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When Barry Bonds hits a home run, he retires the bat and places it in his memorabilia collection. That has created a problem for Bonds: He is running out of this year's shipment of the maple Sam bats he has used throughout his most productive home-run seasons, created by Canadian carpenter Sam Holman.

That is why Bonds can be seen using garden-variety Louisville Slugger bats during some at-bats, rather than the distinctive black-and-tan Sam bats. The maple bats are stronger than ash, but they do chip and occasionally break, and Bonds is afraid of running through his supply before another shipment arrives.

"I only have four Sam bats left until they get more out here," Bonds said. "He doesn't have any wood to make them. Toward the end of the year, it gets kind of crazy."

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