IMPORTANT USSSA BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
	BAT STANDARDS
	RESPONSIBILITY FOR ILLEGAL BATS
	RISK OF INJURY
	PROTECTIVE GEAR
	INSURANCE AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION
				JANUARY 10, 2011
Risk of Injury
The American games of Baseball and Softball have always had the risk of a player 
(or even a coach or fan) being struck with a ball during a game (or even during 
the warm up activities prior to a game). Unless the very nature of the game is 
altered, it is hard to imagine the games of Baseball/Softball without some risk 
of injury from batted or even thrown balls. Even with the best players in the 
game and even before the advent of modern balls and modern bats (today's wood 
bats being much better than the wood bats of yesteryear), injuries have occurred 
and sometimes they have been serious. It was 1937 and one of the first All-Star 
games was being played, perhaps the best pitcher of his day-Dizzy Dean-- was on 
the mound when his career was ended with a batted ball injury. But while there 
is and always has been some risk inherent in the games of Baseball/Softball from 
being struck with a batted (or even thrown) ball, the games of Baseball and 
Softball remain among the very safest sports in America.

Composite Bats
USSSA has been made aware in recent years that composite bats may become softer 
and therefore perform better when used excessively, abused or damaged.  And even 
more concerning, it became clear that players can accelerate this improvement by 
altering their bats. To address this issue, USSSA has passed stringent penalties 
for the use of altered bats and is in the process of making available 
compression testing machines for under $500 for use by ball parks and players 
alike to determine when bats become too soft. In slow pitch Softball, USSSA has 
reduced the compression of the ball to half of what it once was, has reduced the 
COR by over 20% and changed the pitching rule to allow the pitcher to release 
the ball from as much as 6 feet behind the otherwise designated pitching plate 
which is 50 feet from home plate. No such changes were made to USSSA licensed 
baseballs as the Bat Performance Factor ("BPF") for Baseball is significantly 
lower than that of softball: 1.15 BPF for Baseball and 1.20 BPF for Softball. But for certain youth Baseball ages, USSSA has 
used a 50 foot pitching distance instead of 46 foot and has lengthened the base 
paths from 60 feet to 70 feet to allow the game to have the room to be played as 
it was traditionally designed.

The New Mark
In addition, USSSA has now implemented new rules for testing bats before a 
manufacturer can license its bats for use in USSSA play. Under the new rules, 
bats will no longer be licensed for USSSA play if they can significantly improve 
beyond the BPF standard with use, abuse or damage. Beginning in the fall of 
2011, such new engineering standard bats will carry a new and very prominent 
USSSA mark. In addition, the manufacturers will be required to address the issue 
of making bats that are less susceptible to alteration before the new mark can 
be used. While other sanctioning bodies have chosen to ban older composite bats, 
USSSA has determined that it would be grossly unfair to disallow a bat with no 
notice to the retailers, manufacturers and customers who had previously relied 
on USSSA rules in the sale or purchase of a bat. 
 

Protective Gear
The current bats first pose a clear competitive imbalance issue and to a much 
lesser extent a risk of injury issue. The use of too soft bats by some players 
and not others is an unfair advantage which USSSA believes must be removed from 
the game. In addition, it has been argued that such bats may increase the risk 
of injury from a batted ball.  Even with the current composite bats in play 
during recent years, it remains the statistical and insurance experience of 
USSSA that the games of Softball and Baseball remain among the safest athletic 
activities in America. However, this does not mean there is no risk of injury 
from a batted ball. There is, and always has been, risk inherent in the games of 
Baseball and Softball from being struck with a batted (or even thrown) ball. 
Even when the new mark bats are the only bats allowed in USSSA play, a risk of 
injury from a batted (or thrown) ball will still exist. Anyone who has a concern 
about an injury occurring from being struck wit
 h a ball during USSSA Softball or Baseball sanctioned play should address that 
concern by the use of protective gear which is available and has always been 
allowed in USSSA sanctioned play.

Insurance and Dispute Resolution
In addition, USSSA makes available at reasonable rates insurance for teams and 
players who do not otherwise have insurance to cover the risk of accidental 
injury from playing USSSA sanctioned Baseball or Softball. If a player or coach 
does not otherwise have such insurance, it would be only prudent to purchase 
insurance to cover such risks. If you choose not to be prudent, but to attempt 
to create a legal liability for USSSA or its officials for such accidental 
injuries arising from the inherent risks of the games of Baseball or Softball, 
you should be aware of the USSSA Constitutional provision which bans anyone 
involved in a lawsuit against USSSA or its officials from ever again 
participating in a USSSA sanctioned event. In addition, by policy USSSA does not 
allow anyone who is threatening legal action against USSSA to participate in any 
USSSA sanctioned event until such threatened legal action has been resolved to 
the satisfaction of the USSSA Board of Directors. To be clear, USSSA simply does not want or need the participation of anyone who thinks 
that an amateur athletic rule dispute or injury issue should be resolved by 
threatening or hiring legal counsel. For those who disagree with this approach, 
there are a large number of other sanctioning bodies under which you can play 
Softball or Baseball and USSSA would truly prefer that you played elsewhere. 

Working with USSSA on Dispute Resolution
Where there is a real allegation that USSSA or its officials have not properly 
decided the application of a rule, there is a rigorous set of procedures for the 
protection of teams and players.  USSSA encourages you to work through the 
system to resolve any real concerns that you may have in the application of 
USSSA rules and will assist you in such efforts. In addition, if you sincerely 
believe that USSSA or a USSSA official was responsible by negligence or 
intentional wrongdoing for an injury, USSSA does have insurance for such 
actions. If the claim is legitimate, please contact USSSA and USSSA can assist 
you in the filing of such a claim with its insurance carrier.

Altered, Damaged and Too Soft Bats--Player, Parent and Coaches Responsibilities
By allowing for a grandfather period for old bats, USSSA believes that the new 
bats with the new mark will make for a clean break that will make administration 
of the new rules feasible for umpires and directors. Any approach that requires 
umpires or directors to closely inspect bats to see if they are metal or 
composite or if their model number is on a list, is in USSSA's experience and 
view unworkable. Indeed, if the administration of a system for eliminating old 
bats is unworkable, such an approach may increase the competitive imbalance 
concern rather than reduce it and surely will take away from precious playing 
time with wasted administrative time at the ballpark. For now, it remains first 
the responsibility of the player (and for youth players, their parents) and 
their coaches to make sure that altered bats, damaged bats or bats that have 
clearly become too soft are not used in USSSA Baseball or Softball sanctioned 
play. In addition, while USSSA is sure that there will 
 always be a way to cheat and alter a bat, USSSA views the manufacturers of bats 
as the ones who, after the coaches and players, can best stop the altering of 
bats by anticipating the ways in which their bats may be altered.
 


USSSA Penalties for Those Who Cheat
USSSA for its part will continue to enforce harsh penalties for those who cheat, 
but there is simply no way for USSSA umpires and directors to stop the use of 
altered, damaged or too soft bats without the cooperation and attention of the 
players, parents, coaches and manufacturers. Once the new mark has been 
implemented and the manufacturers have improved their bat designs to reduce 
altering and eliminate the potential for bats getting too soft/good with use or 
damage, USSSA will continue its vigilance in finding and punishing those who 
cheat. USSSA will do so with a system designed to make enforcement by umpires 
and other event officials consistent and easy to implement without excessive 
disruption of the game itself. In any event, however, there will always be the 
possibility of cheating and of an injury occurring from a batted ball. Again, 
anyone who has a concern that the risk is too high should wear the protective 
gear that they deem appropriate and should know that USSSA rules will continue to allow such gear. 

Stopping the Use of Illegal Bats-A Shared Responsibility
Where USSSA finds cheaters, it will continue to impose harsh suspension 
penalties. USSSA, however, has decided not to impose penalties on innocent 
retailers and customers where such can be avoided with reasonable grandfathering 
rules for old bats. Again, USSSA has also determined that it does not make sense 
to pass the complete burden of enforcement on to umpires and event directors who 
are simply in no position to take on such roles. It remains the view of USSSA 
that players, parents, coaches and manufacturers must share in this effort with 
sanctioning bodies to insure that the games of Baseball and Softball are played 
with legal and sensible equipment. Indeed, it is the primary responsibility of 
the players, parents and coaches to make sure that illegal bats are not used in 
USSSA play.







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