Replacement Ghost

[The Man In Blue]

I need to buy that man a beer.

I mentioned in another thread that I can be sadistic ... I think my love of umpiring is because I am also masochistic. Personally, I find most of the crap coaches and fans come up with to be funny. Make me laugh and I just might keep you around longer.

But yes, as you point out, we should always take a brief moment to ask “is it warranted?” We do get things wrong. We do see things from different angles. And we don’t get all the training we need (how do you like that segue to bring this back to bats?).

I needed a new plate brush, so I stopped at a sporting goods store today. While I was there, I figured I would test out some of the things we have been discussing.

Brand new bats, never hit a ball (well, presumably). I picked 20 at quasi-random and checked them. None of them rattled. None of them flexed. Of course none had dents or cracks.

I say quasi-random because I made sure I tried 4 different Louisville Slugger LXTs. I noticed the last two tournaments I have worked that we have tossed several of these, all for “flexing” or “wobbling” — meaning you could feel the two pieces moving independently of each other. The 4 off the shelf did not flex/wobble, it moved as one construction.

On a completely different tangent, but back to the Ghost ... I must say I do love the sound that bat makes. It almost sounds wooden.

 

[CoreSoftball20]

And we don’t get all the training we need (how do you like that segue to bring this back to bats?).

I say quasi-random because I made sure I tried 4 different Louisville Slugger LXTs. I noticed the last two tournaments I have worked that we have tossed several of these, all for “flexing” or “wobbling” — meaning you could feel the two pieces moving independently of each other. The 4 off the shelf did not flex/wobble, it moved as one construction.

A little homework by some umps can overcome some training flaws.

A new bat is a stiff bat. Most bats aren't one piece anymore, when they get hit, they loosen up.
Everything does, from connection to the inside disc/barrel/chamber...whatever. Outer comp wall
flexes into the tech, then the tech moves. New bats haven't had that happen yet. if you ever seen
some of the slo-mo pictures of a bat hitting a ball, you see how much a bat flexes. Doesn't do that
on the shelf. Also, if a glue blob is there, only takes a hit or two for it to drop from the cap.

And again, none of us have seen the bats you tossed, so they could have been tossed for good reason. There def are
bad bats...that's for darn sure as well. Many bats come off the line not "perfect" or become bad.

 

[JeffM3]

A little homework by some umps can overcome some training flaws.

A new bat is a stiff bat. Most bats aren't one piece anymore, when they get hit, they loosen up.
Everything does, from connection to the inside disc/barrel/chamber...whatever. Outer comp wall
flexes into the tech, then the tech moves. New bats haven't had that happen yet. if you ever seen
some of the slo-mo pictures of a bat hitting a ball, you see how much a bat flexes. Doesn't do that
on the shelf. Also, if a glue blob is there, only takes a hit or two for it to drop from the cap.

And again, none of us have seen the bats you tossed, so they could have been tossed for good reason. There def are
bad bats...that's for darn sure as well. Many bats come off the line not "perfect" or become bad.

A new bat is just like a new glove, or pants or a hat or a couch for that matter. Over time they all loosen up and become more "comfortable" and easier to use/wear.