Bat moochers!

[ogWarlock78]

I'm used to only a couple guys owning bats on a church team, but what about in senior leagues?
We have an influx of new guys playing senior league for first time, so I understand them not having a bat YET. But we have 2 or 3 guys on our team who have been playing a while, are great ball players and they do not own a bat - they MOOCH! And, it seems each of them choose the same bat, so that poor U2 is being used by at least 4 players every game and guess what - it just busted and my buddy is having to buy another. Do you think anyone passed the hat for him or offered to chip in a few bux toward the new bat they are all going to use - nope!
What about in your league ....................

 

[DSS32]

Its never ending.

 

[skew12]

It's typical. Just start taking things from the people that mooch. Don't ask just take em. Beer, Gatorade, water, etc. just something that'll piss em off. When they get mad explain to them how they used your equipment without throwing some money down on it. I've done this a few times, it works.

 

[markcarranza80]

haha, i thought only moochers existed down here in san antonio

 

[leftyon3]

it dont bother me as long as the person using it dont hit hard and the bats not on its last leg

 

[bb666b77]

It's typical. Just start taking things from the people that mooch. Don't ask just take em. Beer, Gatorade, water, etc. just something that'll piss em off. When they get mad explain to them how they used your equipment without throwing some money down on it. I've done this a few times, it works.

the problem with this,is most likely they don't even bring that stuff for you to mooch from them......i have no problem telling moochers to keep their hands off my stuff,hell i even tell them get their own,and not to use someone else's...another way is to tell them they need to chip in some $ to rent,since they don't want to buy their own........

 

[ogWarlock78]

everyone pretty much knows not to use my bat. If I'm not holding it, it goes in my bag as soon as I can get it there. it seems that if it's hanging on the bat rack, I guess that means it's a "team bat". With church ball, I bring 3-4 bats to sit out for team use, but my gamer is hands off.
As for "it's ok as long as the bat is not on it's last leg", well, I've seen more than a few busted U2's, especially the red ones, that look like they just came out of the wrapper, so with them, not sure how you would know if it's about to blow up.
I'm not working (by choice) and money is tight when it comes to balancing the check book every month but I own my own bats. Couple of these moochers I know have good jobs, so $ is not an issue. I heard one guy say "I was going to buy one, but they just break so fast".

 

[LuckyMatthews]

When my collection was very small and seemed like a fortune to me, I had the "U Swing It, U Break It, U Buy It!" stickers on my bats and I warned people I was serious. It worked for my bats anyway.

 

[reggie44]

most play other sports - I ask them if they play tennis or golf - when they say yes I ask if they borrow their partners clubs and rackets to play? Usually gets the message across - I tell them a bat is part of equipment to play - like glove and shoes - so go get one

 

[Dieselmike]

I had the same issue untill one day i changed the grip on my gamer (taped up knob like a knob cuff) and they complained and were all pissyand didnt swing it. in between the next game i taped all of them the same way. now no more issue.

 

[WAIDDOG]

Just tell them not to use it. If you don't say anything then they will just assume. I tell people all the time. Hey I don't care if you swing it, But if you break it you buy me a new one!

 

[Andy]

Two years ago, I had a guy pull my bat from my bat bag and proceed to bust it. I had left it in the bag because it was early spring and cold. I used an older bat myself.

Did he offer to replace it or even contribute to a new bat? Nope. All he did was inform me that it was busted. Told me that another player told him to get it out of my bag that I wouldn't mind.

 

[fierce_gt]

the person who runs the team should be charging extra and buying a 'team' bat for those ppl to use. and i'd be getting a very durable utrip bat for them.

what worked for me, was one day i couldn't make it, and my team had to borrow bats from the team they were playing against. i can understand individuals who play casually not thinking they need their own bat, but there should be a team bat that they've pitched in for to use, not somebody elses who paid for it entirely themselves.

 

[ogWarlock78]

So, from what I gather, as we get older and start playing "senior" ball, we still have to deal with folks who have "responsibility issues" and want to mooch rather than buy their own equipment. Thing is, the league has put out a memo, as well as our team mgr, that point blank states a bat is like a glove, you are expected to have your own, no team bats are provided and if you break someone elses bat, you pay for it. Of course the 2 or 3 on my team that have been playing for 4-5 years obviously think this is directed at the "new guys".
I was just curious as to whether this was an issue that went away as we all grow older, wiser and more responsible.

 

[Pickle]

My team even goes as far as to complain if I sell or trade a bat they like. Pisses me off since I am the only one who brings bats.

 

[rdsox34]

the coach of our team had an OG Extended that most of the guys swung on our team last year and when it broke no one helped him get another one. SO at this years first second and third meeting he made it a point to say not to use my bats his bats or anyone elses unlless they ask and get permission!!

 

[ballguy_73]

My team even goes as far as to complain if I sell or trade a bat they like. Pisses me off since I am the only one who brings bats.

^^^this^^^ I usually say "Hey I can collect $20 a person if we want another one"

 

[fierce_gt]

My team even goes as far as to complain if I sell or trade a bat they like. Pisses me off since I am the only one who brings bats.

YES!!! i kept a bat for a full season longer than i wanted it, finally sold it during the off season, and the next year a couple guys complained and said they would have bought it. well it was 'for sale' for a year and they never ponied up, so screw that.

not only am i losing money by selling it later, and during the off-season, but i had to drag a bat around with me that i never swung once in the entire season.

i do see it from both sides though. when i first started playing, i didn't think bats were important, or broke. i thought it was just about the weight, that was the only thing that mattered. and i'd never been on a team that didn't have team bats.

the best way is a little education. it's easy up here cause we just use the hockey example. everybody has to bring their own stick. some ppl buy one for 10bux at cdn tire, others pay 300+. either way, you use what you own, because they break and there's no reason the guy spending 300bux should be out money.

 

[Sinyk]

YES!!! i kept a bat for a full season longer than i wanted it, finally sold it during the off season, and the next year a couple guys complained and said they would have bought it. well it was 'for sale' for a year and they never ponied up, so screw that.

not only am i losing money by selling it later, and during the off-season, but i had to drag a bat around with me that i never swung once in the entire season.

i do see it from both sides though. when i first started playing, i didn't think bats were important, or broke. i thought it was just about the weight, that was the only thing that mattered. and i'd never been on a team that didn't have team bats.

the best way is a little education. it's easy up here cause we just use the hockey example. everybody has to bring their own stick. some ppl buy one for 10bux at cdn tire, others pay 300+. either way, you use what you own, because they break and there's no reason the guy spending 300bux should be out money.

I had a few teammates try to string me along with my ASA RD28 by promising to maybe buy my bat that I wasn't swinging anymore. Well they kept using it and not offering up any money so i sold it and they were all sad. Then they went back to swinging THEIR OWN bats... That's the part that burned me up. They already had their own bats and wanted to swing only mine instead.

 

[Swilldog]

its a simple fix... when they ask you just say "break it you buy it" and they will move on to the next guy.

 

[ogWarlock78]

its a simple fix... when they ask you.....

when they ASK?! Now that's funny right there, I don't care who you are They don't ASK. If a bat is sitting out, it's fair game.

Point of me starting this in the senior forum is to see if this situation is as prevalent in SENIOR ball as it is in my church league where folks really don't have a clue about bats.
As we get older, we are SUPPOSED to become more responsible.