The First Pitch By Irv Porter

February 2003

The single most asked question I am being asked so far this year is, "What are they going to do about the bats and balls this year?"
Answer, "Nothing"
Last year when the softball associations banned several bats just before their national/world tournaments it sent a shock wave through the softball players throughout this country. But, it just stopped as soon as it started, why?
Like it or not all softball manufactures, both bat companies and the ball companies are joined at the hip with all the softball associations. This partnership, which is fueled by the almighty dollar, hit a major bump in the road last year when all of a sudden the softball associations said, "Lets stop and look around at this".
What caused this to happen, a sudden increase in deaths and injuries on the softball field of play? No I'm sorry to say that is not the correct answer. These injuries were most likely caused by today's new high tech equipment and that will result in big dollars being paid out by insurance companies. Yes, the softball associations insurance companies are left holding the bag when something catastrophic happens. So, it is the insurance industry that is making everyone uneasy about what bat to purchase in 2003.
What will the insurance companies do? They should exert pressure on the softball association to make sure that the equipment they are approving falls within the guild lines that the softball association themselves have set for safety.
But, remember that the bat & ball companies are in effect partners with the softball associations so 2003 will be a year of limbo with nothing else being done to improve safety. Why? Because the manufactures of softball equipment work many months in advance and have warehouses that are full of bats & balls worth millions of dollars that they need to sell. The softball associations are allowing them this year 2003 in which to empty their warehouses of this high tech equipment before the associations hopefully outlaw them next year (2004).
How can I be sure of this? Look at the softball associations and they will have to act together on solving the bats & balls issue or it will not work. Just because the local softball association fight like cats and dogs over leagues and umpiring fees paid by those leagues dose not mean that the national softball associations do not speak with each other.
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