While Barry Bonds has had few corporate sponsors, bat manufacturers are looking to try and get one of their products in his hands when the seeming inevitable occurs this season: Bonds hits home run #756.

While Bonds has been using bats from renowned custom bat maker, Sam Holman, the Ottawa-based company ran into issues with getting prime stock for bats this off-season due to the lack of a heavy freeze, and flooding in the land where the maple stock for Sam Bats is located. "I found out that global warming does exist," Holman said of the weather issue. As for who might be the manufacturer of the bat that Bonds will use for 756, the Oakland Tribune reports:


The winner appears to be a Japanese company, SSK, which provided Bonds a dozen black and gold lacquered maple bats made to the slugger's exact specifications. Bonds is using the bats this spring and considers them nearly identical to his favored Sam Bats he has faithfully swung since 1999.

"Exactly right," said Bonds, who......