February ASA Rules Clarifications

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Ejected ?? - for an illegal, not altered bat??

Did you read the rules clarification? Remember, we're not talking about altered bats here, we're talking about non-approved.

In 2008, ASA had a huge list of 100+ bats that were "non-approved." This included bats with stamps that were later rescinded, as well as bats that never had the stamp to begin with (ie., USSSA/NSA bats). Therefor, the definition of a non-approved bat was listed as:

NON-APPROVED BAT: A bat that does not meet ASA specifications and is on the current non-approved bat list.

So in 2008, stepping into the box with a USSSA (non-approved) bat was an out + ejection, because all those NSA/U-Trip sticks WERE on the list.

In 2009, ASA changed rule 3-1 slightly to require the stamp on all 2000-or-newer bats. This eliminated the need to put all those NSA/U-Trip sticks on the non-approved list. However, they forgot to modify the rulebook definition of a non-approved bat. So by the strictest reading of the rules, a batter stepping into the box with a U-Trip bat was given a lesser penalty under the illegal bat rule: automatic out, no ejection.

ASA did not intend to lessen the penalty for bringing a bat that ASA never approved into the box, which is why they provided this month's clarification.