I was doing a sloow pitch league championship game this evening when I came upon a questionable bat. The owner of the bat had taken a roll of athletic tape and covered the bottom 3 to 4 inches of the bat so that the knob no longer existed - all you had was a fat wad of tape at the end of the bat. I told the player that the bat was illegal since the knob was completely eliminated and this created a safety hazard. He told me that I was wrong, that he had played in a number of ASA and USSSA tournaments and at each and every one of them the bat was inspected and certified. We broke out the rule book and I went to Section 3-1 where illegal bats are mentioned, but the rule did not seem very definitive to me. The player agreed not to use the bat eventually, but here are the questions...

1.) Was I wrong in declaring the bat illegal?
2.) Is there a better Rule to use in this situation?
3.) Has anyone else out there had a similar experience? If so what was your call and result?

I look forward to hearing from the forum.

Dan Renninger

In this case the bat is illegal. The handle can be taped, with no more than two layers of tape. The tape must be at least 10 inches long and not more than 15 inches. 3-1-J. The bat must have a saftey knob at least 1/2 inch diameter greater than the diameter of the handle including the grip. The knob must extend at least 1/8 inch beyond the grip. 3-1-L. I think this just about covers your situation.

Bob