Taping over the knob (ASA)

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

This has been brought up at a couple of our clinics, and the room was divided.

ASA 3-1-B states:


There are those who believe that tape may be ON the safety knob (ie., the sides), but can't go OVER and completely cover the knob. There are others (and I'm included) who believe that the rule, as written, does not prohibit putting tape over the knob in any particular fashion whatsoever.

The concern is a valid one: bat doctors often go in through the safety knob to remove the safety rod, endload bats, or do other wonderful things to the bat. Taping over the safety knob can hide the signs that a bat has been doctored, potentially putting players at risk.

However, I maintain that with the rule written in its current form, there is nothing that we can do to prohibit taping over the knob.

What say you all?

Bottom line; no matter what they would like the rule to read, there can be safety tape on the knob. Anyone that thinks it is vague simply is looking to justify reading something into the rule that isn't there. It doesn't have any exclusion or limit; they can put safety tape on the knob. Some, a little, a lot.

Sure, the bat doctors can go in that end, and the tape might cover that. You might note that the other point of entry still requires an endcap; using the same logic, we should keep that endcap off so we can see if it has doctored there, too. But the rule is equally clear on that; to be considered legal, the endcap must be on, and appear to have been on since the factory.