"Team Index Bat" Questions!

[Dodgerbats]

Does anyone know if players had to give their personal permission to their TEAM to order their personal signature model H&B bats?

I always had the understanding that ONLY the specific player could order his personal SIGNATURE bats!

It also raises the question as to what time period or date did players start ordering their own bats, and it was no longer the teams responsibility?

Thank you for your thoughts!

[Mark]

Hi. Don't know the answer, but that won't stop me from getting the conversation rolling. Once a player signs a contract with a bat company, can't anyone purchase a bat with his signature on it? Why wouldn't the Yankees be free to purchase 60 Mickey Mantle bats with various lengths and weights? Anyway, I would think that players would be proud to be selected for the team index bat. As for when players started ordering their own bats, it is my impression that the original practice was for players to order and pay for their own bats. Don't know when their teams started picking up the tab.

[UnVme7]

This is why you see many bats with a schools name underneath the players name.

Example...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hillerich-Br...item5657252bed