ASA donuts on end of bats

[sskrueger]

can someone tell me why its illegal to put a donut on the end of a bat in asa?

 

[bb666b77]

been that way for years,it was said the donut could come off the softball bat,and hurt someone, as it is smaller barrel than a baseball bat.

 

[sskrueger]

If you are at a tournament where all the bats inside the dug out are checked for stamps and asa aproved then how could the donut slide off the end? i guess i dont understand but they say u can use other things on the bat to make it safe. so i dont understand there thinking

 

[irishmafia]

If you are at a tournament where all the bats inside the dug out are checked for stamps and asa aproved then how could the donut slide off the end? i guess i dont understand but they say u can use other things on the bat to make it safe. so i dont understand there thinking

Don't know if there still is, but there used to be different sized donuts for baseball bats, some for LL bats and larger for adult bats. Apparently, the issue was people were not smart enough to know the difference between the sizes and since no manufacturer has offered their product for approval, I doubt you will see any change soon.

 

[bb666b77]

Don't know if there still is, but there used to be different sized donuts for baseball bats. Apparently, the issue was people were not smart enough to know the difference between the sizes and since no manufacturer has offered their product for approval, I doubt you will see any change soon.

this was i was thinking as in the early years the donut was made for the BB bats,donut wasn't really used for softball,but yeah basically what ya said.

 

[johnsonrod]

the whole warmup equipment section baffles me. why is asa in the business of saying what is legal to warm up with. what if i want to swing a sand filled bat, asa says no. what if i want to swing a piece of rebar, asa says no. somehow these are less safer than swinging 2 bats at once???? but then again it is against the rules to swing more than 2 bats.

i understand the need for safety rules, but cmon, a blanket no donuts rule is dumb when every donut ive ever seen cannot fly off a softball bat.

 

[riotact]

You can swing a sand filled bat to warmup with. Heck, you can use a painted ultra, you just can't step in the box with it.

 

[irishmafia]

the whole warmup equipment section baffles me. why is asa in the business of saying what is legal to warm up with. what if i want to swing a sand filled bat, asa says no. what if i want to swing a piece of rebar, asa says no. somehow these are less safer than swinging 2 bats at once???? but then again it is against the rules to swing more than 2 bats.

i understand the need for safety rules, but cmon, a blanket no donuts rule is dumb when every donut ive ever seen cannot fly off a softball bat.

The "dumb" rule is a reflection of the people at which it is targeted.

Because people and insurance companies have lawyers who make a living suing people over ridiculous things like some putz losing their grip on a piece of rebar and hitting a teamate in the head. Therefore, ASA attempts to protect themselves by only allowing equipment submitted for testing and/or approval. And yes, some of it involves licensing, but that is nothing new.

 

[BretMan]

It is a safety issue and you have to draw the line somewhere. If it was "anything goes", can you imagine some of the stuff players might come up with?

Since softball bats have a 2.25" diameter barrel, and baseball bats may be as large as 2.75", you could have a donut that fit tightly on a baseball bat but would fly off a softball bat.

 

[NCASAUmp]

You can swing a sand filled bat to warmup with. Heck, you can use a painted ultra, you just can't step in the box with it.

No, you can not warm up with it. The on-deck batter must have either a legal softball bat, a legal warm-up bat, or any combination of the two.

A bat filled with sand is NOT a legal softball bat. How does the sand get in there and stay there? The bat is altered in some fashion (usually drilling and then plugging), and how are we to know that this alteration will hold up?

There's one team I know of that has taken an old metal bat, drilled a hole where the end cap would be, filled it with sand or concrete, then used a BOLT to plug the hole! And somehow, they fail to see how this is dangerous!

 

[mikey31478]

i never have understood the reason to swing heavy while on deck for a an 11 mph pitch or whatever the speed is..... if you don't have the bat speed for an under hand lob then something is wrong anyway.

on the other hand this is why i don't like asa, it's a miracle that asa don't try to regulate what you drive to the field.

 

[Aguynamedpat]

No, you can not warm up with it. The on-deck batter must have either a legal softball bat, a legal warm-up bat, or any combination of the two.

A bat filled with sand is NOT a legal softball bat. How does the sand get in there and stay there? The bat is altered in some fashion (usually drilling and then plugging), and how are we to know that this alteration will hold up?

There's one team I know of that has taken an old metal bat, drilled a hole where the end cap would be, filled it with sand or concrete, then used a BOLT to plug the hole! And somehow, they fail to see how this is dangerous!

I fail to see how this is dangerous too. Its CONCRETE, it hardens, and the bolt will harden inside the concrete. I would actually thing this is a very safe warmup bat.

I understand that ASA has their restrictions on the warmup equipment, Im just saying that I think the above is actually a pretty safe warmup bat.

 

[NCASAUmp]

I fail to see how this is dangerous too. Its CONCRETE, it hardens, and the bolt will harden inside the concrete. I would actually thing this is a very safe warmup bat.

I understand that ASA has their restrictions on the warmup equipment, Im just saying that I think the above is actually a pretty safe warmup bat.

How about the nice bolt that has rough edges on it? How about the fact that I don't know what the hell they really DID to that bat?

 

[Aguynamedpat]

How about the nice bolt that has rough edges on it? How about the fact that I don't know what the hell they really DID to that bat?

The rough edges on the bolt will only matter if they somehow sling the bat, and Im not sure about you, but IMO any bat that is flying through the air is considered dangerous.

And, if you dont know what they really did to it, how do you know its filled with concrete?

 

[NCASAUmp]

i never have understood the reason to swing heavy while on deck for a an 11 mph pitch or whatever the speed is..... if you don't have the bat speed for an under hand lob then something is wrong anyway.

on the other hand this is why i don't like asa, it's a miracle that asa don't try to regulate what you drive to the field.

Odd... Here's a list of associations that have the same rule as ASA:

Senior Softball
ISA
USSSA
NSA
ISF

Hey, wait a second... That's about 99.9% of all slow pitch softball being played in the US.

 

[NCASAUmp]

The rough edges on the bolt will only matter if they somehow sling the bat, and Im not sure about you, but IMO any bat that is flying through the air is considered dangerous.

And, if you dont know what they really did to it, how do you know its filled with concrete?

Well, they had it laying against the fence when I first checked it, and I couldn't see the bolt until after I picked it up. That thing weighed a ton.

 

[BretMan]

on the other hand this is why i don't like asa, it's a miracle that asa don't try to regulate what you drive to the field.

NSA prohibits donuts and non-approved warm-up devices.

USSSA...same thing.

There are others...but you get the idea. This isn't "an ASA thing". Many sanctioning bodies have decided these items are unsafe and prohibit them.

 

[Aguynamedpat]

Well, they had it laying against the fence when I first checked it, and I couldn't see the bolt until after I picked it up. That thing weighed a ton.

I understand, and as an umpire you did your job to throw it out.

 

[NCASAUmp]

I understand, and as an umpire you did your job to throw it out.

Yep, and they complain every time I tell them to get that damn bat off the field.

I don't care if they have it in the dugout, so long as it never makes it onto the field.

 

[Aguynamedpat]

Yep, and they complain every time I tell them to get that damn bat off the field.

I don't care if they have it in the dugout, so long as it never makes it onto the field.

What is your opinion on this...

This happened this past Friday night. We set all bats against the fence to have them checked before the game (ASA league). Well the umpire started pulling bats out of our bat bags. She told me I had to remove my 09 Ressy Titan and DS Plague, and told my buddy to remove his Booger and Fulk. I told her they were for the weekend and they would NOT be swung in the game. She said she would let it slide but we shouldnt bring them in the dugout.

 

[bb666b77]

back when i first got my demarini chute(parachute type thing that goes on your bat)i was told i couldn't bring it on the field ,even before my game started,never figured that one out.i never would use it during a game,but while i was warming up before we started.

 

[irishmafia]

How about the nice bolt that has rough edges on it? How about the fact that I don't know what the hell they really DID to that bat?

Or the point that many of these home-made bats are heavier than what many players can handle. What these guys don't get is that you cannot swing these things in the same manner as their regular bat and when someone tries it can be dangerous. And it only takes one injury out of the tens of thousands occurences a year for it to cost ASA, Bollinger and Markel millions of dollars

But I have to agree to one thing, I don't understand why these he-men need to "warm-up" to swing a toothpick.

 

[NCASAUmp]

What is your opinion on this...

This happened this past Friday night. We set all bats against the fence to have them checked before the game (ASA league). Well the umpire started pulling bats out of our bat bags. She told me I had to remove my 09 Ressy Titan and DS Plague, and told my buddy to remove his Booger and Fulk. I told her they were for the weekend and they would NOT be swung in the game. She said she would let it slide but we shouldnt bring them in the dugout.

I have mixed feelings about this. There's nothing in the rules against having a non-ASA bat in your dugout. However, it's usually a good idea to have those bats out of the dugout from the get-go.

Why? When teams show up to games with 15 bats on each side, it becomes much harder for me to keep track of all the non-approved or illegal bats as opposed to the legal ones. It also becomes that much easier for a player to mistakenly grab one of the non-ASA bats and risk an out/ejection.

As such, it's much easier to just get rid of these bats from the start and avoid risking any situations that could jeopardize a player's eligibility for the remainder of the game and/or tournament.

As for the umpire going into the bags herself, well... I wouldn't do that. I would, however, ask the players to empty the bags for me IF I'm going to take it upon myself to verify EVERY bat. It depends on where I'm calling: league or tourney.

 

[buckster]

This happened this past Friday night. We set all bats against the fence to have them checked before the game (ASA league). Well the umpire started pulling bats out of our bat bags. She told me I had to remove my 09 Ressy Titan and DS Plague, and told my buddy to remove his Booger and Fulk. I told her they were for the weekend and they would NOT be swung in the game. She said she would let it slide but we shouldnt bring them in the dugout.

The umpire has every right to ask you to remove them from the dugout. It's called preventative umpiring. Maybe one of your teammates isn't paying attention, grabs one of those bats out of the bag for some reason, and goes up to the plate w/ it. Now you have a bad situation for your team even though you did not intend for it to happen. I always ask players/coaches to remove any illegal/non-conforming bats from the team area before play is started. If it's not there, you don't have an "accident".

One point you do have: no umpire should be going into bags or other containers. I ask each player to empty their bag if there are bats/equipment still in it that I want to see.

 

[irishmafia]

What is your opinion on this...

This happened this past Friday night. We set all bats against the fence to have them checked before the game (ASA league). Well the umpire started pulling bats out of our bat bags. She told me I had to remove my 09 Ressy Titan and DS Plague, and told my buddy to remove his Booger and Fulk. I told her they were for the weekend and they would NOT be swung in the game. She said she would let it slide but we shouldnt bring them in the dugout.

You would have two choices:

Put the bats away (in the car or somewhere not readily accessible) or
Go have a beer 'cause you ain't playing tonight.

That said, what the hell is the umpire going in your bag for and if you are not going to use certain equipment, why are you carrying it?

Sounds like no one was using any common sense here.

 

[bb666b77]

i carry all my assoc(asa-,usssa-,senior,and outlaw) bats i play in my bag.don't care to keep changing out.i will only pull out what i'm gonna used tho,if its not legal for what assoc i'm playing it never makes it out of the bag,period.also keep my bag away from the end off the dugout that is near the plate,tho.also will let players know that it is NOT GTG to get into my bag.if ump does inspection i will pull only my legal bats out for them and that is all that will ever come out of my bag,again.

 

[Aguynamedpat]

That said, what the hell is the umpire going in your bag for and if you are not going to use certain equipment, why are you carrying it?

Sounds like no one was using any common sense here.

Because I dont feel like switching my bats in and out of my bag every time I play? Thats a very good way to forget a bat. It was my roller bag, and the two bats were zipped up in the compartment. She unzipped the bag and pulled them out. Good thing she was nice, I almost told her to GTFO out of my bag and what I had in there was none of her business.

i carry all my assoc(asa-,usssa-,senior,and outlaw) bats i play in my bag.don't care to keep changing out.i will only pull out what i'm gonna used tho,if its not legal for what assoc i'm playing it never makes it out of the bag,period.also keep my bag away from the end off the dugout that is near the plate,tho.also will let players know that it is NOT GTG to get into my bag.if ump does inspection i will pull only my legal bats out for them and that is all that will ever come out of my bag,again.

Pretty much sums it up right here.

 

[GrandCherokee]

Well, they had it laying against the fence when I first checked it, and I couldn't see the bolt until after I picked it up. That thing weighed a ton.

They are idiots. I don't know them but doubt they are very good. I fail to see, safe or not, how it would help their game.

 

[slipknot7801]

ummm on the note of an umpire making you take utrip or senoir bats or an non legal bat out of the dug out isnt it there job to know the bats and enforce the rules including legal bats? plus if an umpire has an doubt about a bat take the 5 seconds it takes to look for the stamp on the bat its not that hard

 

[coolluvr4u1976]

So this goes back a few years, 2002/2003 Anyways I pick up this "worth" bat sleeve weight.... basically a weight donut but it was rubber and would slide over your bat...

I had numerous Umps tell me it was illegal to use it on a bat, cuz it could fly off the bat.... well at first i'm like WTF it slides onto the bat and sticks tightly.... well someone happend to grab my bat one time and use it to warm up, before the game even started, and bam.... off goes the sleeve lol...... i guess after a few too many times of puttin it onto a bat and getting it past the "taper" the sleeve expanded and wouldnt fit tight anymore......

Now obviously its not a iron donut, but still i now see the reasoning behind it...

On the flip side, i havent had a umpire in ASA or NSA say anything about the Bat Donut i use......

Now for the guys who ask why do you need to use a weighted bat to warm up?????? I do it cuz I like to loosen up my body, yes i am 33 and i still need to "get" loose..... even on league nites I tend to take 2 or 3 rounds of bp before going to leagues..... And then I still stretch and swing my bats w/ donuts to loosen back up... And yes I do just swing a bat w/ bat donut while on deck....I do that so when i grab my gamer it feels lighter to me....