ASA bats

[oppool]

Ok guys tell me what is the latest stance from ASA on bats.
Last year bats were suppose to have the ASA approved certification mark or sticker but about mid-season I was told by another umpire that sporting good stores and others were selling the stickers and not even checking bats so we were to go back to the ole rules on checking bats. Also gave me some tips and idea on what to look for on altered and illegal bats to make it easier to spot. Apprecitate all the help from all of you and would like to see more people posting enjoy the view points and ideas.


THANKS AGAIN
DON

[Steve M]

Don,
For the current list of what's legal, check the ASA web site. This is the last year that bats can be "grandfathered". What we're doing in Pa is making our chapter officers & interpreters available to each high school to go over their bats. We're also finding that the bat companies are trying to get rid of the older ones that do not have the seal. Two schools around here have had to send parts of bat orders back because the bats don't have the imprinted seal. As for games, I'm going to have 3 current lists of bats when I go to the first several games. I'll indicate on a list what bats a team has and then give that list to the team's coach. This doesn't really do anything except make them feel good. My chapter is also asking that teams line their bats up alphabeticly for inspection - should make it go faster. The bat list is a pain, no way around that, but not inspecting them and ensuring that each bat is approved has a potential price I'm not willing to pay. Make sure to look close for hairline cracks, too. I've seen a couple of sample bats that broke apart in games. Other than that, it's more of the same.

[Gulf Coast Blue]

In our ASA association.....we have been told to enforce the definition of "legal bat" for league play.

The way the rule reads....is that the bat rule is for "Championship Play".....i.e. - post season (State/Region/Etc).

We have not gotten a clear definition for FED as of yet.....

I anticipate from the State scuttlebutt....that as long as the bat meets the legal defintion (and is on the approved list)....it should be allowed....but be noted in game reports the schools who do not yet have the ASA certification stamp on ALL of their bats.

I have heard that because of the budgets of some softball teams in our region.....the stamp will NOT be required until 2002 or 2003.

On a personal side note......my oldest has a legal bat.......it pisses me off that (a) it is on the list (b) it does not have a stamp or grandfather sticker.

But by ASA standards will not be legal next year. This was an expensive bat........$159.00 on sale.

She will probably not be using it after this year (and maybe not this year she has grown so much...lol)......but I have two other daughters right behind her that could get some good use out of it.

Joel

As Steve said.......the best way to find out about legal bats is to check the ASA web site......http://www.softball.org

The only problem I have with that is you have about 20 pages of bats.

I also think that the onus should be put on the coaches (not the umpires) to prove that the bats are legal......my daughter carries a printout from the ASA site with her bat highlighted to show just in case there is a question.

[Edited by Gulf Coast Blue on Feb 9th, 2001 at 10:37 PM]

[IRISHMAFIA]

According to the National Staff, the bat rule will continue has it finished last year. The only change is that no alloy is specifically prohibited by rule.

The manufacturers have "supposedly" (I don't trust them at all) given ASA a list of all models manufactured before 1996 and they are "supposedly" included on the lists located on ASA's web site, http://www.softball.org.

The umpire maintains the authority to allow any bat which s/he believes meets the criteria which would make it a legal bat.

BTW, the ASA is the rule book for ALL games played under ASA rules. Local associations have the authority to variate from these rules as they see fit. However, when doing these games, the ASA rule book should be your default concerning any not specifically noted by the local authorities.



Mike