Hey, Cecil... I think I finally got it... leave the damn bats alone!
On a contrary note, however, I think we live in too much fear and trembling
regarding lawsuits.
I may kick a bat back, but it would be more to get it out of MY way than to get it out of the play. You can sue for just about anything. That doesn't mean you will win. I can't imagine a real jury awarding damages because an umpire moved a bat (barring something really unusual, such as carelessly throwing the bat directly into a player's face).
We may as well also worry about showing favortism - after all, if we move the bat out of the way, we are ptoentially affecting the PLAY, aren't we?
