Letter

Letters from Readers

Nov. 20, 2003 – Senior Softball-USA

Illegal Bat Solution

I would like you to present the following proposal at the Senior Softball Summit in January. I strongly feel that the vast majority of Senior Softball players want a permanent solution to the problem of illegal bats and banned bats.

Illegal bats are those bats that are tampered with after manufacture and/or a bat painted to appear as another bat, which is not banned. This problem is causing decay in the spirit and purpose of Senior Softball nationwide.

Teams are at each other's throats and it has come to fighting between teams due to this unsportsmanlike attitude. I offer this simple solution as a starting point for your consideration at the Summit.

Very simply, National Tournament directors should either allow any and all bats with no standards or they should provide the bats to be used at the tournament.

They could contract with one or more or all of the bat companies that wanted to participate. These bats would be marked to be easily visible and retained at the field for tournament use only. As an example, SSWC contracts with Miken for the Mobile tournament and for an exclusivity fee Miken provide six various weight Ultra II's for each field.

At the ISA in Winterhaven, Worth decides to do the same. In Georgia, ASA has Worth, Miken and Easton. In SSWS, all bats are declared legal. There are numerous variations and each National Tournament would make this information available well in advance of the tournament so teams could decide where they want to play if the bats are important.

There would be no negative impact on bat sales as this plan would only be for National Tournaments and players would still be playing 95% of their games in leagues and other tournaments prior to Nationals.

Players that paint gray Ultras to look like an Ultra II or those that tune up a PST with a foam gap or a Titanium sleeve or any of the other numerous methods would face a "No Bat Rule" National Tournament. The Manufacturers would jump at the marketing chance and either provides bats for promotional consideration or provides bats and pays a fee.

Thank you for your consideration of this issue. I would close by emphasizing the importance of this issue to the summit.

Players are not going to tolerate the continued slide from sportsmanship to win at all costs. They will stop coming and you, the summit, will be as responsible as those with illegal bats for the demise.

Larry Campbell

California Old A's

Modesto, CA



More Injuries than Reported

In the July/September edition, Terry Hennessy said, "There has been no increase in batted-ball injuries or any studies that show the bats pose a danger to our players." Based on that statement he, or some official, knows that at a recent tournament in Chehalis, WA, our (Buckley Loggers) third baseman was hit in the mouth and may lose some teeth.

I have doubts about the reporting of injuries and statements regarding them, therefore, hold no meaning. Also, with the recent HIPPA laws, medical records are much more difficult to obtain.

Gary M. Edgington

Kent, WA

Editor's Note: The statement concerning "no increase of batted-ball injuries" was specifically regarding the 40 SSWC National Qualifiers and Tournaments. The studies showing the softball-baseball remain the safest sports in America were done by the NCAA, the American Sports Data Company and the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research.

Thanks for Defibrillator

TOP GUN Senior Softball Association would like to thank all the teams that contributed generously toward the purchase of portable Heart Defibrillator at our recent July tournament in Menifee, CA.

The device has been donated to local officials for use at the Wheatfield Park for all future Softball tournaments. In recent years many of us have experienced the loss of teammates or opponents on the field during games.

During a heart attack time is of the essence. The first 4 to 5 minutes can be critical for survival. If only one player is saved as a result of this device being on site it will have been worth the cost. We also hope that this will set a precedent that many other tournaments will follow in the future.

John Ihrig

TOP GUN

San Diego, CA

Decide on the Ball

It is a shame that a bunch of grown men can't make a decision on the specifications on a softball that is to be used throughout the country.

The 47 COR and 525 compression is a good ball, but when we go to a tournament we sometimes play with a 44 COR and 375 compression ball and a 47 COR with a compression of 375 up to 525.

Why is it so hard for USSSA, ISSA, ISA, SSWS, NSA, ASA, SPA & SSWC to make a decision on a ball. These outfits are worse than a bunch of women.

I bought a Miken Velocity Ultra II and I liked it. I went north to play in about 7 tournaments (I am from Florida) and I got to use my bat one tournament. How do these people have the right to ban a softball bat?

I sent my bat back to Miken. I made a decision to return it and I hope that all you softball organizations can make a decision to have a standard on softball bats and post the bats that are illegal in your Senior Softball News or put them on the computer so that a man or woman doesn't pay $300 for a bat and can't use it in some of these organizations.

If some of these organizations do not want to go together then we should boycott these organizations and then maybe we can go back to enjoying softball again.

We want to teach kids to play softball and we can't even make decisions that apply to all the Senior Softball players.

Paul W. Conrad

North Ft. Myers, FL

Ball and Strike Count

In the major USSSA tournaments, they start each at bat with a one ball and one strike count. I can understand this because it will speed up the game.

What I cannot understand is why after another strike is thrown they do not say one-ball two strikes. Or if a ball is thrown they cannot say two balls and one strike. Instead they just say one ball and one strike regardless.

You have to stay mentally alert and remember that the count started with a one and one regardless of what the umpire says (so if the umpire states you have one strike, in reality you have two strikes or if he states ball two in reality it is ball three).

At the last Championship tournament in Minnesota we had two players from the other team called out on strikes because they thought they only had two strikes.

I asked one of the USSSA umpires that since they start with a one and one count why they can't keep the count consistent with the normal play of softball. The answer was, "Because that's the way it is"∑end of story.

Wally Seller

California Connection