[OffTheHook]

May wanna think twice about buying a Nike Bat this season:


http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201...t-problems

[Stardust]

Picking up the new Rawlings tomorrow. Also have heard the "Rip-it" is loved by any who have used it.

[OffTheHook]

Thanks SD! Wish a bunch of people would throw a few opinions out here for us about these new bats. Gotta pick one up soon. Have you heard anything on the TPXs?

[Stardust]

^ DITTO, we have tried a few times to no success

[JackRabbitSlim]

I had a nike rep tell me yesterday that NCAA division 1 had a workout session with random players from around the country, and after the session it was very clear that Nike has the worst bats on the market right now, but he said it didn't matter because they were still selling because the kids liked how they looked? IF your not good, you might as well look good? haha

[old_school_hero]

Bring back the old Easton's.....viva la Black Magic!!

[Bindi Colleen]

bring back them..

[RAMBAIT]

Lets play with wood and find out who the real hitters are.

[Stardust]

We have spoke with several colleges (NKU, UC, Brescia, FLA Int, among others) and all have stated that they have tried Rip-It and it is the best of all of the bats. We NKU and Brescia told us yesterday they just completed 3-year exclusive deals with Rip-It. We just ordered 6!

[old_school_hero]

I just don't get all this bat craze that is going on.....I guess the players now are just bat-crazy.

I played baseball in high school and college in the early 90's and I used a few different bats. I used the old silver and green Easton's, the Black Magic, and TPX. I used a 33" TPX the most. Used it all through high school and all through college and still have that bat to this very day. I will still break that bat out from time to time and hit the cages with it. I can still hit with "some" power and drive the ball to all fields....using a bat that is at least 20 years old.

I kind of get the feeling that the thought now is that the bat makes the hitter....the better the bat, the better the hitter. And, I guess that sort of rings true. From my observations, the better (more expensive) the bat, the bigger the sweet spot. The better (more expensive) the bat, the more surface area on the bat to which your give yourself a chance to get a hit....ex., you are going to get more base hits off the end of the bat and towards the handle with an newer bat than you would an older, or even wooden bat. That allows you more room for error....am I right?

To me, a good hitter can walk to the plate with a broom handle and be effective. Being a good hitter is about having a hitter's mentality, putting in the work, becoming a student of hitting...not just being handed an expensive bat and be told to uncoil and drive the ball out of the park.

I think an earlier poster put it best, "Give them a wooden bat and see who the real hitters are.."

[OffTheHook]

We have spoke with several colleges (NKU, UC, Brescia, FLA Int, among others) and all have stated that they have tried Rip-It and it is the best of all of the bats. We NKU and Brescia told us yesterday they just completed 3-year exclusive deals with Rip-It. We just ordered 6!

Thanks for the update Dusty!

[Stardust]

I just don't get all this bat craze that is going on.....I guess the players now are just bat-crazy.

I played baseball in high school and college in the early 90's and I used a few different bats. I used the old silver and green Easton's, the Black Magic, and TPX. I used a 33" TPX the most. Used it all through high school and all through college and still have that bat to this very day. I will still break that bat out from time to time and hit the cages with it. I can still hit with "some" power and drive the ball to all fields....using a bat that is at least 20 years old.

I kind of get the feeling that the thought now is that the bat makes the hitter....the better the bat, the better the hitter. And, I guess that sort of rings true. From my observations, the better (more expensive) the bat, the bigger the sweet spot. The better (more expensive) the bat, the more surface area on the bat to which your give yourself a chance to get a hit....ex., you are going to get more base hits off the end of the bat and towards the handle with an newer bat than you would an older, or even wooden bat. That allows you more room for error....am I right?

To me, a good hitter can walk to the plate with a broom handle and be effective. Being a good hitter is about having a hitter's mentality, putting in the work, becoming a student of hitting...not just being handed an expensive bat and be told to uncoil and drive the ball out of the park.

I think an earlier poster put it best, "Give them a wooden bat and see who the real hitters are.."

So do you use a screwdriver to hang drywall, or a power drill? Do you use pliers to remove the Oil Drain cap, or a fitted wrench when changing the oil in your car? Are you running Pentium 1 on your computer or or Pentium 4?

A bat is the tool of the trade! Do you think the guys in the majors use the $40 wood bat that you go into Walmart and pick up? Or do you think it is a $400 custom made Ash bat? You use the tools that are the best, not just a broomstick! If you used a broomstick, you never would have made it out of your backyard!

I want my players to use the BEST bat! I put them in the BEST catchers gear! I only play with $5.00 baseballs, not the $1.99 ball that goes flat that you can pick-up right next to that $40 bat at Walmart!

Maybe I am over dramatizing, but to discount the use of a tool in the trade is a little shortsighted! If so, why would Major Leagues not just go to the plate with the same wood stick as you and I can get!!! The the bats are made differently (and trust me, they ARE) for the major league guys, then why should I not outfit my team with the best bats and identify which is the best that I can find for them!

[old_school_hero]

So do you use a screwdriver to hang drywall, or a power drill? Do you use pliers to remove the Oil Drain cap, or a fitted wrench when changing the oil in your car? Are you running Pentium 1 on your computer or or Pentium 4?

A bat is the tool of the trade! Do you think the guys in the majors use the $40 wood bat that you go into Walmart and pick up? Or do you think it is a $400 custom made Ash bat? You use the tools that are the best, not just a broomstick! If you used a broomstick, you never would have made it out of your backyard!
I want my players to use the BEST bat! I put them in the BEST catchers gear! I only play with $5.00 baseballs, not the $1.99 ball that goes flat that you can pick-up right next to that $40 bat at Walmart!

Maybe I am over dramatizing, but to discount the use of a tool in the trade is a little shortsighted! If so, why would Major Leagues not just go to the plate with the same wood stick as you and I can get!!! The the bats are made
differently (and trust me, they ARE) for the major league guys, then why should I not outfit my team with the best bats and identify which is the best that I can find for them!

Wow...calm down there sparky...I was merely stating my opinion. Gee whiz, no need to take it so personally.

I guess you really put me in my place, coach. You sure told me. You must coach the best team money can buy. Very proud of
ya....

......utterly clueless

[csabo17]

I think he was just trying to say, why not use the best if its available? You tried to say a good player can take any bat to the plate all year long and if he was good enough he would still get on base. Which the kid may put the ball in play with any bat, why not give the kid whos putting the ball in play 90 percent of the time a bat thats giving him more pop off the bat?

Or the old heavy catchers equipment, if you can give your catcher new light weight stuff that saves his knees why wouldnt you? Your catcher will be less tired and more fresh in the late innings.

[Stardust]

Wow...calm down there sparky...I was merely stating my opinion. Gee whiz, no need to take it so personally.

I guess you really put me in my place, coach. You sure told me. You must coach the best team money can buy. Very proud of
ya....

......utterly clueless

:lame: That's the BEST you got :zzz:

[Stardust]

I think he was just trying to say, why not use the best if its available? You tried to say a good player can take any bat to the plate all year long and if he was good enough he would still get on base. Which the kid may put the ball in play with any bat, why not give the kid whos putting the ball in play 90 percent of the time a bat thats giving him more pop off the bat?

Or the old heavy catchers equipment, if you can give your catcher new light weight stuff that saves his knees why wouldnt you? Your catcher will be less tired and more fresh in the late innings.

csabo, its just what I said, give every player the chance to compete using the best tools that are available and put them on the level playing field with their competition. Wise ass replies sure don't bother menicker:

[old_school_hero]

I think he was just trying to say, why not use the best if its available? You tried to say a good player can take any bat to the plate all year long and if he was good enough he would still get on base. Which the kid may put the ball in play with any bat, why not give the kid whos putting the ball in play 90 percent of the time a bat thats giving him more pop off the bat?

Or the old heavy catchers equipment, if you can give your catcher new light weight stuff that saves his knees why wouldnt you? Your catcher will be less tired and more fresh in the late innings.

Geez..for one thing, I made no mention of catching equipment, and 2, I was merely stating an opinion based on how the game was nearly 20 years ago....long before the expensive bats and all the bells and whistles.

I'm not against new equipment, but you have to admit that all these new bats were obviously allowing for unfair advantages or they wouldn't be putting all these restrictions on the bat specs.

[Johnny Bench]

I have been told by a few college coaches and read some articles that say the Demarini Voodoo's BBCORR may be the best bat for the best price.

[old_school_hero]

csabo, its just what I said, give every player the chance to compete using the best tools that are available and put them on the level playing field with their competition. Wise ass replies sure don't bother menicker:

Ok, Miller Huggins, then answer me this (without spewing the lecture about giving the kids the best equipment possible)...do the newer bats, the more expensive bats, have a larger surface area or sweet spot that allow for a greater margin for error than my old TPX, or a less expensive bat, or a wooden bat? You really never addressed that in your social commentary about how you only use $5 baseballs and you make sure your players have the best equipment possible.

[Pupaw]

I anticipate the new BBCOR bats to completely change the game at the High School level. It has drastically dropped the power numbers at the college level based off of what I've seen. I look for many teams to go to small ball as a strength and relying on the long ball will be rare. A lot of people really don't completely realize just yet how much the BBCOR bats effect the "pop" of the baseball coming off the bat. Seeing it for one full season now in college baseball, and seeing big name guys experience power deficiencies, the high school level will definitely suffer a power drop.Some of the better BBCOR bats I've seen over the past year or so are the Rip It, TPX ExoGrid, and Demarini Voodoo.

[Stardust]

Ok, Miller Huggins, then answer me this (without spewing the lecture about giving the kids the best equipment possible)...do the newer bats, the more expensive bats, have a larger surface area or sweet spot that allow for a greater margin for error than my old TPX, or a less expensive bat, or a wooden bat? You really never addressed that in your social commentary about how you only use $5 baseballs and you make sure your players have the best equipment possible.

Slightly more than a broomstick:zzz:

[Stardust]

I anticipate the new BBCOR bats to completely change the game at the High School level. It has drastically dropped the power numbers at the college level based off of what I've seen. I look for many teams to go to small ball as a strength and relying on the long ball will be rare. A lot of people really don't completely realize just yet how much the BBCOR bats effect the "pop" of the baseball coming off the bat. Seeing it for one full season now in college baseball, and seeing big name guys experience power deficiencies, the high school level will definitely suffer a power drop.Some of the better BBCOR bats I've seen over the past year or so are the Rip It, TPX ExoGrid, and Demarini Voodoo.

Trust me, it is tremendous. Watching my son's College fall games, it is incredible how much the game is different. What looks like a line-drive off the bat just dies into the infielders gloves on routine plays.

Our winter practices have been dedicated to bunting thus far. Rip-It was just approved for play within the last few months and it appears that colleges are eating them up as fast as they can. Rip-It was rated with the best compression ratio of all the bats available on the market. Last year it was outlawed and after some slight changes, just passed the standard. We will see the manufacturers find ways to get the new standard to close to what we saw with the previous standard. When golf clubs changed, they were dead. Now we see drivers that are better than the old models.

The Voodoo bat was the top bat on the market last year, but even watching the ball come off of it, it just seemed flat. Should make for some interesting strategy is HS baseball.

[mr.charlie hustle]

I anticipate the new BBCOR bats to completely change the game at the High School level. It has drastically dropped the power numbers at the college level based off of what I've seen. I look for many teams to go to small ball as a strength and relying on the long ball will be rare. A lot of people really don't completely realize just yet how much the BBCOR bats effect the "pop" of the baseball coming off the bat. Seeing it for one full season now in college baseball, and seeing big name guys experience power deficiencies, the high school level will definitely suffer a power drop.Some of the better BBCOR bats I've seen over the past year or so are the Rip It, TPX ExoGrid, and Demarini Voodoo.

Say Pupaw, how is the old arm? I hope it does well over the winter. I thought of you this spring when we played in Lou. in a tourney and a pitcher caught one in the orbital bone. Maybe the new bats will give you a better shake if you know what I mean. Hope to get down to see ya this spring.

[csabo17]

I dont see how its unfair, everyone has the ability to buy them. Its not like its an exclusive club to buy new equipment.

[Pupaw]

Say Pupaw, how is the old arm? I hope it does well over the winter. I thought of you this spring when we played in Lou. in a tourney and a pitcher caught one in the orbital bone. Maybe the new bats will give you a better shake if you know what I mean. Hope to get down to see ya this spring.

The arm's feeling good so far. Fall workouts are done and now were just going into conditioning and weights. We're all ready to get the season started. I love the concept of the new bats of course being a pitcher. As a team this past year we only hit 1 home run, we didn't have much power of course but at a lot of the parks we played, monster shots that normally leave the field just died and were caught routinely. A pitcher's best friend if you ask me at this point. I'll get you a schedule and everything. Hope to see you make it to a few games with the boy. If you want me to I can throw in a good word for him if he's interested.

[Pupaw]

Trust me, it is tremendous. Watching my son's College fall games, it is incredible how much the game is different. What looks like a line-drive off the bat just dies into the infielders gloves on routine plays.

Our winter practices have been dedicated to bunting thus far. Rip-It was just approved for play within the last few months and it appears that colleges are eating them up as fast as they can. Rip-It was rated with the best compression ratio of all the bats available on the market. Last year it was outlawed and after some slight changes, just passed the standard. We will see the manufacturers find ways to get the new standard to close to what we saw with the previous standard. When golf clubs changed, they were dead. Now we see drivers that are better than the old models.

The Voodoo bat was the top bat on the market last year, but even watching the ball come off of it, it just seemed flat. Should make for some interesting strategy is HS baseball.

I completely agree. I'm entering my sophomore year of college and the difference between the pop of bats used while I was in high school and now are tremendous. Most people don't anticipate the huge drop in power numbers that are coming their way at the HS level. Seeing a 6'4 All-American catcher hit balls that he connects with as good as he can, barely clearing a 330 foot fence really made it clear to me that people with power still will struggle with the new bat adjustments. Like you said, bunting will become an even more key facet to the game.

[old_school_hero]

Slightly more than a broomstick:zzz:

That's your answer to my question? If you coach baseball...I truly feel sorry for your players.

[Stardust]

That's your answer to my question? If you coach baseball...I truly feel sorry for your players.

They must - but they have been extremely happy that I have not sent them to the plate with a broomstick!:Thumbs:

[mr.charlie hustle]

That's your answer to my question? If you coach baseball...I truly feel sorry for your players.

Well partner he does coach and I know at least one player at the E/W game that appreciated his direction. :biggrin: