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| hardlinedrives
December 21, 2008
7:24:15 PM
Entry #: 3019179
| "Can an Illegally Altered Bat be Detected?
The simple answer is yes - and it is not that difficult if you have the right equipment.
The elastic properties of the bat barrel, that give rise to the "trampoline effect", are relatively easy to measure. I am aware of at least two prototype portable devices currently under development that may see use in the field in the near future. Both of these prototypes measure the elastic trampoline effect of the barrel and can identify bats which exceed set performance standards. The trampoline effect of the barrel is directly related to the stiffness of the barrel. That stiffness may be measured directly using a compression device, or indirectly by measuring the hoop frequency of the bat vibration. Any alteration of the structural properties of the barrel becomes evident when one looks at the vibration or acoustic signature of the bat.
Painting or camouflaging a bat is a purely visual alteration, and many bat doctors have become very good at hiding the results of their techniques so that an umpire visually inspecting a bat will often not be able to tell that the bat has been altered - or camouflaged. However, camouflaging the bat with paint is not able to hide the elastic properties of the barrel. It is relatively easy to detect that a painted bat has an elastic property that would cause it to exceed the performance standards.
So, if you are considering altering a bat to enhance its performance, be aware that such alterations are relatively easy to detect, and associations are cracking down pretty heavily on those to attempt to cheat by illegally altering their bats. Personally I don't think it is worth riskng a $100,000 lawsuit in order to get a few extra home runs. If you are a player, or parent of a player, and you hear others talking about altering bats or playing with altered bats, then you should raise your voice against this practice."
-Daniel A. Russell, Ph.D.
Physics Department, Kettering University, Flint, MI
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