USSSA Bat Inspection after at bat by coach

[Westwind]

This was really no big deal but would like to hear what you all think...

USSSA tournament. Saw the same coach do the same thing to dd and girl from another team. Girl gets a good hit. Opposing coach calls time and strolls out before the cheering is done and picks up the bat, examines it like he is a forensic bat analyst and seemingly confers with home plate ump about the bat.

This coach is always trying to get into my 11 year old dd's head, it really doesn't work and I think it actually amuses her. The bat she uses was never manufactured before the new stamps came out and he knows it, it is pure game playing. (Rocketflex. You can see what it is from a mile away and this is Anderson country so he knows what it is.) his little game didn't really affect our rally, and our coaches are too experienced to pay any attention to him. They took the time he wasted to coach and instruct so it was no big deal.

Now when he did it to another team, the dugout coach kinda blew up. I think the bat in question was a cf7 so it's really not like it is a rare unicorn species of bat that he has never seen, again pure game playing.

My question is this: can an opposing coach come out of dugout to handle the other teams equipment and inspect it? This coaches team was eliminated before we saw them again but my suggestion was that our coach ask the uic to have equipment inspection before the game by the umpires so Coach Head Games couldn't interrupt the game with make believe time. What do you think?

 

[Amy in AZ.]

What a tool! Think what that guy would be like to work with or live with! (I'll let the questions go, to the umpires.)

 

[redhotcoach]

I would think most umps would not care for him coming out to do their job. Most coaches would get pretty hot about another coach touching their equipment.

 

[coachjwb]

Wow ... very sad if a coach is truly trying to get into an 11-U's head (or any youth for that matter), and/or just as bad, somehow discredit the batter for a nice hit. I never played much USSSA but don't the umps inspect bats before the game anyhow? Even if not, I think a coach is out of line to take it upon himself to inspect the bat, though he would certainly have the right to ask the umpire to do so.

 

[redhotcoach]

Wow ... very sad if a coach is truly trying to get into an 11-U's head (or any youth for that matter), and/or just as bad, somehow discredit the batter for a nice hit. I never played much USSSA but don't the umps inspect bats before the game anyhow? Even if not, I think a coach is out of line to take it upon himself to inspect the bat, though he would certainly have the right to ask the umpire to do so.

It has changed from no inspections to sometimes every at bat.

 

[eddieq]

We were instructed to check for a stamp before every at bat at a tournament I called this weekend. Got tedious but the girls got into the rhythm and it takes just a sec. As they are approaching the box, plate ump glances over. If he can't see the stamp, he asks. Most of the girls walked up holding the bat out with their finger pointing directly at it.

The most likely reason for this is that this is the first year that USSSA has required the new stamp in fast pitch (they extended the grace period several times due to "manufacturing delays").

As to the coach continually doing that, he'd get one or two times from me, depending on how he handled it. If the conversation went like this:

"Blue, can I have time?"
"TIME"
"Blue, I think her bat is non-approved, can you check it."
"Coach, I saw the stamp before she batted, it's fine."
"Thanks"

Well, then I don't really have an issue. If it did it again, he'd get reminded that we're checking stamps each at bat and it's not necessary to request it, so knock it off. If he was dumb enough to ask for a third time, he'd be spending the rest of the game in the parking lot.

Now, if he yelled, "Time out!" and charged onto the field grabbing the bat, he'd get run pretty quickly.

 

[Ajaywill]

I don't know exactly how the U-Trip rules read on bats, but in ASA, there is much more than just the stamp that can affect the legality of a bat.

In the OP, I'd probably have a look at the bat at coach's request, if no issues, then we play. If Team A isn't making any noise about Coach B handling their equipment, I'm not saying anything. I will not allow Coach B to delay the game or grab a bat after every decent hit, however.

If Team A does have an issue, I'd just ask Coach B to ask me if he wants a bat checked with the addition of language that says if I believe he is doing it to play games with Team A, he loses the right to ask.

Glad your team did not let the head games affect them.

 

[eddieq]

The rule is similar (must be approved, stamped, not damaged, excessively worn, meet certain specs, etc.).

It sounded from the OP like it was pure head games the coach was trying to play. I know that we inspected bats in the dugouts prior to each game and then also looked at the stamps as they approached the box.

One difference in the utrip rule for illegal bats/non-approved bats is that they actually have to hit the ball to violate the rule. In ASA, as you know, they merely have to step into the box with it to be in violation.

 

[Westwind]

Thanks all, I appreciate the info. I have a much better idea what to expect next time and maybe head it off at the pass. It really wasn't any big deal, just the kind of deals that makes for an interesting story I guess. I always want to know what others think about this stuff.

Eddieq, thanks for great info, the difference between the ASA and USSSA rules is pretty interesting. The way you describe the stamp check actually makes sense to me, after all bats could easily come in and out of the dugout etc. Its hard to blame USSSA for wanting to enforce its own rule. It would be pretty darn easy to have the stamp visible when they come to the plate like you said.

It's kind of a bummer the coach I described does those parlor tricks. (This incident is far from the only cheesy move he has made.) He's actually a pretty decent coach in a lot of ways, his team this year is a fresh startup team and they are doing well. He doesn't need to do that stuff. He also made an exceptionally "right thing to do" move last year when our team was beating his and we got rained out in championship before it was an official game. He made sure our team got the 1st place medals and tried to give us the points despite his team beating us on runs allowed. I understand he took heat from the org head for that. Classy and cheesy all wrapped up in one coach, lol!

Edited to add:

Hey wanted to add that we had played another team earlier that day and when I walked by the dugout I saw a 2007 Rockettech on the fence, I slowed down and saw about 3 other old school bats. It was about 40 degrees that morning, maybe they were trying to protect newer bats. I can't really blame them for that and after all, IMHO a rocketech is a rocketech no matter what stamp it has on it and if there is 5-10 feet of distance difference in an SRV4b and a Mako on a well hit ball who cares... Kinda goes along with what ajay said, our coaches and parents weren't going to grouse about that even though they were ahead most of the game, lol!

Anyway, thanks for the info.

 

[FPump]

This was really no big deal but would like to hear what you all think...

USSSA tournament. Saw the same coach do the same thing to dd and girl from another team. Girl gets a good hit. Opposing coach calls time and strolls out before the cheering is done and picks up the bat, examines it like he is a forensic bat analyst and seemingly confers with home plate ump about the bat.

This coach is always trying to get into my 11 year old dd's head, it really doesn't work and I think it actually amuses her. The bat she uses was never manufactured before the new stamps came out and he knows it, it is pure game playing. (Rocketflex. You can see what it is from a mile away and this is Anderson country so he knows what it is.) his little game didn't really affect our rally, and our coaches are too experienced to pay any attention to him. They took the time he wasted to coach and instruct so it was no big deal.

Now when he did it to another team, the dugout coach kinda blew up. I think the bat in question was a cf7 so it's really not like it is a rare unicorn species of bat that he has never seen, again pure game playing.

My question is this: can an opposing coach come out of dugout to handle the other teams equipment and inspect it? This coaches team was eliminated before we saw them again but my suggestion was that our coach ask the uic to have equipment inspection before the game by the umpires so Coach Head Games couldn't interrupt the game with make believe time. What do you think?

While there is no USSSA rule saying he can't, from a game management standpoint if I were the PU once I granted his request for a Time Out and asked him what he wanted, as soon as he started his "forensic bat analyst" routine, I'd ask him to hand me the bat and ask him the question "coach what specifically do you want me to check on this bat?" I'd look at it tell him the bat is fine, and I would hand it to someone on the offensive team's bench.
When he attempts to try this a second time, I'll use 5.10.E, 11.2.K, or 11.2.R to support me in (hopefully) leading him right down the road that he's dying to travel.