Cheating or Not???

[Hilliarddad3]

I can't believe it was even a question?? How about putting balls in the microwave to to soften them up......really?

 

[HITTER23]

I can't believe it was even a question?? How about putting balls in the microwave to to soften them up......really?

You actually put them in the freezer to up the compression and make them hard as rocks....

 

[FastBat]

The real reason the bat verbiage in the sanctioning bodies rule books started was because of one manufacturer, DeMarini. When Ray DeMarini introduced his double wall bat in the mid 90's to the slow-pitch masses, the performance was off the charts compared to other bats at the time (exception of titanium).....

Thanks for this explanation. I read it a few times!

 

[Mike_Craig_-_Ohio USSSA]

One of the things that is a little bit of irony is that DeMarini sued and won in the slow-pitch world, but had no intention of getting into youth sports at that time in the middle/late 90's. Now the DeMarini bat is a big player in the girl's fast-pitch market and even bigger in the aluminum baseball bat market. Just look at this list of college baseball teams that they sponsor with equipment: http://www.demarini.com/en-us/teams-players/baseball/

There are some solid baseball programs like defending national champion Vanderbilt and other big names like LSU, Arizona State, and Tennessee using their baseball bats.

 

[Coach_Dave]

The Freak 98 was junk, but was popular due to the fact that it was apparently easy to remove the end cap and shave it. If you ever saw an upper level slow pitch player using this bat, it was likely altered.

 

[HITTER23]

The Freak 98 was junk, but was popular due to the fact that it was apparently easy to remove the end cap and shave it. If you ever saw an upper level slow pitch player using this bat, it was likely altered.

Or it was a Ultra or Ultra II with Freak 98 graphics.

 

[CARDS]

You actually put them in the freezer to up the compression and make them hard as rocks....

Seen it done many times in the 90s. Teams coming to the park with a cooler and no drinks in it with the 40 and 44core ball.
Now it seems like teams are putting the balls in a microwave that they say will make the core harder when it cools?

 

[Westler33]

The Freak 98 was junk, but was popular due to the fact that it was apparently easy to remove the end cap and shave it. If you ever saw an upper level slow pitch player using this bat, it was likely altered.

I don't think that is completely true. The flat sticker original freak 98 was a pretty good bat. It took a while to break it in but I know a few people at our church that had them and while they are not the original freak it was still a decent ASA bat.

 

[wallphin]

From a adult side on the freak 98 a lot of them you seen in adult were altered or had been reprinted. An were really ultra 2 s paints to look like freak 98 s. That happend a lot the freak 98 decals were even sold so people could do that. Was easy to tell when you saw little guys hit bombs with a freak 98 balls of those bats went 380-390 no problem big guys with those hit real monster homeruns. When that altering an cheating got that bad that's when I knew I had enough playing competitive an watching guys do that to pad there stats an re live there youth.

 

[FastBat]

The slow pitch stuff kills me, the arch and speed makes it impossible for me to hit, lol! But, I have always wondered how those guys hit it so far. I do believe men's/co-ed slow pitch is seriously dangerous.

I would rather my dd just learn the right hitting form and play fair. Many great softball players, have never hit the ball over the fence and still are/were considered very good. So not sure why it would be so important to roll a bat. There was a time in girls softball, when we used aluminum bats and most were shared!

Was interesting seeing the Demarini college baseball stuff, big schools there. Thanks! Great thread.

 

[Coach Sonny]

There are no IFS, ANDS or BUTS about it...it is CHEATING!!! There was a girl at our 7th and 8th grade school team tryouts tonight that also has played three season of travel ball for me. She is a 7th grader and had a total of 8 front toss pitches and hit a no doubter over an 8ft high 200' fence straight to center. She was the only one to hit one over the fence tonight and a couple of others came very close. I am proud of her because I know she didn't CHEAT and achieved this through dedication and countless hours of hard work. I can tell you that if a rolled bat was present that several other girls would have hit dingers tonight due to the advantage that it would have given them...its CHEATING!

Coach Sonny

 

[Fairman]

I agree its cheating because the rules say 'don't do it' and then list the penalties; but who here is old enough to remember 'boning' your wooden bat to make it livelier and harder. You would take a big ole ham bone and literal work it up and down your bat for hours. I'm sure it helped......

Why do we allow bats that leave the factory within the specs and then change over time to still be called be legal bats? Its has become an illegal bat. The manufacturer should pay the penalty and that model should be banned from play.

 

[Cankles]

I'll probably regret this, but in the town we just came from in Ga. it was expected. I've seen coaches with rollers in their trailers. If no one is checking how are they going to be caught. Coaches would actually make you feel guilty if you didn't have one rolled.

 

[Louuuuu]

Welcome to Ohio. Where we enjoy fair competition and put spaghetti noodles on our chili.

 

[Frosty Softballs]

I don't have a problem with rolling bats. In fact my daughter uses one. If you aren't cheating you aren't trying

 

[Hilliarddad3]

Yawn.....got nothing better than that?

 

[Louuuuu]

If you aren't cheating you aren't trying

That's an old NASCAR pit crew saying. I don't agree with it there, or in any other sport.

 

[Lenski65]

NASCAR's not a real sport.......

 

[Lenski65]

I don't have a problem with rolling bats. In fact my daughter uses one. If you aren't cheating you aren't trying

All you're telling us is that your dd couldn't compete at the level she is playing without using a rolled bat. You're a gem of a parent.......

 

[Pacerdad57]

NASCAR's not a real sport.......

Non athletic sport centered around rednecks is what I was once.told it stood for.....
absolutely it's cheating.