View Full Version : 9 year old boy is too good, not allowed to pitch
anyone see this story? http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=3553475 i think its pretty messed up. the kid is amazing at something and instead of being rewarded he is reprimanded and not allowed to do it? i can maybe understand is he was beeming kids and hurting them but hes never hit a single batter.
WFUJerseyJon
08/26/08, 08:07 AM
This is just not right. You shouldn't be penalized for being too good. Sends the wrong kind of message. If anything send him up a age group or something, but don't not let him play.
deadstar
08/26/08, 08:11 AM
Beeming kids? Is he an alien?
CarlosLunes
08/26/08, 08:16 AM
i will never understand why organizations choose to do things that will open them up to a lawsuit like this case is going to turn into.
ESundy36
08/26/08, 08:20 AM
Don't worry this is Connecticut. We don't like it when children feel bad. The state actually has rules in place for high school football where if you score more than 50 points the clock starts running and the coach can be suspended because we don't want to anyone to feel bad about themselves.
EDIT: This story shows how ridiculous this state is, towards the bottom it lists all points of the 50 point rule for CIAC Football. http://blogs.courant.com/school_zone/2007/10/50point-rule-does-not-exist.html
preppyak
08/26/08, 08:21 AM
And here is the thing that got me when I read the article...which may or may not be fair of ESPN to put in the article, since its speculation, but, is probably the case:
Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.
But, if the kid is throwing 40mph now...imagine what he'll throw at the age of 12/13 in the LLWS. But, he's still only throwing 40, and the next level up is probably age 11-13, where that is pretty slow and he'd likely get abused as a pitcher there.
IAmNietzche
08/26/08, 08:23 AM
We strive for the middle in America.
salmarnirecho
08/26/08, 05:12 PM
We strive for the middle in America.
Truth.
I don't think the situation could've been handled in a less mature way.
do baseball leagues really play regular season games in august and september. i was under the impression that all youth baseball leagues are in the months of march-june
StandMyBrothers
08/26/08, 05:52 PM
do baseball leagues really play regular season games in august and september. i was under the impression that all youth baseball leagues are in the months of march-june
yeah thats when I played....at least little league you know. Win your Division-Win regionals blah blah with the hope of making it to the LLWS. Must be some different league. Cause Pony ended the around the same time.
coltenTALK
08/26/08, 05:56 PM
Let the kid play in a higher league for sure.
xbrokendownx
08/26/08, 05:58 PM
just let the kid play int he fucking league
do you see managers complaining that they have to face guys like ARod, Pujols, etc? no
fucking deal with it. such a stupid fucking move
StandMyBrothers
08/26/08, 06:01 PM
like Mike and Mike said. its not like you're never going to strike out, it shouldn't ruin your confidence to swing a bat.
this is a horrible story. i dont understand how this country could go from having such a competitive mentality to being scared to win over time. competition brings out the best in people, sometimes the worst but normally the best. these kids should face the challenge of this pitcher because ultimately it will make them better. instead theyre basically being told to give up and the kid is being punished for being too good. wtf. i want to see someone come on here and defend this move.
do baseball leagues really play regular season games in august and september. i was under the impression that all youth baseball leagues are in the months of march-june
yeah thats when I played....at least little league you know. Win your Division-Win regionals blah blah with the hope of making it to the LLWS. Must be some different league. Cause Pony ended the around the same time.
I played from mid-May to early August. I think you guys played earlier because it might be too hot for the kids in the dead of summer i guess?
Beeming kids? Is he an alien?
actually yes he is...thats the real reason he is not allowed to play
CarlosLunes
08/26/08, 08:55 PM
illegal alien maybe
i think this is the worst arguement ever on the leagues part. of course the league will probably have a lawsuit brought against them. the kid is being treated unfairly because he's too good. i could understand if he were throwing that hard and hitting batters all the time, but apparently his control is pretty good.
preppyak
08/26/08, 09:39 PM
this is a horrible story. i dont understand how this country could go from having such a competitive mentality to being scared to win over time. competition brings out the best in people, sometimes the worst but normally the best. these kids should face the challenge of this pitcher because ultimately it will make them better. instead theyre basically being told to give up and the kid is being punished for being too good. wtf. i want to see someone come on here and defend this move.
The defense of the move is that, if he was not accurate, he would probably hurt kids...but, the reports are that he is incredibly precise to match that velocity he has.
Yes, you could move him up a level, but, thats just as unfair to the kid as banning him is...because the difference between a 9yr old kid and an 11/12/13yr old kid is often enormous. 12yr olds, as the LLWS has shown us, can be huge...when was the last time you saw a 9yr old who was 6'5" and played first base. And 40mph would get eaten alive at the LLWS, shit, it might not even go over the fence for hitters because the ball is going too slow.
He needs to be able to play at his age level...and excel there...and then consider moving him ahead, rather than stunting the growth of a kid who is barely old enough to really even have a future in baseball.
Plus, as JA Adande pointed out...if you shield the batters from a kid with that talent...does it help them? He talked about a kid who used to strike him out, but one time, he crushed a triple off the kid, and what it did for his confidence was enormous. If you go 0-4 against the prodigy, its expected, if you hit a HR or double in a run, it could make a kid's whole season. Just a silly lack of foresight it seems to me
The defense of the move is that, if he was not accurate, he would probably hurt kids...but, the reports are that he is incredibly precise to match that velocity he has.
Yes, you could move him up a level, but, thats just as unfair to the kid as banning him is...because the difference between a 9yr old kid and an 11/12/13yr old kid is often enormous. 12yr olds, as the LLWS has shown us, can be huge...when was the last time you saw a 9yr old who was 6'5" and played first base. And 40mph would get eaten alive at the LLWS, shit, it might not even go over the fence for hitters because the ball is going too slow.
He needs to be able to play at his age level...and excel there...and then consider moving him ahead, rather than stunting the growth of a kid who is barely old enough to really even have a future in baseball.
Plus, as JA Adande pointed out...if you shield the batters from a kid with that talent...does it help them? He talked about a kid who used to strike him out, but one time, he crushed a triple off the kid, and what it did for his confidence was enormous. If you go 0-4 against the prodigy, its expected, if you hit a HR or double in a run, it could make a kid's whole season. Just a silly lack of foresight it seems to me
fully agree on every point you made.
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