Does the bat have hands?

[Jeffrey A. Mathison]

Thank you for your support! I was actually coaching in this tournament and the plate umpire was a VERY nice guy. However, he was not willing to listen to reason on that particular point. He said he had called the hands part of the bat for years and that's the way it was going to stay. I even quoted the rule about a pitched ball hitting any part of the batter or his clothing (as long as the batter isn't swinging, the ball isn't in the strike zone, and the batter attempts to avoid being hit). He told me the rule book didn't specifically say the hands WEREN'T part of the bat. So how do you deal with this? I certainly didn't want to get ejected......it was my lead off hitter in the very first inning!!!!!!!!