CROLB Baseballs

[K9rocco]

Hey guys, I had two successes on Rawlings CROLB baseballs. I had sent a permanent marker for them to sign with. Now that I have been doing some reading apparently blue ball point is the best to go with over time. The problem I have is that when I tried to test which works best on a CROLB baseball I can't get any ball point pen to write on whatever coating is on here. I know that ROMLB are best but I had these balls lying around and wanted to send something out. So my questions are is there any pen that will work on these balls and will the coating on there help prevent the 2 autos I already have from bleeding too much? I have them both kept in the UV cubes to protect them.

[Sawks14]

All I know is that ROMLB is the absolute way to go. If the price is too high then Trump signature balls are second best. Beyond that you're asking for trouble with the possible exception of the spec balls. I don't know the ins and outs of CROLBs specifically but this is just my approach to graphing balls.

When I first got into graphing I got Jim Rice IP on a ROLB and it is so faded now and I got it in July. I have Duke Snider, Bobby Thomson, and Bobby Doerr(maybe Rollie Fingers too...?) on OLB3s and I'm honestly afraid to even take any of them out of where I have them stored.

If your going to get a baseball graphed by a player or person you really want its best to pay up front for the ROMLB or the Trump balls if ROMLB are too much. Aside from those there aren't a lot of proven alternatives and you're likely to get burned. As for cost I definitely hear you. That is why I stopped ttming ROMLB once I got the ttm signing HOFers done. It gets so expensive so quick.

[RockiesFan33]

Those CROLBs react in very different ways depending on the pen that's used. I've learned the hard way that ROMLBs are the only way to go. I've even had some issues with a couple of the Trump balls that I've had signed.

[K9rocco]

yeah i figured ill go with the ROMLB from now on. I've only tried two baseballs and i just sent the CROLBs i got at Wal Mart. The signatures look real nice now but I'm a little worried how they will look in a year or so. I tried some experimenting with another CROLB by scuffing up the surface with some light sandpaper. It took the ball point pen better and didn't detract much from the look, but it still wouldn't take the pen enough to make a legible signature. Thanks for the help.

[lizard-jd]

I used a bunch of CROLBs during ST for the lesser known players with a nice cheap blue BIC pen and had no problems. I always asked the signing player to press harder because the pen was almost out of ink (it really wasn't). I have all these balls in UV protected cubes and they look very nice. Below is a pic of a few of them. If you look hard enough, you will see the "MADE IN CHINA" on the balls.

[the305]

Below is an exert from a prior post comparing what happens when you use CROLB balls. Again, follow everyone's advice and use ROLMB for any auto to intend to keep for longer than 3 months...

Stay far away from CROLB balls!!!

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Folks,
A quick update on the Rawlings Spec balls as the 2010 baseball season kicks off.

Applies to all auto's below: Obtained in person and using a BIC blue fine point pen.

Using the attached picture from left to right

1) Rawlings CROLB baseball (left on picture) (typically found at walmart)
auto by Andre Dawson w/ 8X Allstar inscription (auto from June 2009)
strong fading taking place, actually noticed the fading within 2 months of getting the auto and put it in a drawer to avoid sunlight completly (in UV case and in a drawer!!!)

2) ROMLB - Official Major League baseball (center on picture) - auto by Andre Dawson w/ "The Hawk" inscription (auto from June 2009), no fading, I keep this one in a glass display case with the rest of my HOF BB auto's ... still looks awesome

3) Rawlings Major League Specifications (ROML) baseball (right on picture, has 3 auto's showing)- auto's still look good, no bleeding or fading. however, not as crisp as the ROMLB, good milestone that no fading/bleeding taking place, all those auto's are at least 6 months old. .... BTW.. I don't remember which team i got auto's from on this ball, it was from august or september of last year (if you recongnize the auto's please PM).

My conclusion is that I'll be using the ROML as team auto balls throughtout ST and regular season (can also be use ROML as a less costly alternative vs. ROMLB when doing TTM)... I will continue to use the ROMLB for single auto's of all star/hof players.


Finally, Hope this helps (using ROML balls) when it comes to selecting a less costly alternative to the ROMLB!!!

[lizard-jd]

There is no arguing that the ROMLB is the best ball to use for your more treasured graphs. However, I think the pen you use is almost as important as the ball. I have seen "gel ink BICs" that have caused smearing & fading on a legit ROMLB.

The years have taught me to use the simple cheap blue BIC and to use only a true "leather cover" ball. My process for using a CROLB includes cleaning the SS area with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser prior to having the ball signed. It works for me as I have some of these cheaper "leaver cover" baseballs that are over 3 years old & still look good. So here you go, that's the secret to using a CROLB.