How to sand down a bat, by Matt Carpenter

You might notice something rather unconventional when Matt Carpenter steps into the batter's box: His hands are naked.

The utility man has always forgone batting gloves, but he still feels the sting of inside pitches -- especially on cold nights.

Luckily, St. Louis is notorious for being quite the steam box in the middle of summer. But that doesn't answer the question of how Carpenter maintains a firm grip on his lumber. Slick bat + sweaty hands = bat in stands, right?

Not so much.