Bat Rules for 2006 NFSHSA

I think i might have posted this earlier this year, but I felt since bats cost way north of $150.00 as a rule, it would be beneficial. Rule 1-3 Art 2 (Note) states...."Effective January 1, 2006, no BESR label, sticker or decal will be permitted on any non-wood bat".

 

I remember why they did this.

Back a couple years ago, a lot of bats were manufactured that met the BESR certification but the Certification wasn't part of the normal "Paint Job" on the bats.

The powers-that-be for the bat manufacturers even "mailed" out stickers you could apply to the bat ... press and peel instant eligibility for games. Everyone realized that this wasn't a good solution and they informed the bat manufacturers that the BESR certification had to be pre-painted on and couldn't be applied after the manufacturing was completed. The parents were screaming about the rule change and the amount of money they had just plopped down and the bat manufacturers were caught in the middle. If they had not allowed the "Press-and-apply" stickers, some smaller operations would have been financially crippled.

They allowed these bats for awhile under a "sunset" rule, but everyone knew this day was coming. Most metal bats don't last a year at most anyway before they loose their pop. It shouldn't be a problem to anyone unless you are picking up your bat at some discount store where the stock doesn't turn over but once every three years.

Look for the BESR label to be painted on the bat by the manufacturer, not applied later.