It's been over a week since SSUSA announced the new 140 Bat testing standard and multiple posts with multiple questions directed at SSUSA. Those questions have fell on deaf ears so I will ask again in hopes that someone from SSUSA will answer these questions.

1) Which tournaments will the testing take place?
2) Who will make sure the people testing bats are properly trained and the testers are calibrated and working properly?
3) At the tournaments where the testers will be used will testing be done prior to tournament play? If not when and why would the bats be tested and who's discretion is it to test a bat?
4) If a bat is tested and fails what is the next step?
5) What are the steps between a bat failing and a decision whether the bat was altered or just used and is now failing compression and who is the qualified person to make that decision and what is the process for determining?
6) If a bat is deemed altered then the answer is obvious but what happens when bats fail compression and are taken for investigation and they come back and it's determined that it isn't altered. What is the protocol for testing will the end caps be removed by a manufacturer or will they be cut open, if they are cut open how will the owner be compensated for a ruined bat?

You've instituted brand new rules that are in direct conflict in how Senior bats were made. With USA/USSSA bats their bats are designed with 2 factors in place a high end exit and a low end compression. Senior bats weren't designed or built except to adhere to the 1.21 BPF with no low compression numbers to have to adhere to. You've put this new rule into affect to curtail cheating and it's a step in the right direction but to give no information other than a compression failing number and the penalty for cheating and leave out all the information in between isn't fair to us as members. Especially when you're talking about taking people's personal property who might be playing by the rules and could just not realize their bats are failing compression. There is far too many gaps in between the new 140 standard and potential punishment without giving the process you must certainly have considered. We should be given the information prior to a tester ever being used a single time at a tournament.

John028, please click on the “news” link on the website and look at the “latest news” stories. Many of your questions are answered there — and were posted there two weeks ago. Also, please note that Dr. Richard Brandt, who did the BPF (bat performance factor) testing, retired a few years ago. The new standard is the NTS standard. And yes, the SSUSA NTS standard was developed specifically for senior bats. Not sure where you got the false idea that the new compression rules “are in direct conflict in how senior bats were made.”

Donna, that was an informative link. One more question if you please: What happens if a bat is tested during the pregame process and passes. Later in that same game that same bat that passed the on-field check is retested for whatever reason fails. What, if anything is the result? The player was using a bat in good faith that was okayed by the officials for use. Is that player to be penalized? I apologize if this scenario was addressed somewhere and I missed it.

Donna,

I appreciate you directing me to the NEWS about this but that actually answered very few questions. It gave simplistic answers to my questions 2 & 3.
But it fails to address questions 1, 4, 5 and 6 which are the most important and will affect people the greatest. Those questions need to be addressed so everyone knows the process. You can't say you are going to take people property away if they fail a test on bats that weren't designed to be tested in that way without giving proper information.
You are correct I did mistype the BPF instead of NTS but my statement still holds true. If you know anything about bat construction when non senior bats are made they are held to 1.20 BPF limitation and now the 240(previously 220) on the compression tester and bats were designed in that manner. Senior bats were only held to the NTS standard as you said but no low end compression failing. So to say my idea is false its 100% not false and is accurate.
But since one of the things in the NEWS article was written saying the umpires will check for cracks and determine if the bats are legal to use or not. That brings up another good question, there is a vast difference between a "Seam" in a bat and a "Crack" what training are the umpires going to get so they can tell the difference between a "Seam" and a "Crack"? These are the same guys that can't tell the difference between a 13' pitch and a 10' pitch on a regullar basis and you're going to allow them to be the deciding factor in whether a bat is usable or not?
Again, I commend SSUSA for trying to do something but I can tell you that if the exact steps aren't posted for this process and people private property are taken or risk banning it's opening themselves up for lawsuits. People just want answers, there was obviously some thought put into this by SSUSA as far as coming up with a number etc, so why can't the exact steps taken for the whole process be provided for members instead of just ignoring it?

Hey JohnO28 ... Call the office at (916) 326.5303 on Monday (05/20) and ask for Terry ... As the C.E.O. of our association, he was an active participant in the technical sessions in Indianapolis last month and he can walk you through it all ... He won't be in tomorrow (Friday) because he's traveling to Raleigh for a Hall of Fame induction on Saturday, but he'll be back for the day on Monday before he heads off to Reno through June 3rd ... The "verbosity index" on your inquiries is higher than what makes sense to try to detail here ... Thanks!