Hitting Baseballs in the cage

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Hitter

Banned
Dec 6, 2009
653
0
Howard, just trying to help. Your articles are the best. Always a pleasure to read them.

It is not MY stuff it is a lot of people coming together to try and do what USA TODAY said, "The hardest thing to do in all of sports is hit a round object with a round object!"

Thanks for helping...Howard
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
I don't see how soft tossing baseballs could hurt your bat.

It isn't the same as having them thrown to you from the machine. I never take my kids to hit off of a machine, but I do know people that use an older bat. Come to think of it, I know people that go to the cages to break a bat in.
 
Oct 19, 2009
1,827
0
My daughter has a new bat that on the instructions advise to only hit regular size softballs and not to use under 60 degrees. It advises not to use plastic balls, tennis balls, or the dimple balls. It advised that hitting anything other than standard softballs will void the warranty.

Hitting balls under a certain temperature I’ve heard can damage the bat due to the balls being more dense due to the cold temperatures, not the bat being cold the balls being cold.

The new bat is only an ounce lighter 34-25 vs 34-26, the old game bat was 34-24 I forgot about the new bat being an ounce heavier. She uses the 26 ounce for batting practice not to warm before hitting in a game.
 

Hitter

Banned
Dec 6, 2009
653
0
My daughter has a new bat that on the instructions advise to only hit regular size softballs and not to use under 60 degrees. It advises not to use plastic balls, tennis balls, or the dimple balls. It advised that hitting anything other than standard softballs will void the warranty.

Hitting balls under a certain temperature I’ve heard can damage the bat due to the balls being more dense due to the cold temperatures, not the bat being cold the balls being cold.

The new bat is only an ounce lighter 34-25 vs 34-26, the old game bat was 34-24 I forgot about the new bat being an ounce heavier. She uses the 26 ounce for batting practice not to warm before hitting in a game.

I think Rip It goes down to 50 degrees and most others to 60 degrees...be realistic who plays in that kind of weather all year long?

The bat companies usually do not check the weather charts so how would they know?

In Ohio most of the spring season is under 50 degrees anyway, so what about the rest of the country? What if it was 45 degrees?

Just my opinion...

Howard
 
Jan 18, 2010
4,284
0
In your face
I think Rip It goes down to 50 degrees and most others to 60 degrees...be realistic who plays in that kind of weather all year long?

The bat companies usually do not check the weather charts so how would they know?

In Ohio most of the spring season is under 50 degrees anyway, so what about the rest of the country? What if it was 45 degrees?

Just my opinion...

Howard

Tell you this. If it's under 45 degrees I'm watching the game from my truck, and honk the horn when my DD does good!!!
 
May 7, 2008
8,506
48
Tucson
In Flagstaff, it was rarely above 50 degrees during the HS season or in the evening. DD used an RT and never had a problem. She also used a Rawlings Plasma.

I have never heard that you can't hit tennis balls or whiffles with a bat. How is that going to hurt anything? I see people whacking these bats with everything possible just to break them in.
 
Oct 19, 2009
1,827
0
In Flagstaff, it was rarely above 50 degrees during the HS season or in the evening. DD used an RT and never had a problem. She also used a Rawlings Plasma.

I have never heard that you can't hit tennis balls or whiffles with a bat. How is that going to hurt anything? I see people whacking these bats with everything possible just to break them in.

The bat manufacture taped a little slip of paper to the end of the bat that stated exactly that. It advised that the bat was designed for standard softballs and nothing else. I was surprised that hitting plastic balls would void the warranty, it may just be an excuse to avoid replacing a bat. $300.00 is a lot to our family I don’t want to give them an excuse if the bat has a problem. We play a lot games less than 60 degrees haven’t decided what to do about that.

Her old bat (a different manufacture) has cracks around the end cap and sounds like a tuning fork when you hit a ball. She was careful with it and it lasted 2 years.

Her $20.00 practice bat we’ve hit ever thing but rocks it still hits the ball the same as it did the day we purchased it, not approved for use in games though.
 

Hitter

Banned
Dec 6, 2009
653
0
The bat manufacture taped a little slip of paper to the end of the bat that stated exactly that. It advised that the bat was designed for standard softballs and nothing else. I was surprised that hitting plastic balls would void the warranty, it may just be an excuse to avoid replacing a bat. $300.00 is a lot to our family I don’t want to give them an excuse if the bat has a problem. We play a lot games less than 60 degrees haven’t decided what to do about that.

Her old bat (a different manufacture) has cracks around the end cap and sounds like a tuning fork when you hit a ball. She was careful with it and it lasted 2 years.

Her $20.00 practice bat we’ve hit ever thing but rocks it still hits the ball the same as it did the day we purchased it, not approved for use in games though.

PEPPERS

Part of it is the legal language wrapped up in our society that has lost common sense. Get a bat rep off to the side some time and whisper in their ear and you will get them to tell you you can hit almost any ball except the really hard plastic balls. When ever you send a bat back I always clean it with Soft Scrub and a Teflon scrubbing pad and have never had an issue.

Just my opinion...Howard
 

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