Why outlaw bats?

[crumii]

I just stumbled on this forum, so I apologize if this has been a topic of conversation in the recent past.

I understand the need for certain limits to be placed on softball bats, but what is the purpose of the ASA (and other organizations) outlawing certain bats after one season? Did they not test the bat before the season? It seems like a big racket between the ASA and the bat manufacturers. Either a bat meets the ASA standard or it doesn't. Does the ASA lower their standard each year? Is there some logic here that I am missing?

Thanks for your opinions!

[DaveASA/FED]

The way it was described to me is as follows:
ASA used a set of physicists to come up with a bat standard to remove bats that were too hot. The bat manufacturers, who have deeper pockets than the ASA, paid more for even smarter physicists to design bats that would pass the ASA requirement when new but after being “broken in” (about 100-150 hits) there coefficient of restitution changed and the bat got hotter, putting it into the illegal category. ASA figured this out and had to get smarter people to change the test method to detect these types of bats. So that is why the guidelines changed.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by crumii
I just stumbled on this forum, so I apologize if this has been a topic of conversation in the recent past.

Only if you consider the recent past as a few years.

I understand the need for certain limits to be placed on softball bats, but what is the purpose of the ASA (and other organizations) outlawing certain bats after one season? Did they not test the bat before the season? It seems like a big racket between the ASA and the bat manufacturers. Either a bat meets the ASA standard or it doesn't. Does the ASA lower their standard each year? Is there some logic here that I am missing?

Thanks for your opinions!

Dave gave you the set on what is now set into place and why. Prior to that, the manufacturers were basically caught cheating. They offered a prototype for testing, then changed the production line and shifted the distribution of the weight without informing anyone. This change took the bats out of spec. This was only discovered by ASA folks walking into stores and buying bats off the shelf and submitting them for testing.

The bat companies played dumb (not too hard an act for some) and admitted they changed the bats' configuration, but stated they didn't believe it would make a difference. Now, understand here, these folks are producing a highly technical piece of equipment with measurements of some portions so small I wouldn't even know how to refer to them.

These guys knew exactly what they were doing and, in all honesty, the players should have been offended. The bat companies, with total disregard for the safety of the players, intentionally effected changes which juices the bat a bit more than permitted. Of course, most of the players were more worried about their home run ability than the termination of one's life or a lifetime of difiguration or handicap. FYI, to date, ASA has recorded on nine deaths. Unfortunately, you have a few idiots which compare that to the number of players and say, "so what, it's only 9 out of millions". The percentage isn't quite that low, but what difference does it make, number 10 may be you or me.

For the record, most umpires couldn't care less what the batters swing, we are not affected as much as the pitcher and infielders are by juiced bats.

[crumii]

Interesting. I would have guessed these guys (ASA and manufacturers) were in cahoots with each other. My first experience with the "hot" bats was from back in the early 90's with the thin-wall bats like TPS Ritch's Superior. This was a great bat, but by the end of the season, it was triangular instead of round, and had to be discarded. My first composite bat (Synergy) was purchased before last season (2003), and although I heard there was a break-in period with these bats, I didn't know it would get hotter and maintain its punch much beyond one season. It's nice to know the bats are more durable...just too bad they can only be used in practice after the first season. What will the physicists come up with next?

Thanks for the clarification.

[azbigdawg]

Hey Mike.... You are pretty smart for a damn Yankee.... nice clarification for the newbie......

[SouthPaw]

Are there any leagues that use wood bats exclusively? I would love to join a league like that. It would separate the men from the boys. I use a Demarini Double Wall Distance (34/28) & when I hit homeruns they are usually still gaining altitude when they cross the 300' fence. I am 6'2" 225 but I don't have massive arms like some power hitters. It is all about technique & bat speed for me. I just hate seeing 5'9" 150 lbs guys hit homeruns purely because of a bat on steroids. Do they make softball specific wood bats & if so, does the ball jump off of them? Also, do wood bats break often when using them for softball?

[Steve M]

Dunno, Southpaw. I know most of the time I played, we used wood bats. Metal bats were starting to become popular when the knees forced me to quit playing. The game I played doesn't exist anymore and that's a shame. When somebody hit one out with a wood bat and even the early metal ones, everyone was impressed and should have been - today you've got folks hitting them out who couldn't hit the ball much more than 100 feet with wood.