[IRISHMAFIA]

Okay, my turn to chime in.

For all of you folks who are thinking along the lines of expense, the bat companies have been aware of the rule for 3 1/2 years, so if you think you are getting screwed by the rule, you are looking in the wrong place. Hopefully, your daughters will not be injured as a result of ASA's failure to take a stand on this issue.

Stickers "falling off" is absurd. As of last Tuesday, the grandfather clause allowing the stickers supposedly expired. However, last year the ASA wimped out and put the onus back on the umpires by allowing them to make a judgment call on the manufactured date and whether it would pass a bat performance standard test. Also, there must still be a list available as it will still be part of the conditions making a bat ASA-legal unless there were some late, yet to be published changes for 2002. Therefore, the "sticker" is irrelevent.

Obviously, this puts every umpire in jeopardy on the safety issue. The "in my judgment" debate may work on the ball field, but will easily crumble in a court of law. And if you don't think there are ballplayers out there having bats repainted to try to get an edge, you are sadly mistaken.

I loved the "why can't we use the technology available to us to win ball games" argument on this subject. The answer is simple: there is no technological advances to help protect the youth and rec players defend themselves in the field. It isn't like the standards set were that restricting. With the exception of the titanium bats and a few Demarini proto-types, almost all the bats on the market at the time ASA began testing met the standards. If anything, ASA was simply trying to draw a line to keep the bats from getting out of hand, not pull bats off the shelves.

Then the argument started concerning toning down the balls. Of course, now the ball manufacturers are raising a stink and amid all the fuss, ASA opted to NOT change the balls this year. Some believe that is because Bernie Profato was not in attendence at the convention when the subject came to the floor. I believe it is because the manufacturers complained louder than the players.

BTW, it is my belief that while the new compression and COR requirements may keep the ball from travelling as far as before, it has very little effect on the first 90' the ball travels which is where the danger is regardless of what ball is used with some of these bats.

Even some of the Super players, Carl Rose in particular, are showing concern that the equipment is getting out of hand. Two years ago, Carl rearranged the face of a pitcher at the ASA Super NCs in Sanford, Fl. Now, this is a pitcher who is aware of the danger and he could not protect himself. So, how do you think the youth or rec player is going to handle that line shot coming off an equally souped-up piece of equipment?

I believe it is time to bring the game back inside the fences and see who are the real talented players.

Let them use wood.

JMHO,

Mike