Quote:
Originally posted by oatmealqueen
For once, the sanctioning bodies have been the level-headed ones in what many consider a crisis situation.
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I'm not sure that I would call the banning of the double walls, and then letting the hotter, more dangerous, (IMHO) Miken Ultra II a level headed decision.
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I hate to say this, OMQ, but you do know not of what you speak.
ASA has never placed a ban on double-walled bats. They banned anything which did not meet the bat specifications. The Miken UltraII and the other composites were manufactured and tested in accordance with the specifications.
It had been rumored, and I believe they will find it true, that some of these composite bats begin to "breakdown" through usage. This does one of two things. Causes the bat to flake or self-destruct, or gives the bat more flexibility, thus taking them out of spec. The problem is that it is difficult to confiscate bats owned by others for secondary testing as those folks usually aren't going to give up such an expensive piece of equipment without a fight. And it's probably not very easy to replicate true game condition usuage through their testing.
I see about a half-dozen Miken Ultra IIs a night (until this week as the local parks & rec dept banned them). Most of them are well used. I know a couple of people who spent a good portion of the winter in the batting cages getting their bat "in condition" for the season. Those which I've seen just out of the wrapper do not seem that great, but those with a 100 hits or more seem very dangerous.
And, whether you like it or not, ASA must be careful when they make a decision to exclude certain previously certified equipment. U-trip and NSA dropped the Miken, but ASA is the one perceived to have deep pockets and they are the one who will be on the other end of the lawsuits. So, they pretty much have to get their ducks in a row before enacting such a ban.
[Edited by IRISHMAFIA on May 23rd, 2003 at 06:38 AM]