2005 Rocketech - blue says illegal because it's "flat"

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At the HS level judging a bats credibility it boils down to Umpire Liability!

By allowing a player to use a bat that is judged unfit for use, umpires are setting themselves up for a lawsuit in the event of injury.

Subsequent Negligence: exists where defendant (umpire), sees plaintiff (player) in a position of danger and fails to exercise due and proper precaution to prevent injury to plaintiff (player).

FASTPITCH! Anything else, And you're playing to SLOW!

 

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The bat ring is nothing more than a tool to help determine that the barrel is generally round and roughly 2.250" in diameter. There isn't any rule pertaining to the use of a bat ring, or a bat's ability to pass through it.

A bat that doesn't pass through the ring is obviously either too out-of-round or larger than 2.250" diameter and would automatically be rejected.

But the opposite is not true. A bat that passes through the ring is NOT automatically accepted. There could still be dents, cracks, defects that would make the bat illegal, but not prevent it from passing through the ring.

The umpire's visual inspection and judgment are the final say. And, yes, you do hope that the umpire uses the actual ASA legal bat list and a good dose of common sense before tossing a bat.

So far this year, I would guess that I've inspected at least 300 bats in pre-game equipment checks (conservatively, 10 bats per team X 2 teams X 15 games). I have rejected two. Both had tape built up at the knob that caused the knob to become flush with the handle.

 

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I'm sorry, but if it rings then it is not flat enough to be considered a "club".

Every year they try to make the rules easier for the umpires to interpret and take the "guessing" out of their hands. In my opinion, the ring gage is just that.

I agree. if they didn't ring it, then I can't see how they can rule it illegal.

When my dd used an 04 RT I carried a ring with me to games. Almost all RT 's have waves and I didn't want it DQ'd for a wave when it always passed the ring.

 

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I agree. if they didn't ring it, then I can't see how they can rule it illegal.

See my above post.

There is no rule in the rule book about a bat passing or not passing through a ring. The ring is just a tool that an umpire might use, at his discretion, to help him determine if a bat is "round" and no more than 2.250" in diameter.

But there isn't any rule that says a ring MUST be used, or bat MUST pass through one, or that even if it does it is automatically legal.

 

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bretman: Same subject. Last night in the high school game. My DD's 2008 Rip it Force was said to be illegal . Reason , since she has used it for 2 years and all season the ASA section on the approval is worn and hard to read.
From the approved bat site: ttp://www.asasoftball.com/about/certified_equipment.asp
Rip-It Elite
FORC1
8/13/2008 : In the same game the team we were playing they allowed the same bat to be used. Since I don't want to buy a new bat, I printed out the approved bat list and put a copy in her bag. Will this cover it, or were this guys clueless, since they could see it was an approved bat but looking at the kid that was using one on the other team?

 

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Not totally clueless, since the rules do state that the bat must bear the certification mark. If the mark is not legible, that is just cause to reject the bat. I couldn't really fault an umpire for rejecting such a bat.

Having said that...the umpires do have some discretion and the final say on a bat's legality. If some of the certification mark is still there- at least enough to determine that it was an actual ASA certification mark at one time- and the model number can be read and confirmed against the approved bat list, I wouldn't find fault with an umpire that allowed it.

The problem is that one umpire's "hard to read, but still there" might be another's "the stamp is gone so it's illegal". All you can really do is line up the bat along with all the others for the pre-game equioment inspection and hope for the best.

If this was the first time the bat had been rejected, then I assume that others have not found fault with it. If it gets approved, you're good to go. If not, offer the approved bat list as evidence- but don't be surprised if the bat is still not allowed.