High End Bats and Cold Weather

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Anyone who has bought a "high end" bat knows that the manufacturers tell you not to use them in temperatures below 60 degrees.

As anyone who plays softball in Ohio knows, that isn't likely to happen on a regular basis until the end of April when the season is more than half over.

I have seen "bat warmers" advertised. ?They look like insulated sleeves with some sort of microwaveable gel pack inside that keeps a bat warm between at bats. ?It seems to make sense that if the bats aren't supposed to be used in temps below 60, that if you can keep the bat above 60 you can prolong the life of your bat. ?

I was looking around and either NSA or ASA has some of them listed as "Approved Equipment".

Has anyone had experience with bat warmers? ?Good or Bad?
Are they legal in HS and tournament play?
Are there any umpires that can shed some light on this topic??

Thanks

 

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ASA specifically lists them as illegal:

ASA Altered Equipment Rule Reminder
4/28/2005

Oklahoma City, OK?In response to many questions from the softball community about heating, cooling and other devices used to alter equipment, the Amateur Softball Association would like to remind all players, coaches, parents, tournament directors and umpires of the notation contained in Rule 3, Section 7 of the ASA?s 2005 Official Rules of Softball:

Rule 3, Section 7

Note: The characteristics of any approved equipment can not be changed. One example would be icing, cooling or heating equipment.

The ASA considers these devices illegal. Furthermore, anyone caught doing this may be subject to Article 510, M, 06 of the ASA Code that states the following:

Article 510, M, 06

Any player discovered using an altered bat, including a doctored bat or a bat with additional weight shall be called out and disqualified from further tournament competition for a minimum of one year. ASA shall have the right to take possession of a bat that is, in the sole discretion of the Tournament Committee, reasonably suspected to be an altered bat. In the event the suspected altered bat is tested and determined to be an altered bat, then the player shall surrender ownership of the altered bat to ASA; otherwise the bat shall be returned to the player. A team that is discovered to have within its possession or control an altered bat may be disqualified from further tournament competition."

 

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As does the NFHS evidently:

2006 Softball Rules Interpretations
....
SITUATION 1: The game is in the fifth inning when B1 gets a base hit and is standing on first. The visiting team's catcher picks up B1's discarded bat and notices it is extremely warm. The catcher informs the plate umpire and after checking the dugout, the umpire finds a "warming" device plugged into the home team's dugout. The device was not present before the game during the inspection of equipment. RULING: The umpire shall call B1 out for using an illegal bat and issue a team warning to the offending coach. The next violation of equipment for that team will result in restriction to the dugout for both the offender and the head coach. The bat warmer must also be removed from the dugout. COMMENT: The umpire may also eject the head coach if, in his or her judgment, the bat warmer was deliberately placed in the dugout after the inspection to circumvent the rule. (1-5-5; 2-4-2; 3-6-1; 3-6-13c; 7-4-1)

 

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OK, so I checked to refresh my memory and NSA says they are legal and even lists product names:

NSA Approved Equipment/Product List
PrintH & B
?BW1
Power Wrap
?Power Wrap
PyroFlite
?Microwaveable Bat Warmer ((NOT TO BE SWUNG IN THE ON DECK CIRCLE))
Swing Sock
?Swing Sock
Worth
?WBS

Found at: http://www.playnsa.com/modules.php?name=Equipment&approved=1&type=2

So that makes things much clearer :-/

I suppose OHSAA has their own interpretation that probably doesn't consistantly align with either ASA or NSA, right??

 

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...

I suppose OHSAA has their own interpretation that probably doesn't consistantly align with either ASA or NSA, right??

They usually go with the NFHS (see above).

 

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Do you think the high school interpretation leaves some questions unanswered.

Could it mean that the device is illegal because it is plugged in? Giving unfair advantage to the home team, since the visitors dugout has no power?

If "the device" was in plain sight during the pre game inspections and nothing was said, then is it OK.

What is extremely warm? Certainly a 65 degree bat on a 45 degree day is going to feel warm, but wouldn't extremely warm be more along the lines of 100 degrees (above normal body temperature).

I'm not trying to start an arguement, but don't you believe they are leaving much to interpretation??

 

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GWOC-Fan, warming the bat is only one part of the equation anyway. The balls are still cold. Unless the umpires have a ball warmer in their pouch.

 

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USSSA evidently doesn't have a problem with them either:

UNITED STATES SPECIALTY
SPORTS ASSOCIATION​

From The Office Of Executive Director/CEO September 17, 2007
Don DeDonatis
National Headquarters -
611 Line Drive
Kissimmee, FL 34774

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
National Headquarters - 611 Line Drive - Kissimmee, FL34744 800-741-3014 Toll Free

USSSA - PYROFLITE Announce Official Sponsorship
Kissimmee, FL ? The United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA), the nation?s largest and fastest growing multi-sport athletic organization, has given its official endorsement to PyroFlite (batwarmer.com) as an Official USSSASponsor.

PyroFlite is the pioneer and leader in bat warming technology. Brian Knetter, the inventor and manufacturer of PyroFlite?s microwaveable bat warmer, after losing countless bats to dents, dings, and breaks when playing in North Dakota?s cold ball season Brian saw a need for a way to keep his investment in high end bats safe. But just as important as keeping the bat safe was ensuring the bat was working at its best. His experience showed him that a warm bat in the summer hit farther then it did when cold in the winter. Thus the idea of the PyroFlite microwaveable bat warmer was born. When Brian created the PyroFlite microwaveable bat warmer, he created an easy to use system that safely warmed bats for a day of playing even in the coldest North Dakota ball season.

?USSSA is looking forward to working with PyroFlite and helping all of our players play the best game they can regardless of the the playing temperature.? stated Don DeDonatis, USSSA Executive Director and CEO. ?After looking at several products, we concluded PyroFlite?s microwaveable bat warmer is the easiest way to keep a bat warm. We are happy to extend an offer to PyroFlite to become an Official Sponsor of USSSA? continued DeDonatis. ?It is easy to use, it?s extremely affordable and provides the player an excellent method to keep their bats safe and sound?

 

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I noticed the Rules interpretations from ASA was 2005 and NFHS was from 2006.

Did anyone have any issues regarding bat warmers during the 2006 or 2007 seasons??

Umpires?? Coaches?? Players??

Looks like we have a conundrum on our hands.

(before anyone has a hissy..... The definitions are:
anything that puzzles
A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma

 

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By the way Bear....

Thanks for the quick response and the research that you provided.
I'm sure everyone on here appreciates your insight and your committment.

 

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As near as I can tell, there haven't been any updates to their stance.

 

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From the 2008 NFHS Softball Rulebook, Points of Emphasis, Equipment, paragraph B.

B. Bats. All bats shall meet the 2004 ASA Bat Performance Standard, bear either the 2000 or 2004 ASA certification mark, and not be on the ASA non-approved list as found on www.asasoftball.com. Materials inside the bat or treatments/devices used to alter the bat specifications and/or enhance the performance are prohibited and render the bat illegal. Examples or devices may include [highlight]bat warmers or bat sleeves[/highlight].

So it looks like bat warmers are still not allowed.

 

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The NFHS people who write these rules just absolutely amaze me.

MAY INCLUDE bat warmers

Just what does that mean?? ?To me a rule should state whether it does or doesn't permit something!

To me, this says it also may NOT INCLUDE bat warmers?? ?Right??

And what is the deciding factor as to whether it may or may not include bat warmers?? ?
Bat warmers MAY be allowed if the temperature is below 45 degrees ?or bat warmers MAY NOT be allowed if they are powered by electricity and heat the bats to more than 50 degrees warmer than the ambient air temperature.

I'm sorry, but if I am an umpire, how do I make a determination whether a bat warmer is legal or not??
If the rule is meant to eliminate the use of bat warmers the rule should say something like "bat warmers or any appliance or device that is used to increase the temperature of a bat are illegal and are not acceptable under any circumstances"

Now that's a rule that says bat warmers are illegal.

 

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What? And remove any possibility of an "out"? j/k... Some rules are intentionally left vague. If a bat warmer is meant to protect your investment rather than enhance it's performance - then NFHS can say... "Well in that case..."

After this summer, there will be no "High End" bats available for purchase so this will be somewhat of a moot point.

 

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OK, not trying to be difficult, but..... How about under Mom or Dad's coat? Would that be an illegal bat warmer? Or maybe leaving the bat in a warm car between at bats? Pretty vague rules here, if anyone can shed some definitive light on it, no doubt many would appreciate it.

As mentioned before, often the hard cold ball is a big part of the problem with the more brittle or dent prone bats, so perhaps the high dollar bat is best left unused on a cold day regardless.

Has it ever been studied? Maybe a warm bat with a cold (harder???) ball would make it go faster? Or not so fast?

 

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On a cold, I mean barely 40 degree April day, my dd was using her cage rocket tech, it was warmed, she got a nice solid rip betwen the left and center fielders and upon inspection also a massive dent.
She used a Synergy last spring, it seemingly was not as sensitive to the cold.

 

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The R.T. seem to be very sensitive to cold. Very good bat, but not good for spring high school ball. Many carry a second bat for that reason.

 

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? ? On a cold, I mean barely 40 degree April day, my dd was using her cage rocket tech, it was warmed, she got a nice solid rip betwen the left and center fielders and upon inspection also a massive dent. ?
? ? She used a Synergy last spring, it seemingly was not as sensitive to the cold.

Good to know! ?

 

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too funny, players can use hand warmers and hot cocoa to stay warm, which in effect changes their condition to make them more condusive to play better, but we can't do it to bats

with this argument, all girls wear shorts/short sleeves, no hot cocoa during games, no jackets and certaintly no warming of anything, bat, butt or otherwise

better yet, no "warming up" before games that will inadvertantly lead to a better performance, no coachside cheers (which might cause a more pumped-up atmosphere, therefore enhancing their performance) and no practices between games

I'm not really this hot and bothered, just funny that's all