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Rolled bats

Discussion in 'Softball Forum' started by wilson, Nov 20, 2009.

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  1. Nov 20, 2009 at 11:40 AM #1
    wilson

    wilson Junior Member

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    Could someone please explain to me what a rolled bat is and how to spot one.
     
  2. Nov 20, 2009 at 12:08 PM #2
    Softball Guru

    Softball Guru Banned From TBR

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    Usually

    The team with the less injuries or winning everything !!!:lolly:--GUru
     
  3. Nov 20, 2009 at 12:28 PM #3
    cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    A rolled bat is a composite bat that has been put in a machine with three or four rollers and spun between those rollers for a specific amount of time. this process breaks the composite fibers or stretches them to the point of breaking which would normally occur after a set amount of hitting. to put it simply, it breaks the bat in right now......it does, however, dramatically shorten the life of the bat.

    you cant look at a bat and tell if its been rolled, unless it a really crappy job of rolling it, in that case, you will see lines that will complete a circle on the outside of the bat.

    another process is called "shaving" this is when the end cap of the bat is removed, and a tool is used to "scrape" the inside of the barrell, again, breaking the fibers and allowing the bat to flex as if it were broken in.
    a tell tale sign of a scrapped bat is a loose end cap or one that is reglued in place.

    scrapped bats will often shatter lengthwise, where a rolled bat will break around the outside diameter of the bat where it was rolled.
     
  4. Nov 20, 2009 at 1:20 PM #4
    wilson

    wilson Junior Member

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    Thanks for the info. I had been hearing the term used but didnt know what it meant. Do they make a machine espically for this ?
     
  5. Nov 20, 2009 at 1:52 PM #5
    Dukedog4

    Dukedog4 Full Access Member

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    Both rolling and shaving are dispicable practices

    It's only a matter of time before a pitcher sustains a life-threatening injury from a hit off a 'doctored' bat. At that point the girl who used the bat, her parents and possibly even her coach are going to be in world of hurt when the injured player's personal injury lawyer gets done with them. The composite bats are plenty hot enough as it is.

    Unfortunately, there are a lot of pitchers who don't understand how to protect themselves (either by throwing the ball where it can't be hit at them or by finishing in a balanced, defensive stance). Don't think a face mask is the answer. In fact, I'm not sure that they may actually increase risk if it limits vision or creates a false sense of safety. Line shots to the chest are nearly as dangerous as head shots.

    I almost never see pitching coaches talking about or practicing defense with their students. If your DD is a pitcher please be sure she can defend herself!
     
  6. Nov 20, 2009 at 2:24 PM #6
    DDsA1Fan

    DDsA1Fan Junior Member

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    What about if she was hit by a line drive, and now has a fear of being hit. But only when she faces what she perceives as a big hitter. The rest of the time she hits her spots, and does real good.

    How do you get the fear out of her head?
     
  7. Nov 20, 2009 at 2:32 PM #7
    cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    i asked my daughter this question, her reply: once you get hit or have one come close to your face, the fear never leaves. if you still have the desire to pitch and dominate, you learn to change two things. the first is thing is to understand that you never, never throw a ball down the middle of the plate, not even on a 3-0 count. the second is to learn to finish you throw with both hands up at shoulder level in a defensive position, ready for anything waist up.

    i asked her about waist down and she replied: those bruises heel, but teeth dont grow back and nose jobs are painful.........
     
  8. Nov 20, 2009 at 2:53 PM #8
    wilson

    wilson Junior Member

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    My dd is a pitcher and as a coach I am very concerned about this, thats why I was wondering if there was any way to spot this so the umpires could be educated on this issue and maybe put a stop to this. I have seen girls come to bat and the end cap fall off of the bat and when I questioned the umpire about this you would have thought I had shot someone, other coach and parents went crazy.
     
  9. Nov 20, 2009 at 2:56 PM #9
    Dukedog4

    Dukedog4 Full Access Member

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    On target

    I think my DD would say the same. In her career she only took two hard hits (thousands of innings pitched) one as a 12U player (still has a notch in her shin bone) and one in 18U in Ray's July tournament (line drive off the chest). Went right back out and pitched the next inning but the adrenaline wore off and her coach convinced her to sit after that. She's always refused to throw down the middle and has always been a great fielder (averaged two assists/game during her college career). Of course the other thing that helps is to be a down pitcher. Drop ball misses are typically taken for balls. Rise ball misses often result in rockets up the middle.

    Have your daughter stay down and in on the batters she fears. Worst outcome is a ground ball single thru the 5-6 hole.
     
  10. Nov 20, 2009 at 3:03 PM #10
    cheeze105

    cheeze105 Moderator Staff Member

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    if the end cap comes off of a bat, i'd protest the use of this bat during that game and ask the umpires to set the bat aside for that game. i would then contact the tournament director or head umpire and ask that the bat be put away for the tournament or at the least, inspected. this becomes a safety issue with the end cap flying off, and if the bat is broken, there is no sure way to fix it to keep the end cap from coming off, as most are swedged on with rivets no longer being used.

    my thoughts on parents or coaches going crazy are: if you dont have anything to hide, you wouldnt be raising heck about this issue. just push the safety issue with this, umps cant deny that one.

     
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