quote:Originally posted by zombywoof:
I bet bat rolling is big in men's softball leagues. In the geezer league, I've seen some old farts who can't even make it to first base hit tape measure shots. I've only heard of bat rolling within the past year so it got me thinking where some of these teams get their power from. Hitting with a composite is dangerous enough. Last year, I hit a shot to SS that put him in the hospital with a busted up nose (it was ugly)and I only used a DeMarini single wall bat and it wasn't even a composite. Also last year, playing 1B, I took a bad hop off the wrist and the ball deflected off my wrist and continued on to the RF fence. Can't say if it was composite but the guy who hit it was no 25 yr old spring chicken and he smoked the ball. Luckily, I only got a bruise and continued to play. The torn hamstring I got running down a flyball a couple games later put me out for a while though.
It's probably worse than you imagine. Now I can't speak for everywhere but on most of the teams I have played on and at the majority of the tournaments I have played in over the past 15 years. I would say that over 90% of the bats were rolled, shaved, or my favorite someone took an illegal titanium bat and had it repainted. Just like in every tourney that the teams supply there own balls every ball thrown in has been cooked.
All this stuff maybe becoming new to baseball but it has been around slow pitch for a long time.
And by the way NO I do not condone altering bats or balls for any youth baseball or softball. Slow pitch is a different story.