Author Topic: 9 year old ordered not to pitch, told he's "too good" for the rest of his league (Read 11383 times)

K Frame · « **Reply #25 on:** August 27, 2008, 10:39:48 AM »

"the potential for serious injury is definitely there."

Absolute non sequitor.

The potential for serious, even fatal, injury is inherent any time you let ANY kids on the field with hard balls and wooden or aluminum bats.

Several little league and older players have been fatally injured over the past decade by either pitched or batted balls.

In 1975 the release my parents signed to let me play little league ball included a statement that thrown and batted balls and bats could seriously injure or kill a player.

If the league were TRULY worried about serious injuries or fatalities they would take the wood/aluminum bats away, take the hard balls away, and prohibit the kids from running on the base paths.

Another step in the pussificiation of America.

Headless Thompson Gunner · « **Reply #26 on:** August 27, 2008, 11:43:13 AM »

You really think this is all about the pussification of America? You don't think it's as simple or sensible as matching the kid to the league he best fits in?

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #27 on:** August 27, 2008, 12:50:10 PM »

back when you were in little league they were moving kids from junior high up to highschool sports teams when sinilar situation arose. its for both sides benifit. the intramural teams are set up to allow everyone to play. there are/were teams for the real performers. i wish they could bar parents from kids sports events. they are not humanities finest moment

MechAg94 · « **Reply #28 on:** August 27, 2008, 01:05:24 PM »

They already let the kid play most of the season. The team is undefeated and is about to get into their playoffs. They picked this time to tell the kid he can't play. IMO, this is not about the kid, it is just BS politics on the part of league officials.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #29 on:** August 27, 2008, 01:12:35 PM »

it could well be there is plenty of that in "kids" sports makes me sad

280plus · « **Reply #30 on:** August 27, 2008, 04:51:56 PM »

Quote

The potential for serious, even fatal, injury is inherent any time you let ANY kids on the field with hard balls and wooden or aluminum bats.

Yes, and even more so for 9 year olds who ain't savvy enough to handle dodging an errant 40 mph pitch yet.

Older friend of mine was involved with little league for 24 years, he was just telling me a few stories concerning adults and their involvment with "kids" sports. Sad is an understatement.

DJJ · « **Reply #31 on:** August 27, 2008, 06:49:06 PM »

Quote from: 280plus on August 27, 2008, 09:35:36 AM

Most 9 yos are not experienced enough to handle the kind of heat this kid can throw and the potential for serious injury is definitely there.

Again: when I played little league baseball, the 8 and 9 year olds had a pitching machine set, by rule, at 65 mph -- 25 mph FASTER than this kid throws. We did fine. And I was the catcher, too. Took foul tips on the mask. Never a problem. I don't see that this kid's 40 mph is anything at all.

How fast do the other pitchers in this league throw?

280plus · « **Reply #32 on:** August 28, 2008, 01:30:31 AM »

Um, pitching machines are pretty consistent in accuracy, a 9 yo, while even maybe pretty good, is not. But, let's not err on the side of caution, we don't want to wussify America. rolleyes

280plus · « **Reply #33 on:** August 28, 2008, 01:55:37 AM »

If mechages info is correct however, I totally agree with his assessment. I wouldn't put it past a few of the cree[eier parents out there.

I'd like to know, for instance, how fast are the other pitchers in the league throwing?

I worked on pitching as a kid, I read a few books and practiced, no league in my area to put it to use. I'll tell you what though, them clowns over the water tanks at the carnivals? They usually went in. laugh

MechAg94 · « **Reply #34 on:** August 28, 2008, 02:39:27 AM »

My parents have told me since then, that they would have pulled my brother and I out of little league baseball if we weren't having so much fun playing. The things parents would say about their own kids and other people's kids were just really bad. I remember parents with rule books in hand sitting behind the umpire arguing every chance they got. I remember one umpire whose son was a pitcher. That umpire liked to call strikes at ankle height. Guess which pitcher was really good as throwing very low pitches? This was all in a small town where there was only one league.

A guy I work with is a coach on his daughter's softball team. He goes through a lot of BS as well.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #35 on:** August 28, 2008, 02:49:02 AM »

i coached lil league back before background checks and the mothers can be worse than dads. a dad knows hres eligible for a shot in the chops moms push their luck i quit after the third brawl i hada try to break up. i've seen worse behavior though. in a prison yard

wmenorr67 · « **Reply #36 on:** August 28, 2008, 02:50:14 AM »

Been an umpire and a coach.

Had some parents that went over the limit in both instances.

Didn't put up with it from the parents of my girls that I coached. If you didn't like it you could either take over for me, shut up or leave.

280plus · « **Reply #37 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:06:42 AM »

The one that always stuck was the dad/coach who had played semi pro that was literally forcing his kid to play under threat of an ass whuppin'. I don't care what sport it is, they're all the same. I went to an intramural middle school basketball game to watch my kid once. and in the game before ours there was some loudmouth female type coaching from the bleachers yelling encouragement to her team by bad mouthing the other, "She can't play!!" blah blah. So just before our game was about to start I struck up a conversation with some mother next to me and in the process said loudly, "I don't care how good she is, I'm just happy to see her running up and down the court!"

No hecklers after that. Very polite crowd as a matter of fact. laugh

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #38 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:13:13 AM »

i feel for kids embarassed by their parents

280plus · « **Reply #39 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:30:50 AM »

Yup, that's for sure. Makes you wonder. I got to the point where I shuddered at the thought of Little League, soccer, Boy Scouts etc etc...

Ezekiel · « **Reply #40 on:** August 28, 2008, 02:42:48 PM »

In my school, Music Ed began in the 5th grade. If one of us were Mozart, do you think they'd have left us with the 5th graders?

So the team forfeited, it's their right. It is, also, the right of the League to determine who plays in it.

This is a defendable decision. If the kid wants competition, MOVE HIM UP.

MechAg94 · « **Reply #41 on:** August 28, 2008, 02:57:47 PM »

Anyone know what the average pitching speed is for little league baseball? In the little league world series?

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #42 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:00:36 PM »

someone mentioned a pitching machine set at 65 for kids that age. i'm very skeptical. and i played and coached a lotta ball

280plus · « **Reply #43 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:13:40 PM »

I know I'd hate to see some kid get knocked in the head by a 65 mph fastball.

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #44 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:27:05 PM »

i know the fast machines at funland are unhittable by kids at that age. and they throw 75. i rent em by the hour for batting practice and use ones at 35 and some kids have trouble with that. and thats a machine throwing fairly consistently

280plus · « **Reply #45 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:37:02 PM »

I used to hit the 90 mph ones. You had to be swinging the bat as the ball was leaving the machine or you'd be behind. It's cool once you get the hang of it.

Haven't tried it in a while, hmmmm... grin

cassandra and sara's daddy · « **Reply #46 on:** August 28, 2008, 03:48:33 PM »

me too! i love taking the 16-20 yearolds there with me. it hurts their feelings to see the old fart hit what scares em. only thing better is racing em up the hill from the river. i let em get ahead then when icaqtch up i grab one of their feet trip tackle em.i'm at the top before they recover. teaches that important lesson" youth and skill will alwaysfail when confronted with old age and treachory"
'

280plus · « **Reply #47 on:** August 28, 2008, 04:00:34 PM »

Dammit, now I want to go to the cages. undecided

280plus · « **Reply #48 on:** August 30, 2008, 04:07:28 AM »

Of course, it reeks a bit of promotion but the kid probably doesn't know or care. I'm think the mother is off the mark, they're not saying he's "too good" they're saying he's too good for kids that are the same age. Ah well, the scouts will be keeping an eye on him. grin

then again, having read biographies like Bob Feller and Sandy Koufax I wonder what his arm is going to be like in 20 years. undecided

http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3709195

New Britain, CT- The New Britain Rock Cats are going to give Jericho Scott the chance to do what he loves and was recently taken away from him - to take the mound and fire a pitch.
Scott, the 9-year-old who has garnered national media attention for being banned from the Youth Baseball League of New Haven, a community league with no affiliation to Little League, will be the Rock Cats' special guest on Saturday, August 30th at New Britain Stadium.

The Rock Cats have invited Scott and his family out to the ballpark to watch the game between the Rock Cats and Binghamton Mets on Saturday night. Scott will have the opportunity to meet the team, tour the clubhouse, and throw out the ceremonial first pitch. It will be the conclusion of a whirlwind week for the boy who was recently told he can no longer pitch for his youth team simply because he was too good!

Scott, who has a fastball that reaches up to about 40 miles per hour, took the mound last week only to have the opposing team forfeit the game rather than take their hacks. The story has made national media waves, from local news to live sports talk radio to the morning news circuit.

"I think it's discouraging when you're telling a 9-year-old you're too good at something," his mother, Nicole Scott, said in an interview with the associated press. "The whole objective in life is to find something you're good at and stick with it. I'd rather he spend all his time on the baseball field than idolizing someone standing on the street corner."

While Scott has been told he can longer take the mound as a youth baseball player for the Will Power Fitness Team - a team that was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs at the time of his ban - the youngster will have that opportunity in front of thousands on Saturday night.

Scott will arrive at New Britain Stadium around 6 P.M. on Saturday night to meet with the team and, at approximately 6:45 P.M., throw out the first pitch. He will then sit in the stands with his family to watch the Rock Cats play the B-Mets.

For more information, please contact the New Britain Rock Cats at (860) 224-8383.

Iain · « **Reply #49 on:** August 30, 2008, 04:23:48 AM »

We used to play corridor baseball at university. That was just downright dangerous - even with a plastic bat and ball.

Rounders was the game when we were kids. After several injuries inflicted by bats being thrown backwards when setting off for a run we were introduced to the game of Dutch rounders by our teachers - hit the tennis ball with a the heel of the hand with the fist clenched. I tried it again the other day, I have no idea how we managed it as kids, but some of us used to hit rounders like that.

News:

Author Topic: 9 year old ordered not to pitch, told he's "too good" for the rest of his league (Read 11383 times)