Last weekend we had the ASA 10A and 12B Northern National Fastpitch Softball Tournament. Thirty-seven teams from seven Midwest states came to Rochester for this event.
During the umpire meeting, I heard the umpire in chief instruct the crew that "we are going to test all the bats." Becoming aware of bat testing machines when we did the Men's Slowpitch Nationals, I was familiar with the process ….but for 10-year-old girls?
Doing some research into ASA rules, I found the following:
"During individual player check-in, all players will need to present any bats to be used during the tournament to the equipment check committee. The committee will conduct a visual check of the bats for cracks, dents, rattles, signs of excessive wear, or any foreign substance on the barrel. They will also make sure the bat has an ASA Certification Mark and is not on the non-approved bat list. If the bat passes the visual inspection, they will inspect it using the ASA Compression Bat Tester. If the bat passes the compression test, an ASA-approved hologram will be placed on the bat and returned to the player or coach. If the bat fails the compression test, we will return the bat to the player and instruct them not to use for the tournament because they will not get an ASA National sticker."
During the men's tournament a few years ago, bat testing proved worthwhile — we had two 50-gallon bins full of illegal bats!
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Why do this? What exactly is an illegal bat?
More research states "An altered bat (also known as a "doctored bat" or a "juiced bat") is a bat that has been physically altered from its "out of the wrapper" certified condition. … a doctored bat usually greatly exceeds the standard of performance "guaranteed" by the certification stamp it bears."
So it appears players are looking for an edge, and responsible oversight groups such as ASA need to police this to allow for safe and fair play. We strongly support this action and are involved in the process at all of our tournaments here.
So I started thinking, did they ever alter bats when I played? I know I never thought of it or was even aware of it. Then again, in my 20-plus years of playing softball, I don't believe I ever cleared the fence with a home-run swing.
In today's games, the balls fly faster and harder. Keeping things safe for players and fans is a necessity and factoring today's technologies means one has to be aware on any unfair (and unsafe) advantages.
So after watching 400-plus 10- and 12-year-old young ladies at opening ceremonies trade pins, cheer, laugh and share a sense of excitement in being at the national championship, I still couldn't bring myself to believe any of them were "doctoring" their bats.
Yet test them we did — to assure their safety and the integrity of the game.
