversation. Obviously at this point I was kicking myself for not buying that bat not 5 minutes earlier. Canseco also had an 88' Mcgwire Rawlings that was signed "To Jose, My Bashbrother....Mark Mcgwire". That bat sold for $600 the same day. I also got my picture taken with Jose holding the bat I purchased. He is wearing the exact same clothes he is wearing in the photo listed with the Canseco - Mcgwire bat being sold on ebay you so generously told the forum members was impossible to tell if it was actually used by Mcgwire.

So, my point is this. Perhaps next time you should bite your tounge or fingers in this case. You chimmed in on something you have no clue or right to chime in on. I know this hobby well and have worked in a major league locker room for 10 years. I laugh daily at postings on this site and a lot of times at your postings. Do you really think there is a photo out there of every Mcgwire at bat from 1988 that just anyone can review? Mcgwire had 550 at bats. Please show me a photo of each at bat. Thats what I figured. Also, just because there is not a photo match to each and every item or Jose did not write a novel on paper at a show in front of fans and customers that does not make this bat bad or fake. Try getting down off your high horse from time to time. Seriously, your original posting has absolutely no merit what so ever. Consider this when making judgement on future topics.

Have a nice day Howard. ;) :o :p :D :) :cool: :rolleyes:

[hblakewolf]

howard wolfe,

Here is your proof. I often read postings on this forum and rarely if ever post myself. I am at times too amazed by what what I read to offer a post of my own. I think there is a lot of value from this forum and site. It has saved a lot of collectors both time and money including myself.

I actually do not know the current seller / owner of the Canseco - Mcgwire bat. I was however, at the show (tri star show in kansas city, Mo in May of 2003) where Canseco and his agent had a dealer table and were selling Jose's game used bats and jerseys. His agent Doug was the one in charge of all pricing for Jose's stuff. I had the option to buy this exact bat from his agent with Canseco sitting right next to him. I passed on this bat with an original sale price of $300. I instead purchased a Yankees game used world series bat for the same price signed with world series inscription. All items sold came with same generic COA signed by Jose. Not 1 minute after I passed on the Canseco - Mcgwire bat another collector bought said mentioned Worth for $300. I was not more than a foot or two away from Jose when the new owner of the worth noticed the "25" on both ends. The new owner showed me both ends which I did not see when I elected to pass on the bat. I encouraged him to ask Jose about the number "25" on both ends since Jose was sitting right at the table across from us. Jose did in fact tell both of us that Mcgwire did in fact use this bat. He stated that he gave Mcgwire the bat on a road trip as Mcgwire was low or out of bats. When they returned back to Oakland Mcgwire gave it back to Jose. Jose then used it and cracked it. I was standing but 2 feet away and listened to the entire conversation. Obviously at this point I was kicking myself for not buying that bat not 5 minutes earlier. Canseco also had an 88' Mcgwire Rawlings that was signed "To Jose, My Bashbrother....Mark Mcgwire". That bat sold for $600 the same day. I also got my picture taken with Jose holding the bat I purchased. He is wearing the exact same clothes he is wearing in the photo listed with the Canseco - Mcgwire bat being sold on ebay you so generously told the forum members was impossible to tell if it was actually used by Mcgwire.

So, my point is this. Perhaps next time you should bite your tounge or fingers in this case. You chimmed in on something you have no clue or right to chime in on. Who do you think you are? Game used God of all game used bats? I know this hobby well and have worked in a major league locker room for 10 years. I laugh daily at postings on this site and a lot of times at your postings. Do you really think there is a photo out there of every Mcgwire at bat from 1988 that just anyone can review? Mcgwire had 550 at bats. Please show me a photo of each at bat. Thats what I figured. Also, just because there is not a photo match to each and every item or Jose did not write a novel on paper at a show in front of fans and customers that does not make this bat bad or fake. Try getting down off your high horse from time to time. Seriously, your original posting has absolutely no merit what so ever. Consider this when making judgement on future topics.

Have a nice day Howard. ;) :o :p :D :) :cool: :rolleyes:

Forum Members:

What an interesting post. I received this email yesterday, and it's extremely odd(?) that it also has the same line:

From: DELETED
To: hblakewolf@patmedia.net (hblakewolf@patmedia.net)
Sent: Monday, December 11, 2006 1:09 PM
Subject: Canseco bat


Howard,
I just read your post on the forum. 1st off I never had any Canseco ball for sale, Whats up with that? You must have me confused. Secondly, this bat was obtained directly from Jim Ames...Cansecos agent. It is origional and unaltered in any way. Period. Last year I did contact Vusavich about the 25 on the barrel and knob and he confirmed that it was Mcgwires. So where is the problem? I have had two detached retina surgeries in the past two weeks and no health insurance to pay for any of it, so I am selling the bat.So you want to go on the forum and question the bat becouse you don't have a photo of Mac using the bat? Do you have a photo of ever one of Macs AB's in 1988? I am negotiating a price of between $400-$500 for the bat with a forum member currently. That is a fair price for the bat with or without Mac using it or not. You can be very helpful or hurtful to the forum. The choice is yours. Thank you, Sam Colletta

Cubs01-what's your name? What a great story about this guy being at a show, Jose said it was used by McGwire, etc. If indeed this was the case, why would this fact not have been included in the Canseco LOA that came with this bat? Think about it. If this was told to the individual purchsing the bat at a show, don't you think you would have Canseco or his agent add this information to the LOA?

My original posting questioned the 25 and the overall bat. Until proof beyond a so-called story of "Canseco said" can be proven, I'm not sure how anyone can attribute this bat to ever being used by McGwire, a player who used Rawlings bats in 1988. I'm aware of McGwire using Louisville Sluggers during his rookie year, but am not aware of him using Louisville, Worth, etc. beyond this. Likewise, can someone provide any photographic evidence of McGwire ever using a Worth bat in 1988, 1990, etc.?

Homework.......

Howard Wolf
hblakewolf@patmedia.net

[cubs01]

Howard, like I stated before. The COA that came with every item Jose and his agent sold came printed on plain piece of payer which Jose waited to sign until you bought an item. He signed the COA's right in front of you. Look at the photos of Jose holding the bat. Have you ever been to a tri-star or sun time show? You will notice the autograph which Jose happened to be set up next to. Like I also said before. Jose setting up at a show was obviously a suprise to many people at this show (he also set up at a show in New Jersey a month earlier). Jose is not going to sit there and hand write a COA for one collector when there are close to 20 people at his table buying stuff. The Mcgwire issue came up after the buyer had already paid for the bat. Your take on this bat not being proven can be applied to any piece of memorabilia on the market. Unless you have a photo match or actually saw it used with your own eyes then of course you can't prove it. Get a clue Howard, we are talking about a bat used some 15 years ago for a couple of road games. Do actually think that every bat he used in his entire career is photo matched? Not all items are photo matched. Like I said before, I do not know the seller of this bat as it was actually sold on ebay twice since May of 2003. The bat has came with the orginal photo from the show each time it has been offered for sale on ebay. Face it Howard, you don't know everything when comes to game used memorabilia. Any players don't always concern themselves with hand writing COA's to please people like you. You have obviously never worked with professional athletes considering all of your previous posts. Perhaps you should try to get a job within a professional organization be it minor leauge or big leagues so you can have some basis to any of your postings. Until then, you'll keep offering up your unfounded opinions on things and in turn make yourself look even worse. By the way, I will be trying to win the bid for Canseco - MCGWIRE bat when the auction ends.

Again, have a nice day Howard!!! :D :D :D :D :D :D :) :) :) :) :) :)

[RobSteinmetz]

If you wish to participate in this thread, please keep your comments focused on the item in question. Any further personal attacks, insults, or comments that might be viewed as baiting will result in this thread being locked. Thanks for your cooperation.

Rob

[cubs01]

My appologies to the forum for getting a little personal. Thats my fault. I guess it gets a little tough as I too have offered items for sale on ebay and had forum members discount or shed bad light towards my item based on facts that are not any more proven than the facts being offered with sale of my item. This then then causes decreased interest and or sale prices for ebay items. I have obtained several nice pieces of game used items either directly from players, locker room staff or front office employees. Each and every item does not always make sense as most players even with the value of items today do not take the time to document their equipment. Some do which is nice but the majority does not. I have been told in the past that some players have never ordered or used certain brands of bats when in fact worked in a locker room and was in charge of the "bat room" and stocked all bats that came in. I saw first hand what players recieved and what players used then have a 3rd part tell me I was incorrect. I guess one way to look at it in this case since I have strong interest in the bat is I have at least one less person to compete with as its obvious what some forum members feel about the Canseco bat in question.

Again, my appologies to the forum for getting a little out of hand with my prior postings.

Thanks

[dave8270]

Let me start off by saying I don't know or care if this bat is genuine or not. It is something I am not interested in. What I wanted to chime in on is about the Tristar show in Kansas City. I was at the show also. This show was actually in Overland Park, KS not KC MO. I live in the area and attend all the Tristar shows. I too saw the table Canseco had set up. I talked for quite awhile with his agent and almost purchased a jersey. I asked if I could get Jose to sign the jersey and personalize it for me. He told me "Sure he will sign whatever way you want it". I got the impression that Jose needed money and was willing to do whatever it took to sell this stuff. I am not calling Jose a liar, but I wouldn't be suprised what he or his agent would say to pedal his equipment.

[CansecoPower33]

I see the auction for the bat in question has ended. I take it an offer was accepted for the bat?

[mailman93]

there was a post that said the owner was working on a deal between $400- $500 for the bat. It seems like this is a reoccuring thing on ebay, not many auctions last the distance.

[JasonM33]

That's a shame. It seems to me that they could be costing themselves money by not letting the auction run all the way through.

Anyway, there's one more thing I want to say to all you Canseco fans............ Thank God for you guys. At times we may end up bidding against each other but that's fine by me. Because any time one of us gets a game used Canseco item, that's one less jersey or bat that will be chopped up into a million pieces and put on a baseball card. I cringe every time I see one of the those damned things.

[CansecoPower33]

That's a shame. It seems to me that they could be costing themselves money by not letting the auction run all the way through.

Anyway, there's one more thing I want to say to all you Canseco fans............ Thank God for you guys. At times we may end up bidding against each other but that's fine by me. Because any time one of us gets a game used Canseco item, that's one less jersey or bat that will be chopped up into a million pieces and put on a baseball card. I cringe every time I see one of the those damned things.

If someone is willing to make that kind of offer, they should be willing to go tooth and nail in an auction for the same piece. I'm with you, it's just plain lousy when you're waiting out an auction and it's suddenly pulled for an undisclosed sum. Not knowing what was paid is enough to drive you round the bend. I'd have pulled out all the stops for the Canseco 1st HR ball, but who knows what was accepted? It leaves you with this awful feeling of what could have been. The worst part was that he refused to take an offer from mailman previous to accepting the one that ended it.

It is nice that there are more Canseco fans and collectors here. I've said this before, but if either of you are ever selling something from the collection, let me know. It's true, these things shouldn't be cut down to nothing to make cards. It's an awful shame, and something people will look back on in years to come with utter disbelief. The fact that Ruth, DiMaggio, Gehrig, Cobb, Foxx jerseys all receive this treatment is even more of a crime. I just like knowing that Canseco's gamers are finding good homes and we can keep tabs on certain histotical pieces rather than see them slip away into a private collection never to be seen again.

[Canseco44]

I am listing Canseco stuff right now on eaby and will be in the future under tjspidey. I have been buying and selling on ebay for about 7 years but I am new to this forum. I had no idea it was out here. I have lots of Canseco game bats including(but not for sale) his 400th Homerun bat and ball, his 1989 World Series Homerun bat, and two bat he personalized to me that are game used Long Beach Armada Maple Easton bats. I have in all about 20 game bats. I have sold almost all of my cards to fund my game used obsession now. I am really looking for a game used Devil Rays Home Jersey or anything to do with his 400th Homerun on April 14, 1979. If anyone knows of any let me know.

Todd Ricks

[JasonM33]

Hey brother, it's good to have you here. It would appear that our newly formed Canseco army is poised to take over the entire forum. He he he.

Very interesting collection you have there. I'd love to see some pictures of it if you are willing. Holler at me anytime you want to chat about Canseco related stuff.

jmeekins33@qwest.net

-Jason

[mailman93]

The Canseco fan club keeps growing. I just put up pics of the home and road 1998 Canseco Blue Jays jerseys, on my webshots. take a look. thanks Dan

[JasonM33]

Nice Jays jerseys.

Has anyone ever seen an Oakland A's jersey from his second stint there in 1997?

-Jason M

[Canseco44]

Hey I appreciate the warm welcome from everyone. If anyone wants to talk Canseco game used or has anything for sale contact me at spideyman79@yahoo.com To the guy with the Blue Jays jersey's are they number 33 or 44. Let me know. I am also into trading Canseco game used items. I almost have a collection of Rawlings Big Sticks from every team he played for. I had one from the Expos, but I let Jose borrow it this summer and he lost it. I also have a game used lot on ebay right now. It's good to know that Jose still has some loyal fans out there!

[mailman93]

there both 33. you can see them at WEBSHOTS.COM under LEAFS93 . the home shows amazing wear, it looks like he wore it for a good part of the season after he changed to 33. thanks Dan

[Canseco44]

To Mailman93, do you have any other Canseco Jersey's. Are all of the jersey's on the website yours? Also to everyone else, I am looking for a Game used Devil Rays helmet. If anyone knows where I can get one please let me know.

Todd

[mailman93]

I have 18 game used Canseco jerseys now. all of the jerseys on my webshots are mine. batting helmets are very tough to find, I've never seen a devil rays batting helmet. I have an A's one, and only have seen a Rangers one for sale. I have seen a Oakland A's Canseco jersey from his second stint. it was in a auction house about 2 years ago. It seems like these days, that Canseco Gamers are harder to find. thanks Dan

[CansecoPower33]

Welcome, Spidey. I've been checking out your auctions for a while now, I was the one who emailed you recently about the 89 WS HR bat. It's nice to have you on the forum. Quite the group we've got here.

[Canseco44]

I am the one with the 1989 world series bat. Once I get a photo match I will probably put it back on ebay. Or at that point I will be taking offers. I would also consider trades. I would love to have anything to do with his 400th Homerun. It is special to me me because he hit it on my 20th birthday. I have the ball and the bat and got them both directly from Jose. I really want a game used helmet and a jersey. I would rather trade the world series bat than sell it. I want it to go to another Canseco fan and not someone trying to make some quick money or who could care less about Canseco.

Todd