I am a player and I umpired for ten years (ASA Certified)before I moved to an area that didn't have any softball so I've been out of it for a couple of years.
The rule I was refereing too and I don't remember it exactly because I don't have a rule book with me, but when it came to the handle on the bat, I remember something about the cone or flare grip being illegal unless it was permantly attached to the bat. I know that Louiville and Easton all have bat models that have tapered handles that are legal for ASA play.
Examples of a bat with a tapered handle that is legal for ASA play:
http://www.softball.com/prodimages/ST7Z.jpg
http://www.softball.com/prodimages/TECHFIRE.jpg
As I said before, I've been playing for about 15 years, umpired for ten, and I have always taped my bat the same way, never have I had an umpire tell me it was illegal.
[Edited by gsf23 on Jan 4th, 2003 at 04:51 PM]