[NCASAUmp]

Skipping all the rest of the things I do to check other aspects of the bats (taping, safety knob, etc.)...

I always run my hand down the barrel of the bat a few times in a twisting motion, back and forth (keep perverted comments to yourselves, you sickos!). This allows me to feel for dents, cracks, burrs and any misshaping (flattening) of the bat. If I find something that doesn't feel right, I examine it closely. If I don't find anything, I then give it a quick visual inspection, just to be sure. I catch a lot of bad bats this way, and I'm the one at fault, of course.

I've not had any personal experience with the Stealths in question, but I'm familiar with the cracking issue. I believe there was a post on here earlier that showed a bucket, full of these Stealths from last year's National. I'll see if I can find it...