When your own team starts cheating...

murc

murc

...
My own team gave me the lolz. It started 5 years ago as a bs ting to do over the summer.. It morphed into a 4 night a week plus weekend year round endeavour(all that were left from the original squad said it was still just for fun... Just alot more ball to be played). Then my priorities changed(started to raise a family) and I take a hiatus. I make a comeback and most of my team is now swinging dirty... We/they used to pride themselves on being the only team around here that had zero cut sticks. I guess they should get some re-covered balls like the first place team uses now.... Smh.
 
bimmerpilot

bimmerpilot

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pretty sad when it comes to that.
I have left a couple contending teams that felt the need for glass.

Integrity is one of the things that my girls will pick up from me. Hard to be the example as a hypocrite...
 
murc

murc

...
bimmerpilot said:
Pretty sad when it comes to that.
I have left a couple contending teams that felt the need for glass.

Integrity is one of the things that my girls will pick up from me. Hard to be the example as a hypocrite...
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I hear you. I mean, if I played all the time like I used to, I wouldnt really blame them. Because in this league we play in literally every team uses. And the scumbag quote of the century came from the hot ball provider for said first place team. He said, "Every team cheats!! Don't cry when you get out cheated!!!". Verbatim from our local message board.

The lengths the hot ball guy goes to to keep his balls(has his older father stand on the other side of the fence to shag hr balls) and the lengths the other teams go to to steal them and keep them(throw them in when they need big hits or a bomb and then sprint, scale the fence, and then sprint some more to get it) are just unbelievably laughable.
 
Jkmbones

Jkmbones

Mizuno. Next Question?
This is common place these days! I was late to understand people are working balls.
 
LetTheBigDogEat

LetTheBigDogEat

The Veteran
we were probably the last team in the league with all clean bats, have 1 shaved now compared to 10 or so legit. well we may have 2 shaved, teammate bought one from somebody on here who wont admit it's shaved, but it's pretty obvious after hitting it. compared to other teams in our league, we're still pretty legit. there are, no joke, teams in our league who would have trouble finding a non-cut bat in their dugout
 
AmmoDawg

AmmoDawg

Rock Chalk Jayhawk
rhound50 said:
Welcome to the new world of softball, if you can't beatem joinem.
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That's the motto of our old coach. When I got here on '06 I tried to run a clean team. When I deployed to Afghanistan...a big timer from FL came in, took over coaching and got guys swinging dirty cause of the motto. I'm coaching again this year and most of his butt buddies are gone and he's retired until our big tourny in early Aug.
 
bimmerpilot

bimmerpilot

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Wow oh wow ...
Maybe I should just be glad our league provides stix and balls...

Except I like to swing the 30s and a 26 hasn't been cutting it for me ;)
 
I

injury

Star Player
bimmerpilot said:
Integrity is one of the things that my girls will pick up from me. Hard to be the example as a hypocrite...
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Ya integrity is the thing that seems to be foreign to so many and THAT is the cheater problem and why they get away with it and it spreads in places that have big problems with it.

You play under protest if you suspect/know the other team is dirty, but you certainly don't copy them. Patially because as we've learned reading here more times than not people assume the other team is used shaved and have no proof to back it up. And softball fields are worse than high school for bull**** rumors spreading one guys "I think that guy is swinging shaved" magicly turns into "They guys cousin is the bat doctor that shaves soandso's bats" in no time.

"If you can't beat em join em" crap when it comes to cheating is translated to "I don't have the balls to do what is right"

Even in this thread "we're still pretty legit" you are or you aren't. It's like saying "I'm sorta knocked up".

There are always ways to fix it in the areas that have problems with it but it takes players with the cajones to do it. Easiest is don't play with them, tell them flat out if they suck enough they aren't worth your time. Get the LD's/TD's ignoring it replaced. Start competing leagues/tourneys and drive money from them if you can't get them flat out replaced for whatever reason. If it's a city job go up the chain and if need be make it an election issue for whoever his elected boss is. All honorable and viable options to wimping out and buying your own "cheater stick" just to "compete".
 
andy-rockstar

andy-rockstar

Living for the Cit-ay
injury said:
You play under protest if you suspect/know the other team is dirty, but you certainly don't copy them. Patially because as we've learned reading here more times than not people assume the other team is used shaved and have no proof to back it up. And softball fields are worse than high school for bull**** rumors spreading one guys "I think that guy is swinging shaved" magicly turns into "They guys cousin is the bat doctor that shaves soandso's bats" in no time.

Even in this thread "we're still pretty legit" you are or you aren't. It's like saying "I'm sorta knocked up".

There are always ways to fix it in the areas that have problems with it but it takes players with the cajones to do it. Easiest is don't play with them, tell them flat out if they suck enough they aren't worth your time. Get the LD's/TD's ignoring it replaced. Start competing leagues/tourneys and drive money from them if you can't get them flat out replaced for whatever reason. If it's a city job go up the chain and if need be make it an election issue for whoever his elected boss is. All honorable and viable options to wimping out and buying your own "cheater stick" just to "compete".
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How can you play in protest with this? If that's all it takes, more people would actually go this route.

Even dumber is suggesting that locally elected officials have some input or control here. The onus of controlling this problem lies ultimately with the players, which is why this problem perpetuates itself. There's only so much LDs and TDs can do/use, from compression testers to supplied bat leagues/tournies to metal-only or singlewall-only leagues. Beyond that there isn't an effective means of eliminating the problem...which is why associations are wising up and at least considering banning older bats.
 
I

injury

Star Player
andy-rockstar said:
How can you play in protest with this? If that's all it takes, more people would actually go this route..
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Isn't that the first option when in a game against something that the Ump doesn't adress, or in the case of shaved sticks can't address generally due to lack of proof. Point being the "we need to get a stick to play these guys" is wrong. Obviously referring to opponents, if it's on your own team you walk.

andy-rockstar said:
Even dumber is suggesting that locally elected officials have some input or control here. The onus of controlling this problem lies ultimately with the players, which is why this problem perpetuates itself. There's only so much LDs and TDs can do/use, from compression testers to supplied bat leagues/tournies to metal-only or singlewall-only leagues. Beyond that there isn't an effective means of eliminating the problem...which is why associations are wising up and at least considering banning older bats.
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My elected officials comment was more to address the comments that will surely come in later by the usual guys that pull the "We have to cheat because our LD/TD shaves the bats for their team, or condones it, or won't do anything about it". And yes in some places the parks we play at are city run and LD is sometimes an employee, thus somewhere up the line is an elected official that runs or controls the guy that runs the parks and rec department for those places.

But you are right it is always on the players first and foremost since the sport is only played because we bring the money. I frankly think real life trolling, ostracizing the cheaters unrelentingly would make a lot of em quit (cheating or softball either way works for me).

I think the easiest solution is obviously supplied bats, second to that just get rid of composites and go to metal with no end caps (can still work those but takes more skill/tools). But should it really be necessary if players as a whole stood up to the bull**** instead of joining it.
 
Jkmbones

Jkmbones

Mizuno. Next Question?
The system in place does not fix issues with glass! It's not taboo anymore! The guy who says "hey that is a shaved bat" is the DB now.. Not the guy swinging dirty! The ball is the key! A worked ball can help more than a dirty bat. Go to the softer ball, and stop the bring the balls you hit program. The only true fix is both teams hit same bat and balls... Nobody wants this to happen...
 
K

kobe008

Addicted to Softballfans
Played in an asa tourney last weekend and one of the pickup guys had a bat so during the game i looked and it only had a usssa stamp on it. He wasnt very good so i didnt really care.
 
M

marshall

Addicted to Softballfans
The team I run, all our bats (all 6 of them, 2 of the them metal) are legit. I have been a part of teams that have had nothing but glass though. I would always bring my own and swing that just so I would be free of any liability. Around here (AZ), shaved bats are all over the place. Trying to get on a team (tourney, and upper league divisions) that doesn't have at least one is very hard to find. I just worry about myself, know that if I injure someone on accident, that the bat I swing is legal and that I'm free of any liability. I can't control what others do, so I just go out and play and not worry about it any more.
 
etnstudios

etnstudios

Addicted to Softballfans
before a game on monday we were on the field warming up. i was swinging my stealth which is relatively new. handed it to a guy on our team to show it to him and his response was, "damn this thing is heavy." i said, "what are you talking about? it's only a 27 oz." his response was, "yeah but i am used to swinging around 25 oz." awesome. mental note: don't use his bat. he also asked if it was stock. i said of course it is. i'm already 6'6" 255ish. i'd be in enough trouble if i hit someone. also, the idea that you can't control others doesn't help when your team is in the field getting hit at.
 
PHXCobra

PHXCobra

Addicted to Softballfans
marshall said:
The team I run, all our bats (all 6 of them, 2 of the them metal) are legit. I have been a part of teams that have had nothing but glass though. I would always bring my own and swing that just so I would be free of any liability. Around here (AZ), shaved bats are all over the place. Trying to get on a team (tourney, and upper league divisions) that doesn't have at least one is very hard to find. I just worry about myself, know that if I injure someone on accident, that the bat I swing is legal and that I'm free of any liability. I can't control what others do, so I just go out and play and not worry about it any more.
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Truth. I know plenty of guys on my teams that are swinging shaved bats. Doesn't matter to me, I swing my own stock bats. They joke about their new bats and say, "this thing will be a monster with an ounce out of it."
 
moorerm04

moorerm04

Addicted to Softballfans
Seriously people are swinging them everywhere, anywhere, and in any association. Your not going to stop it, and complaining only makes it even more annoying. Rise above it, have some integrity, and play the best ball you can. You don have to have glass to compete, or be a winning team, and just because you have glass doesn't make you a competitive team, or a winnin team.
 
mj7juice

mj7juice

The Veteran
People shave bats because they don't have enough skill or ability to hit legitimate home runs. It's really weird because the league I play in uses only .52/300 ASA balls and I've seen more homeruns than ever. Not to mention the typical 450ft blast coming from a guy with terrible swing mechanics.
 
Iknight1

Iknight1

Addicted to Softballfans
LetTheBigDogEat said:
we were probably the last team in the league with all clean bats, have 1 shaved now compared to 10 or so legit. well we may have 2 shaved, teammate bought one from somebody on here who wont admit it's shaved, but it's pretty obvious after hitting it. compared to other teams in our league, we're still pretty legit. there are, no joke, teams in our league who would have trouble finding a non-cut bat in their dugout
Click to expand...

Stop talking about my team like that!
 
Wupang

Wupang

530sports.net
bimmerpilot said:
Pretty sad when it comes to that.
I have left a couple contending teams that felt the need for glass.

Integrity is one of the things that my girls will pick up from me. Hard to be the example as a hypocrite...
Click to expand...

Well said, bruddah! I have done the same, been kicked off a sponsored team for voicing it. This is what I live and compete by, it's your own integrity, faith or pride in yourself. My girls will learn sportsmanship through competition, not win at all cost.
 
usmcluberti

usmcluberti

Banned User
These are the same people whining about the new bat/ball standards too. I wish I could find a provided bat/ball league or tourney and watch which teams can't make it that weekend etc
 
G

g8orguy

Addicted to Softballfans
Swinging glass = ngtg, no matter how many are cheating in your league/tournament.

Will admit to creativity with re-wrapping the balls though. Our league supplies the balls but you bring your own bats. There are a few bats that I'd like to see tested...
 
Fin09

Fin09

Addicted to Softballfans
Word of the day- integrity. If you have it, and value it as you should, you'll leave and tell them why. It might mean playing on a team that loses to cheaters, but you'll know you earn every win. Doesn't that sound like it would mean more to you? It's your decision, and you should make it with confidence.
 
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