quote:

---

I also found plenty of Ultra II's that were painted and some that were shaved and painted and endloaded.

---

I would hate to be the pitcher throwing against a team with a shaved Ultra II.

aggietaco I have heard of microwaving the balls.. supposedly makes them harder

I think ASA outlawed the use of even the Freak 98.

ASA outlawed a lot of bats with natural "pop"

Lots of "softball guys" out there (not directed at anyone on this board in particular - but just the thought of cheating in freaking slow pitch softball makes me want to vomit).

Cheating in slow pitch softball is like taunting of a mentally challenged parapalgegic. Anyone caught doing this should be sentenced to repeated public floggings. Pathetic.

The Freak 98 is still allowed in ASA as of 6/10/2009. The MSF Freak is not.

Yes the Freak 98 is still legal, that's why eevryone is painting the Ultra II's to look like the 98.

Bloody Double Post!

[This message has been edited by Justntexas07 (edited 9/10/2009 3:43p).]

JT07... I hit an original shaved ultra Maxload... you can't even begin to believe the pop... it took us less than 100 swings to snap it in half.

I am pretty sure on the mound that I have taken some shots back up the middle that were from painted ultras. Isn't a fun thing to think about those balls hit at my face, knee caps etc. When the first Ultra Maxloads came out there was a newspaper story from Iowa or Illinois about a pitcher take a ball to the head and being dead when he hit the field.

Microwaving the ball doesn't make the ball harder, it shrinks the cover and compresses the ball, helps to get more backspin etc.

[This message has been edited by AggieGunslinger (edited 9/10/2009 3:50p).]

Some umpire named Greg was hit in the head and died in a tournament in Houston, the field umps stand 5-10 ft behind the pitcher. If you are playing competitive ball and pithching, get a mask.

quote:

---

am pretty sure on the mound that I have taken some shots back up the middle that were from painted ultras.

---

Dude, you could not pay me enough money to pitch these days knowing that the majority of the players are swinging illegal bats. I play ss and some of the shots that I get off the dirt are just ridiculous.

You have to be pure scum if you come out to the diamond with an illegal bat and hit up the middle, and the majority of the shots up the middle are intentional. You can't tell me that players "accidently" hit the 15 mph lob up the middle!

quote:

---

Some umpire named Greg was hit in the head and died in a tournament in Houston, the field umps stand 5-10 ft behind the pitcher. If you are playing competitive ball and pithching, get a mask.

---

That was at Houston SportsPlex a few years back. Luckily I was not there when it happened but the ball was a shot up the middle that took a bad hop and hit him in the head.

quote:

---

Dude, you could not pay me enough money to pitch these days knowing that the majority of the players are swinging illegal bats. I play ss and some of the shots that I get off the dirt are just ridiculous.

---

I guess that's why I came off so angry in my first post. I play some third, and when some monster come up on a team swinging those bats, I start to sweat.

No problem Lance, i think all are on this thread are in agreement.

As for pitching against them, at least when I am on the mound I can usually tell if it is coming back at me the minute it I let the pitch go.

Man, this thread has been an eye opener. I had heard of shaving bats but never knew it was so prevalent. I took a come-backer off the chin earlier this year that left me dazed and needing stitches. After reading this I realize how lucky I am that was all the damage. Didn't even think to ask to check the bat to see if it was illegal.

After reading this thread, I'm glad that I went back to hard ball.

quote:

---

I'm glad that I went back to hard ball.

---

That's what she said!

quote:

---

I'm glad that I went back to hard ball.

---

and you think this does not happen with the new baseball bats? It does. It may not be as prevalent as softball but it happens.

If someone can gain an advantage they will do it.

I would not play on a team if some ****** on it was doing this. I would also not play against any team doing it, and if that meant no softball, then I think I could survive.

quote:

---

and you think this does not happen with the new baseball bats? It does. It may not be as prevalent as softball but it happens.

---

That maybe true, but the infielders also get an extra 30 ft worth of reaction time.

true, but you are hitting a harder compression ball and the ball is coming in at least 60+ mph faster (depending what league you are in). The pitcher only get about 20 ft more distance from the batter.

However it is a lot harder to put the ball where you want to. If I wanted to I could hit a softball pitcher probably 60% of the time. The trick is to pitch guys with shaved bats inside and force them to pull it. You leave a ball on the outside 1/3 of the plate it may come right back at you with some steam.

quote:

---

The trick is to pitch guys with shaved bats inside and force them to pull it.

---

If you know a guy is using a shaved bat why wouldn't you just tell the ump and get them ejected rather than trying to get him to pull it?

He probably meant assume.


Besides, it goes back to what ump has a micrometer on him to check bat wall thickness in the field?

I know that.

Glad I only play beer league softball now! This has been eye-opening for sure

quote:

---

Glad I only play beer league softball now! This has been eye-opening for sure

---

You would be surprised how many "beer league" players use shaved bats.

I don't doubt it, they just aren't nearly as good as the people who play competitive so it isn't as worrisome. Being the pitcher is scary enough when some big guys come up there.

I was reading LoneStar and came across this post, thought it fit in here

quote:

---

A plan for shaved bat lawsuits- All teams read
IP: 173.74.87.173
Posted on September 11, 2009 at 02:08:27 PM by Let's try this

It would be very difficult to have law suits filed because in order to do so you would have to have custody of the bat, until it is tested and the bat would have to be proven as altered. The custody of the bat is key!

It occurs to me that you have to have a plan and be organized if you want to get legal revenge, medical expense reimbursement, and punitive damages, let alone criminal prosecution if your pitcher is killed or seriously hurt and you think it was done by a player using a shaved bat or otherwise altered bat.

As soon as you can, designate the biggest, baddest azz on your team to be the bat retriever, or perhaps the two biggest baddest azzes on your team. As soon as your pitcher is hit, the bat retriever(s) immediately, and immediately is the key, goes out and picks up the bat. He has to be prepared to fight to get it or keep it and he should have the whole team behind him. Each team should talk about this and plan for this in advance!

Once he gets it, if the pitcher is not hurt too bad, ok maybe you give it back. But if the pitcher is seriously hurt or killed, the bat is kept and you must consult with an attorney the very next day. The attorney will know how to proceed.

If the owner of the bat wants to call the cops because you confiscated his bat, let him. When they arrive, a calm description of the problem to the police officer(s) should suffice. Who knows, the cop might take the bat, in case the prosecutor wants to prosecute, or until the matter is settled.

Whatever you do, do not let the player that owns the bat, the umpires, the league, or the town confiscate the bat in question. They each have their own vested interest and potential liability and the bat will most likely never get tested for alterations or the test results might be altered or even buried.

Your team needs to be organized and have the balls to do something about your pitcher getting seriously hurt.

Something really has to be done, and it is going to take communication and organization on YOUR team!

---

Good find Eric. If the player knows the bat is shaved, be prepared to get one hell of a fight from the other player/team.

Guys have been cheating with bats for at least twenty years. I didn't know it was possible until I learned firsthand.

Friend and I joined a team of business aquaintance. I grabbed bat out of dugout and went to plate. My first swing hit the ball a mile and broke the bat. I snapped it in half like a wooden bat. The barrel flew out to second base. The guys grabbed that bat and hid it.

I never knew what the reason until after the game. I looked like a jerk to rest of league, but was completely ignorant of the bat. I could have killed somebody.

When I was kid playing baseball, we had league bats. You showed up to play game at the field and the umpire or league official had gear bag. Bag had the baseballs, ump equipment and about eight bats. The bats were in different weights and lengths. Those were the only bats that we could use. After one team was retired, the bag of bats was swapped to other team. No advantage to either team.

I would be surprised if some leagues don't go to system like this. The advantages are too great that people won't cheat. And the risk is also too great. One lawsuit would cripple public leagues in most towns.

Great thread. I had no idea this stuff was going on. We had our first game today for summer softball (Down Under). I noticed a lot more people using composite bats and the distinctly different sound they make vs. the old aluminum pinging sound. I don't think too many Aussies are going to go to this much effort to cheat, but when I was back in California - for sure.

It is amazing the lengths parents will go to to cheat so their kid can win. I'm not spending more than $50 on a bat for my kid. I'm damn sure not going to spend $115 + S&H to have it shaved, rolled, blessed with a rubber chicken or whatever.

quote:

---

I don't think too many Aussies are going to go to this much effort to cheat, but when I was back in California - for sure.

---

All it takes is a few clicks of the mouse and a credit card and in about a week you can have your hands on any "hot" bat you wish.

yes, bat altering isn't anything new... someone years ago figured out how the pop the shell of a PST and shave it down, same for any aluminum bat with an end cap.

don't think that because you play a beer league you shouldn't be careful. As birdman brought up, someone that is new to the game and doesn't know what he is swinging is way more dangerous to me the pitcher than one of the tournament guys who probably only hits middle on purpose or because of where the ball is pitched.


Obviously, there are quite a few guys on this thread, any of yall playing the the Big XII Alumni league in San Antonio? I think they play at the Alva fields... the guy that runs it has been trying to get a Big XII Alumni tournament put together in college station, everyone on the team has to be alumni of said school.

Gunslinger, I play in the Alumni League in SA. ReggieF is the guy who put the league together and runs it. We play at Braun Hall field. Reggie has done an awesome job of running the league and keeping the hot bats out and it is definitely the most fun league that I have ever played in. Everyone is competitive, but for the most part things never get heated and everyone respects one another, unlike many other leagues that I have played in in San Antonio. An alumni tournament in College Station would be awesome.

Reggie is a buddy of mine from his time in Dallas, we used to have a mostly all Ag team here in carrollton. He is a good guy.