Stupid Stealth bats.
 

When checking bats during the pregame, the team had three bats, two Stealth’s, and one other. Both of the Stealth’s were broken. Guess who’s fault that was? I told the coach that the bats were broken, showed him how I checked, and told him not to use them. His argument was that they had just purchased them and that other umpires had allowed there use (don’t you all hate the “other umpire”?). When that didn’t work he told me that that is the way the bat works, No it is not, they are broken. About this time one of the players brings up her own personal bat, also a stealth, for me to check, it was fine. We play the game.

How do you guys check bats? How would you describe the failure of the Stealth?

Bugg

Same way as you.

I think coaches will keep on being an advocate for those bats but the word will get out about their faults.

I tell em.. they argue.. that falls on deaf ears but i nod understandingly and they lose.

Skipping all the rest of the things I do to check other aspects of the bats (taping, safety knob, etc.)...

I always run my hand down the barrel of the bat a few times in a twisting motion, back and forth (keep perverted comments to yourselves, you sickos!). This allows me to feel for dents, cracks, burrs and any misshaping (flattening) of the bat. If I find something that doesn't feel right, I examine it closely. If I don't find anything, I then give it a quick visual inspection, just to be sure. I catch a lot of bad bats this way, and I'm the one at fault, of course.

I've not had any personal experience with the Stealths in question, but I'm familiar with the cracking issue. I believe there was a post on here earlier that showed a bucket, full of these Stealths from last year's National. I'll see if I can find it...

you hold a (usually white/purple) stealth by its handle and kind of shake it, holding the handle firm. You will feel it wiggle (the barrel wiggles like its loose). On examination where the barrel meets the handle you will see tiny cracks.

either thing and its done.

You wont have to check many this way until you figure out what we mean.

When you do this, where does it feel like it's "loose?"

You can do this at any time.. but during bat inspection. You will feel the barrel wiggle .. you'll know it when you feel it.

Seen lots of these bats. They get loose where the two piece bats meet at the plastic ring just below the grip.

I see two things:

a. You can bend the two part creating a gap at the plastic ring. I have seen a bat where you coould stick a quarter into the gap.

b. You can twist the two pieces and it is move.

In the past, when the Miken Freaks were still legal (at least in USSSA), they had a cracking problem as well. Some of the cracks were obvious, some weren't, but you would always feel the cracks (and please keep the perverted comments to yourselves!).

You'll know there may be a problem with a bat by listening as well, even if you did inspect them in the pregame. I had one (a cheap Worth) last year, it was fine in the pregame inspection, but the second or third batter to use that same bat in the game, the bat had a funny sound to it, and sure enough, it had cracked some time during the game.

I've tossed out plenty of bats mid-game when I hear it make a funny sound on either the hit or the toss after the hit.

The cousin to that model is black/purple. Same failure points.

I love the stoooopid look on the faces of some coaches when I know good and well they know about it.

I hate the STUPID look on the faces of a few other coaches who could care less. Had one the other day and she was dumbfounded that we wouldn't let her "poor" players use the bat. I almost puked.

(I use poor in quotes because this was the high school that graduated Adam West -- yes, Batman and the hombre from Family Guy -- Bill Gates, Paul Allen and others. You can tell when they have a home game because the two cars in the parking lot that aren't worth 100G belong to the umpires.)

So dose that mean you only drive a car worth $75K? Man umpiring must be good in Seattle.

The umpires' collective cars probably don't add up to that! :D