Message board »Message Board home »Sign-in or register to get started
Online now: 2 members: Metoy16, rancid; 9 anonymousDiscussion: failed bats
| Posted | Discussion |
| Aug. 12 curty Men's 60 186 posts | i cannot understand the following: if a bat fails to comply, for any reason, why a player would want or continue to use it? Ego? I know there are cheater bats out there, available on line and through "friends." I have also seen younger players using senior bats in "open" competition. I'm talking about safety as my main concern. Yes, it's great to hit the long ball, but what about the "miss" hit that gets a pitcher? One time is too many! And to use it in other associations? Please explain any opposing views. |
| Aug. 12 Bruce M Men's 55 140 posts | Hi Curty - i agree safety should be the number one concern. I think there are likely various reasons why players continue to swing with them. Economics may be one. Senior bats can strain some folk's pocket books. Some players just love a particular bat and have a hard time letting it go. I'm sure there are other reasons. That doesn't mean one should continue to swing with a failed bat. I find that some folks don't understand the danger of swinging, for example, with a cracked bat. "It's only a small crack." they say. Yes, but on any given swing, that bat (which is typically made of composite materials) can shatter. I've seen the end cap sever from the bat during the swing and fly directly at a pitcher's head. I've also seen the composite shatter like a grenade, sending small particles in the air, which could potentially blind a person. |
| Aug. 12 Schibs Men's 65 66 posts | I will also add, the liability for the batter who knowingly is using an altered bat, one that is considered more potent and dangerous compared to using a bat off the shelf, can put the batter's personal assets at risk. If a person is injured severely and the court's ruling is guilty, it is considered a negligent act, one that insurance companies would NOT cover. Beware out there for those that seek this advantage, it is not worth the risk. |
| Aug. 12 JohnO28 Men's 50 154 posts | Curty, One thing you aren't considering is just because a bat fails compression for any reason doesn't always mean its unsafe to use. Take for instance a 70 year old man swinging a bat that is 135 compression and fails the testing. That particular bat in the hands of a 70 year old man isn't the same as the same bat in a 55 year olds hands. On average the older you get the softer barrel you need(obviously always exceptions to the rules as we all know) it to be in order to compress the barrel enough with slower swings speeds to achieve the trampoline effect. a 50 year old swinging a 135 compression bat who hits hard is doing himself more disservice by swinging a bat that is so soft because the barrel flexes too much and you lose the trampoline effect. Now for the guys swinging altered then there are numerous reasons for that none of which i understand. But some older seniors need that bat that falls below the new compression number just to compensate for getting older. |
| Aug. 12 softball4b Men's 70 1260 posts | NO ONE should be swinging a bat below 140. The 70+ player is focusing on getting on base not homeruns. The ones that can hit them can do it with a 140 bat. Mike Adair |
| Aug. 12 pizzaboy 86 posts | Cheating has been going on since the 70s when it comes to altered bats.Its 50 years later and guys still cheat and they will always try to get an edge on others . I'm a little below average hitter on a 70 M team.Every tournament it amazes me how some 70 year olds hit the ball so hard and far.Some guys are getting more Power as they get older,interesting.I personnel can't wait until all bats are tested and stamped before a tournament.I see a lot of 270' fly balls coming up.bwdik |
| Aug. 12 titanhd Men's 60 650 posts | I agree with most of the saftey concerns.My issue is if a bat failsa SSUSA compression test. Mark or identify the bat as "FAILED" and move on. No need to send the bat for testing. The bat failed.Cant be used in SSUSA play. COMPRESSION being the pass/fail criteria. CAN"T use-DON'T use!!! Testing won't make it better or usable if it has already failed COMPRESSION.(Per SSUSA). |
| Aug. 13 nickname36 109 posts | "EXACTLY" Keep the bat rules the same for all ages of senior softball. Im sure the heck am not buying a new bat depending on what age group I'm playing in. There are a lot of illegal bats in 70s+ you can tell by the sound the bat makes when a ball comes off it. Its amazing if you keep your ears and eyes open what you can hear and see when your just standing around by a group of seniors. |
| Aug. 13 pizzaboy 86 posts | Amen 36. |
| Aug. 14 softball4b Men's 70 1260 posts | 36, maybe in the part of the country where you are, but in the southwest I have thought maybe 5 bats were "different" than OTC bats. We play 65 and 70 so a pretty good sampling. So a "lot" seems to be an exaggeration. I can see testing at worlds to be a logistic nightmare. 30-45 seconds each bat. Every player has 2+ bats, 20+ minutes per team, 6+ locations. Discussions regarding a particular bat pass/fail 15 minutes. Stickers for good bats, bats used in game, no sticker. Yep everyone is going to have to have patience, good luck with that. Tongue in cheek, I have 10 bats, I may bring them all just to get them tested. If they pass I may start selling them at the park. Mike Adair |
| Aug. 14 pizzaboy 86 posts | You're correct 4b about its time consuming to check all bats.A solution might be a 2 bats per player.Young guy tournaments have been doing the bat testing for years.I bet a few teams in every age group are lobbying hard for no bat testing at Vegas!Remember if you ain't cheating you ain't competing.My sons slogan not mine. |
| Aug. 14 JohnO28 Men's 50 154 posts | softball4b, I find it hard to believe that in all these years playing that you've only noticed 5 different sounding bats. Just our last tourney alone we could tell there were at least 3 bats that sounded way different than the same bat other people were swinging. If you haven't noticed more than 5 in years you don't know what to listen for. |
| Aug. 14 nickname36 109 posts | "EXACTLY" softball4b...I like a lot your takes in other threads but your wrong with the older seniors using shaved bats there are a lot just listen to the sound. Ive seen it all forms, tennis balls in the bats to hitting wood telephone poles to popping the cap and shaving to rolling, guys are always bragging about there bats Bat shaving has filtered down to the girls playing travel fast pitch and high school fastpitch, its all about the sound the bat makes, SO SAD...The parents are to blame for teaching there kids how to cheat and the high school coaches go right along with the cheating. |
| Aug. 14 Webbie25 Men's 70 2417 posts | Pizzaboy-I carry bats from 26 to 29 oz for use at different times. Restricting to 2 bats should not be an option. But I do get the logistics. And I am for testing.I have played against some that I am 99.999% certain employed a questionable bat. We beat most of them anyway.I found out a long time ago that if you cheat, the only one you really cheat is yourself. If I shoot 104 on the course and tell you I shot 94, who did I cheat? Just me. Same in softball, except it is a team sport. I would call out someone on my own team in a heartbeat if I felt he was using an altered bat. You can seriously hurt someone and I am not here to do that-not for a ring, recognition or anything. We all have to answer to a higher power eventually. |
| Aug. 15 softball4b Men's 70 1260 posts | Guys I was talking about this point in time. Over my 50+ years of softball I have seen hundreds of "not OTC" bats. But in my area in my age group not as prevalent. I quit playing kids league because there was not a legal bat there plus my diminishing ability. As hard as it is at my age I was trying to stay on point. It will take a couple of years for this to get worked out. |
| Aug. 15 pizzaboy 86 posts | Like most guys on here I've been playing seniors for a long time(22 years).It amazes me that guys that weren't hitting the long ball 10-15 years ago can do it now.Maybe they should sell there bodies to science-since fiction. At least Ssusa is trying to do something.Even though I gave them a hard time in Loudon County for checking our bats! |
| Aug. 15 JAB 24 posts | Shaved/failed bats. My focus here is related to safety of infielders and not about an increase in distance a batted ball might travel using an illegal bat. Watched a UTube video where 3 identical bats (make, model, load, weight-26.5 oz, etc) were tested. Same swinger (not sure how old but my guess would be in his 40s). He took 6-7 swings with each bat. Bat 1 still in wrapper, Bat 2 had between 100-200 swings, Bat 3 shaved to 25 oz. Compression testing: Bat 1 approx 250, Bat 2 approx 240, Bat 3 approx 190. Demo was done at night and no one in video talked "distance" on any of the swings. They measured MPH off the bat. Bat 1-wrapper- most hits were in low to mid 90s (89-95); Bat 2 "100-200 hits" -most were mid to high 90 (93-101); Bat 3 "shaved to 25 oz"-most were 101- 111. Bat 3 had two at 110-111. The very lowest was 89 mph, and highest was 111 mph. I play 1st and 3rd base and the speed difference between 90s to over 111 is significant to me. Fortunately, I play on a 80 tournament team, and only play against a handful of players younger than 50 in pickup games. Speed difference of 20+ mph on 70 ft bases is going to leave a mark! Hope these numbers help |
| Aug. 16 pizzaboy 86 posts | Bring back the old Howard Furniture 38 ozers and hit SB 12s.Then we'll see who the true hitters are.Heck I might be a little above average hitter with that equipment.No I'd still be a below average. |
| Aug. 16 nickname36 109 posts | "EXACRLY" PIZZABOY I second that thought on the Howards furniture bat and SB12L softballs. I still have a Howards furniture bat in my garage.. |
