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Online now: 5 members: Eazy, LISA99, San Nicolas, tg69, whiterice; 10 anonymousDetails for fennellwg
Real name:
Bill Fennell
Location:
, RI
Division:
Men's 60
Messages posted by fennellwg »Message board home »Start a new discussion
| Feb. 21, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: Seniors 75 and over allowed to use composite bats? Yes. Per bat SSUSA bat policy : All Miken slow-pitch softball bats stamped 1.21 BPF or lower are approved, excluding the Original Gray Miken Ultra. |
| Feb. 17, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: REPAIRING BROKEN BATS Not for nuthin, But that sounds a lot like the definition of a shaved bat. Two or three "insiders" have volunteered that durable bats like the Dudley or AD Starr have an elastomer or plastic coating to minimize internal damage from hits. I really don't know if that is true, but both brands have proven to be very durable compared with other flavors.. IMO bill |
| Feb. 13, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: REPAIRING BROKEN BATS Sorry Jimmy, it can't be done . The problem is not that the epoxy has broken. The problem is that the fibers have broken Carbon fibers provide virtually all of the structural reinforcement in the bat. If you were willing and able, it's theoretically possible to wrap new fibers alongside the broken ones and laminate with epoxy resin. It's possible that the repair may be structural but you will definitely have a new/different structure. It will never be deemed legal by any sanctioning body, You may be able to swing it in BP, but it will be a lot of time,effort and money to find out. Bill |
| Feb. 13, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: Dudley Lightning https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fGVdj-NGnz8 This is what Dave had to say. I guess you'll still need to decide if it's worth $60. I really doubt you will be missing out by selecting the original over version 2 IIMO bill |
| Feb. 10, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Product review Discussion: bat break in Im sure their "proprietary" heat process is an important part of the marketing hype. However, I'm not sure how relevant it is to the original question. Particularly when they also claim to uniformly " stretch " the carbon fibers along the length of the barrel. They claim this is not done by "rolling" But it would seem a bit naïve to think that whatever they do is not intended achieve the same goal. That would be to alter the physical characteristics of the composite for the purpose of enhanced performance. It's encouraging that they claim their process in legal in all leagues. I would recommend anyone thinking about having this done get approval from SSUSA staff if you have doubts. IMO Bill |
| Feb. 9, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Product review Discussion: bat break in Based on the few times that SSUSA staff has been willing to comment it would seem like : 1) Kelly's heat process would be deemed to alter a legal bat if " the physical characteristics " have been changed 2) the penalty for using an altered bat appears to be contingent on altering the bat to "enhance performance " No examples listed specifically address this flavor of bat heating. But, I'd be willing to bet that leaving your bat in the trunk of your car on a hot summer day would not raise any objections from league officials. If you believe Kelly's marketing hype I would agree with others that the process is illegal if it actually improves performance. If you are skeptical of Kelly's claims ( like me) you're just wasting money. Either way it's lose - lose. IMO |
| Jan. 18, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Taping of bat handle. 3.4(4).ALTERED EQUIPMENT A bat or ball is considered altered when the physical characteristics of a legal softball bat or ball have been changed (EXAMPLE: chilling softballs). Replacing the handle of a metal bat with a wooden or other type handle, inserting material inside the bat, applying excessive tape (more than two layers) to the bat grip or painting a bat other than at the top or bottom for identification purposes are considered altering the bat. Applying a foreign substance to the barrel of the bat constitutes altering a bat. (For penalty, see §3.4(6)). Replacing the grip with another legal grip is not considered altering the bat. |
| Jan. 12, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Taping of bat handle. Thanks I guess I'm wondering how paranoid SS USA is , or how paranoid I should be? Does SS USA believe the improper use of tape may change the BPF of a bat? Or is it a deterrent from something more sinister , like a paint job for your "new in wrapper" OG Ultra to make it look like a freak 98 ? ...just curious. Bill |
| Jan. 11, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Taping of bat handle. It's interesting that there are more than a few ways to illegally alter a bat using potentially benign components such as tape or paint. Yet, when it comes to being penalized for using an altered bay the descriptive term becomes " altered to enhance performance ". I'm sure the exact phrasing was not an oversight. If staff or anyone one is willing... What was the rational for the added description? i.e. What form of tape job or paint job would be considered a performance benefit? And how would SSUSA determine that it was done to achieve enhanced performance? Regards, Bill |
| Jan. 2, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Brace Leg Drill balances Rotation and Snap..Swing Makeover #47 Cheers Kevin. No one has ever accused me of being a genius, but it's hard to argue with real time instruction from experts while in the warn confines of coca beach. Regardless, I'm saving myself for a trip to the real Mecca of softball hitting....Truman Stadium. -bill |
| Jan. 2, 2017 fennellwg | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Tournament of Champions Feb-Florida -50 Major I see that Deep Purple is another local team with an invite to TOC. Good to see that Rhody is well represented. Congrats to all and good luck. |
| Dec. 31, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Brace Leg Drill balances Rotation and Snap..Swing Makeover #47 Thanks bogie and Steve You are correct that there are a bunch of ways to do this and a lot of good advice to be found on the web. Being a crotchety old swamp yankee I did not believe any of you bastards. :).....until I started watching and trying and comparing. Eventually I started hearing similar concepts from a relatively small group. A lot of those folks would appear in your vids. Often they appear to offer a different slant to the same concept. I found this helpful, as proper English has become a second language for me. Typically the rule of thumb for presenting new information to people is to tell them what you want them to know at least 3-10 times. The benefit of saying the same thing 10 different ways is not lost on me. What I particularly found helpful was the added insight offered by many of your guest "stars" . Sometimes their comments seems at odds with what you are presenting and sometimes they are just contributing additional details to the process. But , in the end , it all seems to fit the big picture. You guys really are rock stars. ( at least to us geriatric softball nerds) Happy new year. Bill |
| Dec. 29, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Brace Leg Drill balances Rotation and Snap..Swing Makeover #47 Ok I admit it I'm a big fan. Having to live with being small all my life, the combination of being small as well as old and slow has become a major disadvantage playing softball. Repeatedly losing the foot race to first and having the outfield move in has been a rude awakening I can honestly say I never expect to become a home run slugger, but line drives that one-hop the fence are now a legit threat that forces all but the best outfields to give me some room. It's taken me close to 2 years to watch all of the swing makeover episodes a few hundred times. I confess I am guilty of just about every swing flaw mentioned and would relentlessly try to simulate the techniques advocated by Bogie and company. Unfortunately, what I heard was not always what they were saying. Usually , I just wasn't listening to all of the details. We may have differences of opinions on certain aspects of the best swing, but upon reflection I have never found their advice to be incorrect. Besides,they are all much better at this than me. I feel like the anonymous stalker, never having the good sense to actually show up for real time advice which undoubtedly would have streamlined this process. But this past season things really started to click for me and I feel like I have a swing recipe that will sustain me without my "head" getting in the way. If I survive the winter without the onset of senility, I expect to be much better prepared for next summer at the plate. Thanks. -Bill |
| Dec. 20, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Evil Ball on Guide Rope, excellent trainer you can make and use anywhere Swing Makeover #46 Thanks Bogie, You're the best. |
| Dec. 6, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: Product review Discussion: Trump Rock Thanks capt Kirk. That a pretty good read. I believe their point is to limit the compression/ hardness of the ball as a means to regulate max batted ball speed and distance. However, afik most leagues and tournaments are already at the low end of the compression scale by using .44/375 balls. Regardless of bat or ball, players and manufacturers and leagues appear content to max out on the performance end of the scale where ever possible. As already mention in the latest installment of the "shaved bat" thread, performance is often at odds with player safety. In their paper, the authors almost addresses the potential for using ball compression as a means to enhance player safety. By balancing the relative contribution of COR and compression it may be possible for the average old guy to still hit 100 mph missles with less likelihood of breaking the bones of defensive players. One example that comes to mind would be ball velocities seen in professional tennis. Getting hit iin the face with a ball having the compression equivalent of "rolled up socks " will be less damaging...even if balanced with a COR and bat that still has the potential for 100 mph exit speeds Regards, Bill |
| Dec. 3, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: A Question 4 U Bat/Math Geeks I agree. Batspeed has much greater effect on BBS than pitch speed. Swinging a bat at 75 mph off a Tee is likely to produce 50% higher BBS when compared to swinging 50 mph at a ball with pitch speed of 25 mph. perhaps a useless factoid, but on a more practical level..... It's hard to separate the effect of batspeed and bat inertia. The combined product of speed x mass generates the momentum that powers a softball collision. What do you do if you cannot swing your 28 oz as fast as your 27 oz? History suggests that the increased inertia of a heavier bat will reduce your batspeed. However, if you are able to maintain batspeed within a nominal value like 3-5 mph, I believe the bat with largest rotational inertia (MOI) will hit produce longer hits. IMO, Bill |
| Dec. 1, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: A Question 4 U Bat/Math Geeks I suspect the kids from MIT could do a pretty good job with this. But face it, they have more important things to do than predict numbers for a girls sport played by old men....besides they don't play any sports anyway. On the other hand, all of the math I pilfered come from places like penn state, SMU, and Wash State where baseball is a big budget item. So who do you think has the motivation to get this right? To HOME PLATE ... if you'd like a copy of my spreadsheet calc with assumptions and equations, feel free to send me your email address Bill FennellwgATverizon.net |
| Nov. 30, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: A Question 4 U Bat/Math Geeks http://baseball.physics.illinois.edu/aero.html If you're still interested, this is a pretty cool site by Alan Nathan This particular page Links to a spreadsheet that computes ball trajectory/ distance . It allows you to play with a bunch of different input variables like Launch angle, air density, temperature, humidity, spin rate, ball weight and diameter. You still need to estimate BBS as an input, but all the potential " what ifs " are fun. Bill |
| Nov. 29, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: A Question 4 U Bat/Math Geeks Yikes, too much typing to hold anyone's attention. In short,....I agree with Turbo 34 |
| Nov. 29, 2016 fennellwg | Topic: Bats Discussion: A Question 4 U Bat/Math Geeks One final comment. Bats with higher MOI tend to have higher collision efficiency . Balls hit at higher speeds then to have lower collision efficiency. So, if distance and BBS are your priority metrics, the "heavier" bat may perform better despite a nominal loss in bat speed. Disclaimer.... your mileage may vary. |
