strone88
Addicted to Softballfans
Last year they check everyone's bats, this year things obviously had changed. Our team arrived just after 9am before our 1st game and I walk up to 1 of the 8 fields and quickly notice an orange recoil being used by both teams. Upon further inspection I see U trip bats everywhere. So I walk over to the tournament directors table and asked him what the rules were this year for bats. He stated that all bats MUST SHOW the ASA stamp on it for it to be legal and would be enforced on the field at the time of the game by the ump. So I then stated that on the field not 50 ft away there were at least 6 USSSA bats being used that I knew were not ASA bats. He walked over to the field, talked with the blue for a few minutes and then left. Needless to say only 1 team put away 2 of their bats, the other team kind of acted stupid but kept on using the bats. I watched for a few innings and needless to say depsite the restricted compression there was way too balls going out over 300ft fences.
Well the day went on until we got to our game 5 when I see a player walk up to the plate with a FREAK. After he gets a single I called the bat to the umpires attention and the batter who just hit the single and who owned the bat started blabbing that he had been using it all day long and no one had said anything. He then stated that they were a U TRIP team and had to go find 2 asa bats just to play - like that is my problem.
Now this is what really made me mad so Blue calls the managers together including myself and says, "I know the bat is illegal for ASA play, but you have to show me a sheet or list that says this bat is illegal for ASA play!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. We ended up losing the game but afterwards I pull out the tournament rules sheets and it said in bold letters that all umpires will enforce any bat violation on the field at the time of the game. Not anywhere did it say that teams must provide a sheet of approved or non approved bats. Give me a a break blue.
This has always been a great tournament for many, many years and nothing against U trip because I play it myself but all I wanted to see was fair game play including the use of only ASA bats without teams using U trip bats to help with those darn restricted compression balls that everyone hates simply because you play with your standard balls all season long, only to show up to a tourney a find out you are now swinging at mush!!
Does anyone run into this alot or do most tournaments you play in enforce their rules a little better??
Well the day went on until we got to our game 5 when I see a player walk up to the plate with a FREAK. After he gets a single I called the bat to the umpires attention and the batter who just hit the single and who owned the bat started blabbing that he had been using it all day long and no one had said anything. He then stated that they were a U TRIP team and had to go find 2 asa bats just to play - like that is my problem.
Now this is what really made me mad so Blue calls the managers together including myself and says, "I know the bat is illegal for ASA play, but you have to show me a sheet or list that says this bat is illegal for ASA play!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. We ended up losing the game but afterwards I pull out the tournament rules sheets and it said in bold letters that all umpires will enforce any bat violation on the field at the time of the game. Not anywhere did it say that teams must provide a sheet of approved or non approved bats. Give me a a break blue.
This has always been a great tournament for many, many years and nothing against U trip because I play it myself but all I wanted to see was fair game play including the use of only ASA bats without teams using U trip bats to help with those darn restricted compression balls that everyone hates simply because you play with your standard balls all season long, only to show up to a tourney a find out you are now swinging at mush!!
Does anyone run into this alot or do most tournaments you play in enforce their rules a little better??
