Our League Went 52/300 and Players are Not Happy
- Thread starter CK77
- Start date
Pretty
Softball is cool
Just to follow up on this, we did it in 4 innings.
DanGer1285
Addicted to Softballfans
We switched to 52/275s last year and our big hitters still put them out regularly. Same guys that hit them out before can hit them out now.
Although it's funny when someone throws a harder ball in BP and you take it for a ride and think "wow, wtf?" then you go get it and realize it wasn't the same as the Hot Dots we play with normally.
Although it's funny when someone throws a harder ball in BP and you take it for a ride and think "wow, wtf?" then you go get it and realize it wasn't the same as the Hot Dots we play with normally.
EVILHOMER360
Baaaat Fleeeeep!
IMO about the newer balls. There's no cheap 300.5-301 foot homeruns anymore. A .44 ball you can miss-hhit it over the fence, with the newer balls if you miss-hhit it it's usually gonna be a weak IF pop or a shallow fly out. Definitely going to make you a better hitter, because you're gonna have to learn how to square a ball up more often to get optimum results.
Rocketfire24
Addicted to Softballfans
If you are not a hr hitter...but you can get 3 to 5 hrs every league season hitting the 44/375...you may have trouble or not be able to hit the 52.300 out. I would hit an occassional mi**** hr out with the old balls...but the new ball it is more difficult to do that. You have to CUT the new balls, and I feel they are affected by warm weather as well. (all of my experience is with Trump Stotes)
The new ball does help to seperate the true mashers from the pretenders.
The new ball does help to seperate the true mashers from the pretenders.
Trophy Hunter15
Addicted to Softballfans
We've been hitting both balls this year & honestly guys that hit HRs with the 44/375 still hit them with 52/300. One thing I have noticed is that the 52's seem to be affected a lot more by windy conditions.Other than that I really like the Evils & Dudleys we've been hitting.
Fro Joe
Snowden is a hero.
52s produce a fraction of the force required to cause possible deadly head injuries.
ATL Rookie
Manager
My ONLY complaint with the 52/300's is fielding them in the IF. Those balls take all kinds of nasty, unpredictable hops.
You guys are being way too hard on this guy.
He said their league starts in 50-60 weather. I'd say this is pretty standard around the country. These guys start off in cool weather when 44/375s are rocks and they probably are rounding into form when it gets around 80 and they never realize just how much the temps effect their per game hr performance. If these guys didn't start until it was 80 out they probably wouldn't hit any homeruns for the first couple of weeks.
My leagues aren't changing until next year but I predict this exact same thing to be the case. The guys that have played tournies have already hit them and the rec league heros that think they're something they aren't don't know they hit balls well because of the cold.
Whether they want to admit it or not, that's probably why they don't play tournies. They play spring and fall, but come out and try out a tourney in the summer and hit cans of corn all day because it's hot.
He said their league starts in 50-60 weather. I'd say this is pretty standard around the country. These guys start off in cool weather when 44/375s are rocks and they probably are rounding into form when it gets around 80 and they never realize just how much the temps effect their per game hr performance. If these guys didn't start until it was 80 out they probably wouldn't hit any homeruns for the first couple of weeks.
My leagues aren't changing until next year but I predict this exact same thing to be the case. The guys that have played tournies have already hit them and the rec league heros that think they're something they aren't don't know they hit balls well because of the cold.
Whether they want to admit it or not, that's probably why they don't play tournies. They play spring and fall, but come out and try out a tourney in the summer and hit cans of corn all day because it's hot.
Agreed, but it's gonna happen. There are just some people out there one hit to the head or chest away from a fatality. Once those numbers rack up over the years, then what?
The associations and manus have been fighting this the whole way. It takes significant risk to even bring about this change. Theoretically, if you look at the fact that these balls lower the traumatic injury to a fraction of it's past amount, and the number of injuries was just barely enough to get THIS change enacted you're looking at a significant number of freakish injuries having to happen to have to change this again.
I won't be surprised if a new bat technology is invented to pass the current test and hit these like the Ultras, but I think that would just cause a new bat test. I think these balls are a good enough mix of safety and performance and durability.
UptotheKnuckle
Addicted to Softballfans
Never saw a differance in distance with the .52/300 compared to the .44/375. I'm not a Hr hitter ball flew about the same..... seems to knuckle a little more but thats about it.
LittleMonster
Banned User
i haven't seen a lot of difference between the two, to be honest.
cyoung187
Coach
Our league has gone to 40/275s and the players here are all in a panic about them, its hilarious. Guys are all running around saying "Why do you even bring composite bats, those can't hit those balls" "I'm going to sell all my composites and buy walmart bats" These guys are dead serious too, and all the other morons at the park are buying into it because they aren't hitting balls out of the park anymore. Every week so far there has been more and more teams showing up with bruisers and hammers and leaving high end composites in the bag because they are "useless". After putting a couple balls over the fence in a game, a guy on the bleachers was telling his whole team that I was hitting them because I was using metal (it was a miken triad). It is sad and funny at the same time that all these guys are making so many excuses and are freaked out just because the ball has changed.
I'm not even going to chime in and tell them they are wrong. Maybe I should go buy some hammers and tell guys ill trade my new metal for their old composites, they would probably go for it.
I'm not even going to chime in and tell them they are wrong. Maybe I should go buy some hammers and tell guys ill trade my new metal for their old composites, they would probably go for it.
sjury
The Old Man
As a follow up to the follow up... we did it with different bats, Z's, Eastons, Demars, and even Worth's, which are supposed to suck. That's why someone bought that new Mutant right Pretty? LOL
bird25
34/30 Club #25
Our limit is 2 per team and then it's a single. I haven't seen a team hit a over the fence single yet.
Funny thing is that i have hit at least one out with my st100 in every game.
UptotheKnuckle
Addicted to Softballfans
The 40/275 only suck during the summer when they get left in the storage shed in 90 degree weather all day lol. Below 70 they are just fine.
MarlSrSoftball
Into Semi-Retirement Still activebut not League
I took line drive off the eye last year with my safety glasses absorbing most of the blow and ended up with only a black eye but no other damage with the 52/275 ball, which is one reason we went with those balls this year in all divisions.
cyoung187
Coach
Well we are in AZ so we will have game temps of 90-110. I have no doubt the balls will suck. We have been hitting them in the 90s and they are pretty mushy.
brtisbuck
Addicted to Softballfans
52/300's fly just fine, especially with some of the newer ASA bats. You still have to hit the ball correctly. That having been said, read this: http://forums.softballfans.com/showthread.php?t=1273067
It offers some great info on why the ball and how it can effect you other than dropping 400 footers.
It offers some great info on why the ball and how it can effect you other than dropping 400 footers.
NDrobber_03
Addicted to Softballfans
For most people the only bad thing about the 52/300 balls is that they expose poor swing mechanics.
No more handle shots off the fence and league mashers are exposed.
We have been using the Demarini Stones here in FL and haven't seen that much of a decrease in overall performance or distance.
No more handle shots off the fence and league mashers are exposed.
We have been using the Demarini Stones here in FL and haven't seen that much of a decrease in overall performance or distance.
UptotheKnuckle
Addicted to Softballfans
40/275 really are very soft. past sunday, Pitching and had a same guy hit the same spot, 2 feet off my glove side again. ****ty fields, ball hit a divot about 5 feet infront of me and bounce higher then expected and took it off my head. Didnt even hurt just had a small not a few hours later and two days later is just a little sore to touch no more knot though.... If it was a 44.375 i probably wouldnt be typing this right now. I saw the ball the whole way, sometimes you just can't move fast enough, ordering a mask this weekend.