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ASA Judgement in Bat Doctor Case
Quick Links Umpire Info Arizona ASA (Prescott) Arizona ASA (Tucson) National ASA Virtual Tournament Director Photos FAQ Contact Us	October 10, 2006 For Immediate Release Oklahoma City, OK—The Amateur Softball Association (“ASA”) is pleased to report that the U.S. District Court for Western Oklahoma has awarded ASA $100,000 in damages and attorney’s fees totaling approximately $12,000 against the first two defendants in the Association’s ongoing attempts to rid the game of softball of illegal equipment including painting and other techniques used to alter bats. In addition to the monetary damages awarded above, the Court entered an injunction against the defendants and ordered the defendants to do the following: To provide the names and addresses of all customers as well as suppliers of goods and services who enabled the defendants to perform the acts giving rise to the lawsuit; and To provide the names and addresses of any person or entity that supplied the defendants with any decals bearing ASA or Rawlings’s trademarks. “While we are pleased with the Court’s decision and feel that our legal position has been firmly established ASA’s work is far from over”, commented ASA’s Executive Director, Ron Radigonda. “We have already identified our next round of defendants and plan to aggressively purse them,” added Radigonda. The ASA has established a method for individuals who might be concerned with their past activities. Such individuals can e-mail the ASA and begin settlement discussions that may keep them from being sued in the future provided they agree to cooperate with the ASA. If a bat doctor would like to turn themselves in, we encourage them to send an e-mail to info@softball.org with the subject line of Bat Settlement Agreement. If individuals continue to alter bats in any way that contain the ASA’s trademarks, the association will pursue all legal remedies available. About ASA’s Equipment Testing Program ASA first adopted a bat performance standard in 2000, relying on a nationwide consensus bat testing method approved by the American Society of Testing and Materials (“ASTM”). This initial standard was based primarily on the adult male slow pitch softball player. ASA began investigating improvements to this standard with field testing in the summer of 2001, primarily to confirm its application to the youth slow pitch and fast pitch game. As scientific lab testing and research continued, it was discovered that the performance values of certain bats tended to increase the more the bat was used. In light of this discovery ASA began to enforce its 2000 performance standard against these bats, and subsequently “recertified” several of these bat models after modifications by the manufacturers. In October 2002, ASA conducted a field test focused solely on bat performance. This field test used high speed cameras to capture the swings and “bat-ball collisions” of players from two different divisions. The results of this study, along with additional testing lab research, led to a number of science-based recommendations for improvements to the ASTM test method. The new test method was approved for balloting in May 2003 by the ASTM subcommittee in charge of developing this test method and became effective January 1, 2004. Since that time, “bat doctors” have altered approved bats to enhance their performance and have relabeled unapproved bats to make them appear to be certified by ASA. For more information on equipment matters see the Certified Equipment section of the ASA website, www.asasoftball.com. About the ASA The Amateur Softball Association of America, a volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, OK, is the national governing body of softball in the United States. Founded in 1933, the ASA regulates competition in every state through a network of 86 local associations to insure fairness and equal opportunity to the millions of players who annually play the sport. Additional information about the ASA and its Bat Testing and Certification Program can be found by visiting www.asasoftball.com. A copy of the final judgment is posted in the equipment section of asasoftball.com.

ASA Judgement in Bat Doctor Case

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October 10, 2006

For Immediate Release

Oklahoma City, OK—The Amateur Softball Association (“ASA”) is pleased to report that the U.S. District Court for Western Oklahoma has awarded ASA $100,000 in damages and attorney’s fees totaling approximately $12,000 against the first two defendants in the Association’s ongoing attempts to rid the game of softball of illegal equipment including painting and other techniques used to alter bats.

In addition to the monetary damages awarded above, the Court entered an injunction against the defendants and ordered the defendants to do the following:

To provide the names and addresses of all customers as well as suppliers of goods and services who enabled the defendants to perform the acts giving rise to the lawsuit; and
To provide the names and addresses of any person or entity that supplied the defendants with any decals bearing ASA or Rawlings’s trademarks.

“While we are pleased with the Court’s decision and feel that our legal position has been firmly established ASA’s work is far from over”, commented ASA’s Executive Director, Ron Radigonda. “We have already identified our next round of defendants and plan to aggressively purse them,” added Radigonda.

The ASA has established a method for individuals who might be concerned with their past activities. Such individuals can e-mail the ASA and begin settlement discussions that may keep them from being sued in the future provided they agree to cooperate with the ASA. If a bat doctor would like to turn themselves in, we encourage them to send an e-mail to info@softball.org with the subject line of Bat Settlement Agreement.

If individuals continue to alter bats in any way that contain the ASA’s trademarks, the association will pursue all legal remedies available.

About ASA’s Equipment Testing Program

ASA first adopted a bat performance standard in 2000, relying on a nationwide consensus bat testing method approved by the American Society of Testing and Materials (“ASTM”). This initial standard was based primarily on the adult male slow pitch softball player. ASA began investigating improvements to this standard with field testing in the summer of 2001, primarily to confirm its application to the youth slow pitch and fast pitch game.

As scientific lab testing and research continued, it was discovered that the performance values of certain bats tended to increase the more the bat was used. In light of this discovery ASA began to enforce its 2000 performance standard against these bats, and subsequently “recertified” several of these bat models after modifications by the manufacturers.

In October 2002, ASA conducted a field test focused solely on bat performance. This field test used high speed cameras to capture the swings and “bat-ball collisions” of players from two different divisions. The results of this study, along with additional testing lab research, led to a number of science-based recommendations for improvements to the ASTM test method. The new test method was approved for balloting in May 2003 by the ASTM subcommittee in charge of developing this test method and became effective January 1, 2004.

Since that time, “bat doctors” have altered approved bats to enhance their performance and have relabeled unapproved bats to make them appear to be certified by ASA. For more information on equipment matters see the Certified Equipment section of the ASA website, www.asasoftball.com.

About the ASA

The Amateur Softball Association of America, a volunteer driven, not-for-profit organization based in Oklahoma City, OK, is the national governing body of softball in the United States. Founded in 1933, the ASA regulates competition in every state through a network of 86 local associations to insure fairness and equal opportunity to the millions of players who annually play the sport. Additional information about the ASA and its Bat Testing and Certification Program can be found by visiting www.asasoftball.com.

A copy of the final judgment is posted in the equipment section of asasoftball.com.

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Last updated: 02/24/2008