So, playing in some novice softball leagues around town. We mostly play with new Worth ASA balls (375#, .44 COR) and they always feels soft when I hit them. The other teams always have this ridiculously hard ball that's been sanded, smoothed, heated, or something. I can consistently hit these balls quicker and further and it's annoying.

Question is, how do you make one of the newer balls a "hot" ball?

I don't know about doctoring softballs but if you want to hit the best one made, use Evils softballs.

www.evilsports.com

Of course, the biggest reason for getting extra distance in softball is to use a "shaved" or "rolled" bat.

If every other team's balls bounce differently, are you sure it's not your softballs that are the cause of the "problem", instead of something everyone else is doing?

Are you positive about this, anyways? Are you sure it's just not your mind playing tricks?

they probably bought a 47 cor ball and restitched it with the cover of the 44 cor. It is ridiculous what some people will do to cheat in freakin slow pitch softball.

zach, every team did that to all of their softballs?

I doubt it.

Stop buying cheap softballs,try the Evils, Deckers or Trumps and don't store them in your garage or vehicle, heat and humidity kill cheap softballs.

But frankly if they are cor .44 they are harder than almost anything USSSA is allowing people to use.

Most people that are pathetic enough to cheat shave their bats, not restitch the balls, that was more popular when the bats were one piece aluminum and shaving them didn't have the same drastic effect as it does on composite bats.

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Most people that are pathetic enough to cheat shave their bats, not restitch the balls, that was more popular when the bats were one piece aluminum and shaving them didn't have the same drastic effect as it does on composite bats.

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I guess it's kinda what was going on in the MLB in the 90's, on a much smaller scale of course.

The majority of the players in the MLB were taking roids. If you weren't taking them, your numbers were well below the players who were taking them. So eventually I think just about everyone started back then started taking something to help close the gap between the "dirty" players.

In softball, it's pretty much the same thing. A shaved bat will probably give you somewhere around 50 more feet as opposed to a legal bat. If you play in a tournament, 90% of the bats being used are "shaved" "rolled" or even painted Ultra II's. The sad thing is that until players start getting seriously hurt or killed, nothing is going to happen to the players that swing illegal bats.

JT07, I agree completely, and as someone who pitches occasionally I hope it ain't me that gets hurt, i wish they would go back to one piece aluminum bats and cor 47s...

What team do you play for?

I used to play 5 days a week (before getting married and having kids). Now I just play on Sunday nights and an occasional tourney. I have friends that still play about 4 nights a week in league and tourneys every other weekend. I used to play out at HSP and a few other places around Houston.

If you're trying to use "hot" balls and bats, you need to be kicked in the nuts. That stuff actually kills people, and I've seen my share of broken fingers and a nose from balls that came off the bat way too fast for that tiny infield. Just buy a nicer ball and don't leave them out in the car and you won't get a lopsided blob and you'll get your extra distance.

The guys in College Station told us the horror stories about how a guy got killed on the pitchers mound the last year and about a slew of other injuries, then went on to say "so if we find you using hot balls/bats we'll have to take them from you....and probably not give them back til the end of the game". How about kick their asses out of the league?

You can tell when guys have those bats/balls. That stuff comes through the infield way too fast. You'll get away with it too, because you usually can't prove anything, but you might smash in a pitcher's face. Don't be a dick and just play with the approved equipment.

guys are not making the balls hot, they are playing legal balls, but the bats could be hot. not every 375 .44 ball is the same, don't buy your balls at Wal-Mart.

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You'll get away with it too, because you usually can't prove anything, but you might smash in a pitcher's face. Don't be a dick and just play with the approved equipment.

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You can prove if someone is using a shaved bat by taking the cap off the end of the bat, if it's shaved you will be able to tell easily. The problem is, if you accuse someone of using a "shaved" bat and it turns out that it is a legal bat, you will like like a jack@$$.

I play softball with a team in which half the players are lawyers. They said that if you use an illegal bat and hurt or kill someone, it's possible that you could go see criminal charges brought up against you for bodily harm using a deadly weapon.

The issue with a shaved bat is tricky. You do not have to shave a bat to make it hot. You can pound the bat against a tree and break up the wall a bit and it will get hotter. How can you prove I altered the bat? The bat naturally gets hotter with the more swings you put on it, but it will never get as hot as shaving it.

I agree shaving a bat is a ***** way to play, and I do not do it, but know plenty who do.

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The issue with a shaved bat is tricky. You do not have to shave a bat to make it hot. You can pound the bat against a tree and break up the wall a bit and it will get hotter. How can you prove I altered the bat? The bat naturally gets hotter with the more swings you put on it, but it will never get as hot as shaving it.

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Banging the bat against the tree is not illegal. It has the same result as putting 500 or so swings on the bat. "Rolling" a bat gives you a broken in bat right out of the wrapper.

What is a shaved bat anyway?

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Bat shaving is a process that involves removing the end cap and thinning out the inner walls of the bat to increase the trampoline effect that happens when a ball hits it. This will greatly increase the pop and distance of the bat. When a bat is shaved it should always be rolled first to eliminate any need for break in time. It’s not uncommon to pick up 40-50 feet of distance with a shaved and rolled bat.

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http://www.worldshottestbats.com/batShaving.php


I personally do not swing a shaved bat in games. I have swung a couple in BP and will tell you the difference is like night and day between and legal bat and shaved one.

[This message has been edited by Justntexas07 (edited 9/9/2009 1:08p).]

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Banging the bat against the tree is not illegal.

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Wrong.


http://www.usssa.com/usssa/usssa-general/2007AlteredBatAnnouncement.htm

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Included in the USSSA view of what is an altered or doctored bat are any bats that are subjected to pressure
in any manner that exceeds that of striking the bat against an approved ball traveling at game like speeds.
Such excess pressure would include, but is not limited to, any compression, rolling, placing in a vice,
hitting a stationary object such as a pole, etc.

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You said tree, the rule said pole, lol. I don't really see why it's illegal b/c essentially all it does is break in the bat quicker. Players don't really use that technique anymore, if they want their bat broken in they will have it rolled.

[This message has been edited by Justntexas07 (edited 9/9/2009 1:40p).]

it breaks it in more than it could mearly by hitting a ball as the tree is more dense.

Imagaine hitting a softball over and over again, it will break the wall in eventually. Now what if you were to hit a bowling ball, that wall would break more than it ever would by a softball over and over.

Didn't know there was so much cheating in slow pitch. I was just wondering what the hell they were doing to their balls to make them at least seem harder. I guess starting with a good ball would be best, but I'm not dishing out $30 for a softball.

I think I'll stick with my shallow hits.

Evil balls are about $6 each, but you must buy them a dozen at a time. I would buy a dozen, keep 6 for your team and sell the others at the park for $7-8 each.

If you live in Houston, you can go to Budget Sports off I-10 and Washington (next to Memorial Park) and buy them off the shelf without having to pay for shipping and waiting 2 weeks.

Not too bad, guess I'll look into them the next time we need some new balls.

Don't live in h-town though, know any retailers in Austin?

Sorry, I don't know of any in Austin. You could probably email them and see if they have any retailers.

if you can hit cor .44s try calling Mojo Sports in San Antonio and getting some Decker Big Sharks...

www.mojosports.biz


Shaved bats suck. I mean for Christ's sake they throw the damn thing underhand.

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They said that if you use an illegal bat and hurt or kill someone, it's possible that you could go see criminal charges brought up against you for bodily harm using a deadly weapon.

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True. You injure someone with a doctored bat and they can file assault charges.

they can, but I have seen it several times when someone gets hurt, the on deck batter takes the bat into the dugout and no one can prove what bat was used.

Before too long a park is going to be sued for allowing those bats to be used. It cannot cost too much to buy some compression "pinchers" to see if the bat is altered.

I have also seen where the player carries two the same bat, 1 legal and the other illegal.

Eric will tell you that some umps check bats where we play but it depends on who is calling the game if they are checked. I know no-one on our team has an illegal bat.

our umps just check for cracks or broken bats, umps cannot tell if a bat has been shaved just by holding it. You look at 1/2 the teams in our league and they are using shaved bats. I am pretty sure a few of the pickups we get have them, ut I only use my bat since I know it is not shaved and if I hurt someone they can check the bat.

Damn, no wonder you guys kill the ball Can I borrow and bat from your dugout next time we play?

not sure which are since I do not ask, but some of these scrubs should not be able to hit opposite field line drives off the top of the fense

The most popular bat right now is the Miken Freak 98. It's actually a Miken Ultra II that is painted but you can not tell the difference just by looking at it, but since the Freak 98 is a 2004 bat, it's pretty easy to conclude that if a guy is swinging a "brand new" Freak 98, that it is an Ultra II. The Ultra II is a better bat than any "shaved" bat. Period.

There are still new ASA approved Freak 98's out there. I found a few when I was looking at bats online. I also found plenty of Ultra II's that were painted and some that were shaved and painted and endloaded.

Eric is right, and it is sad that instead of taking some BP or hitting the weights or realize that it is just a game some people will go to great lengths to win a damn t-shirt.

I would like to play in the Elite tournaments where they give you bat with your entry fee and that is the only bat you can have in the park. No question then.