There’s nothing soft about softball in Torrington, where players are apparently turning to nefarious methods of getting the most out of a hit.
“The cheating has gotten out of control, we need to get rid of those weapons they call bats,” Edmond “Duke” Wall told the Waterbury-Republican American.
It seems that some players in the city’s amateur softball leagues have been shaving and rolling the bats to create an effect that will bring more home runs, and with it, increases the ball speed and potential for injuries, the newspaper reports.
There are even services that will shave bats, like World's Hottest Bats, and it comes with a release where you agree not to use bats in sanctioned league play.
So, Torrington's Parks and Recreation Commission is banning softball bats that are susceptible to doctoring methods, the Rep-Am reports.
It order to bring the bats on the field, they need to be on the approved list. It seems the Amateur Softball Association of America actually tested an certified the bats that are least likely to cause you great amounts of harm.
They’ve been updating the list for years, so Torrington seems not to be the only place where people take softball quite seriously. In Connecticut, officials in New Milford and Brookfield have also banned the bats, while Winsted is purchasing all bats and bars players from using their own bats.
The softball forums are heating up with unhappy posts and calls to action.
