Quote:
Originally posted by CecilOne
"All other bats" or all other tested bats. Will we be able to get around matching every bat in every dugout to a 12 page approved list in the rain?
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There's a saying... "Girls and women just play the game. Boys and men cheat." Like all such sayings, it is not true in all cases, but close enough most of the time. Fortunately (for me), most of the "problem" bats are big, heavy, end-loaded bats intended for slow pitch bubba, and are unlikely to be in the bat bag of a 14U girls fastpitch team.
For JO tournaments, all bats are inspected at team checkin and spot-painted. All the field umpire has to do is check for the paint. Rarely is a bat rejected, and when it is it is for physical condition (dents, cracks, grip) rather than for a banned bat. Teams just don't bring banned bats to the tournaments.
For league games, I usually make a quick inspection looking for dents / cracks and then ask the coach at the plate meeting to certify that all of this players will be using ASA-legal bats.
As a pratical matter, for a league game, there is no way I am going to make a 12U team remove the old reliable Louisville burgundy bat in good condition, regardless of what ASA does.