Legal Bat Question / Observation

[Solo-mon 2]

I attended a High School game tonight that I will not name. The Ump behind the plate was a Seasoned Veteran Ump that Umps A LOT in the Knoxville area.

 

While watching the game, I noticed that 2 players from one team were swinging Easton Comps, one was 2009 Orange barrel/ royal handle & the other was 2010 model Black Barrel/ burnt orange handle. I asked one of the coaches that I knew & he asked the Ump about the bats being legal. The Ump examined the bats the next time thru the order & then told the coach that if they had the BESR Stamp, they were legal & he allowed them to continue using them.

 

The TSSAA website clearly shows that the comps are ILLEGAL & so does the national HS website. The bats did not make a difference in the outcome, but what if they did? What if someone got hurt? Is it not the Umps responsibility to know the Illegal Comps this year, especially since they say clearly on the barrel COMP? If you have rules, then they should be followed for all.

 

The Orange Barrel Comp is a dead give away. Is this rule not being enforced? Has anybody else noticed anything like this?

[Wildcat13]

It is my understanding BESR bats are legal for 2011 but not 2012.

[Solo-mon 2]

It is my understanding BESR bats are legal for 2011 but not 2012.

 

 

http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=4155

 

Here is a link to approved comp bats as of March 10, 2011....No EASTON COMP is on the list. They are the main reason for the bat changes.

 

Sorry, I should have posted the link in the first report.

[riverdaleman]

http://www.nfhs.org/content.aspx?id=4155

 

Here is a link to approved comp bats as of March 10, 2011....No EASTON COMP is on the list. They are the main reason for the bat changes.

 

Sorry, I should have posted the link in the first report.

do composite bats have a BESR on it?...the easton comp bats that are illegal will they have the besr on it?

[Wildcat13]

I honestly don't know. My kids have not used composite bats in a couple of years.

[Solo-mon 2]

do composite bats have a BESR on it?...the easton comp bats that are illegal will they have the besr on it?

 

 

Yes, the Easton comp bats do have a BESR stamp. My son had 2 just like the ones that were used last night. The bats were approved originally by BESR standards but after further testing were found to get "hotter" after a lot of use. This is why you were hearing of the term "bat rolling". It all started with Cody Hawn of Tennessee hitting a 500+ bomb on Vandy & Vandy's Coach Corbin brought it to the attention of the NCAA. The comps were ruled illegal for post season play, then after testing, illegal period for college. High School follwed the NFHS standards where the Eastons failed the "new" BESR testing.

 

I am curious why there have been no Umps post a reply yet. Maybe a little early in the post, but I have seen where they jump all over a post about bad calling quickly. To me, if the rule clearly states this on the TSSAA Website, and the ump does not follow the rule, this falls under "bad Umping". I know it is confusing, but the umps should clearly know what TSSAA wants enforced, right?

[rulesman09]

The illegal bat issue is a confusing one, as this year is the transition year between the BESR standard and the new BBCOR standard that takes effect in 2012. The list of comp bats that are illegal and legal is found on TSSAA's website, as you suggested. This list is also an ever-evolving one, as manufacturers can apply for a waiver if they can prove that their bat can meet the standards. During the pregame bat inspection, umpires are looking for that BESR logo, not cross-checking each bat against the list. It is up to coaches and players to know whether the bat they are using is illegal. When a question arises as to the legality of a particular bat, that is when the umpire can reference the list and make a ruling. I'm not saying that the umpires are excused from the responsibility of enforcing the bat rule when they know a bat is illegal, just saying that coaches and players have a lot of responsibilty this year in terms of knowing when they are using a legal bat.

 

Yes, the Easton comp bats do have a BESR stamp. My son had 2 just like the ones that were used last night. The bats were approved originally by BESR standards but after further testing were found to get "hotter" after a lot of use. This is why you were hearing of the term "bat rolling". It all started with Cody Hawn of Tennessee hitting a 500+ bomb on Vandy & Vandy's Coach Corbin brought it to the attention of the NCAA. The comps were ruled illegal for post season play, then after testing, illegal period for college. High School follwed the NFHS standards where the Eastons failed the "new" BESR testing.

 

I am curious why there have been no Umps post a reply yet. Maybe a little early in the post, but I have seen where they jump all over a post about bad calling quickly. To me, if the rule clearly states this on the TSSAA Website, and the ump does not follow the rule, this falls under "bad Umping". I know it is confusing, but the umps should clearly know what TSSAA wants enforced, right?

[GoingtoRightField]

An Alabama high school was using illegal bats (same situation) vs Overton in the Gulf Shores Tourney last week and umps wouldn't do anything about it. Yes, it was NFHS tourney.

[glock22]

Just out of curiosity, if the umps inspect all the bats made available for inspection, what if illegal bats are not brought forward during that inspection?

 

Are the umps supposed to inspect each bat as the batter enters the box? That would seem ridiculous.

 

Why not just put it back on the coaches during the plate conference and ask the coaches if their players are using legal equipment. Seems like that would work.

 

Seems like much ado about nothing, kind of like when softball when to steel cleats.

[Ascendotuum]

There is some responsibility on the umpires to check the bats. It can't just be on the coaches. If little Johnny got smacked in the forehead from a ball hit off an Easton bat, some jerk lawyer will try to say its the coach's AND umpire's fault.

 

I know the Demarini and Louisville Slugger comp bats are legal. I think there's one more. Easton is NOT.

 

If a player came to the plate and got a hit with an illegal bat that had been hid during inspection, the batter should be called out upon discovery.

 

It is my understanding that the NFHS had planned to make ALL comp bats illegal this year. The reasoning was because some of the bats actually got hotter the more they were hit. The companies whose bats were deemed legal showed statistics and documentation that their bats did NOT become hotter and were therefore deemed legal.

 

I have heard several stories of mad mommies and daddies who paid $400+ for an Easton comp and they can't use it. However, it is also my understanding that next year the only bats that will be legal are aluminum or wood. All comp bats will be illegal, no exceptions.

[shakinthefat]

Can you say "WOOD BATS"? That would end this discussion.

 

 

Your hands and your wrists are where all your power comes from. And when you swing with a heavier wood bat it is going to make your swing better. It also trains your body to do the right things. There is not wasted motion; there is no wasted energy. If you watch the major leaguers with a wood bat, they have a compact swing. For a wood bat, since it is solid, most of the weight is concentrated in the barrel, which means the

center of gravity is further from the hands. For an aluminum bat, because it is a thin shell, the

weight is more uniformly distributed and less concentrated in the barrel. Thus the Trampoline effect.

By the way, it has been said that college players, who almost exclusively use aluminum

bats, have big problems making the transition to professional baseball, where wood bats are used,

because of the advantage that aluminum bats have in hitting the inside pitch. In effect, college

players making that transition have to relearn the proper way to hit an inside pitch.

[rulesman09]

There is a responsibility on the umpires. Their job is to inspect all the bats that each team provides for the pregame inspection. This is supposed to be all of the bats, helmets, and catcher's equipment that each team plans to use. Umpires are not to dig through bat bags or prod each coach to provide every piece of equipment, when they ask each coach at the plate conference whether the team is legally equipped, the burden is back on coaches and players. At that point, the umpires are responsible for enforcing the illegal bat rule. NFHS 7-4-1: "A batter is out as in above penalty or when: a) the batter enters the batter's box with an illegal bat or is discovered having used an illegal bat. If the infraction is discovered before the next pitch following the turn at bat of the player who used an illegal bat, the defense may take the penalty or the result of the play." The other bat that is a legal comp is a "Combat" brand name.

 

There is some responsibility on the umpires to check the bats. It can't just be on the coaches. If little Johnny got smacked in the forehead from a ball hit off an Easton bat, some jerk lawyer will try to say its the coach's AND umpire's fault.

 

I know the Demarini and Louisville Slugger comp bats are legal. I think there's one more. Easton is NOT.

 

If a player came to the plate and got a hit with an illegal bat that had been hid during inspection, the batter should be called out upon discovery.

 

It is my understanding that the NFHS had planned to make ALL comp bats illegal this year. The reasoning was because some of the bats actually got hotter the more they were hit. The companies whose bats were deemed legal showed statistics and documentation that their bats did NOT become hotter and were therefore deemed legal.

 

I have heard several stories of mad mommies and daddies who paid $400+ for an Easton comp and they can't use it. However, it is also my understanding that next year the only bats that will be legal are aluminum or wood. All comp bats will be illegal, no exceptions.