This is Ridiculous

[Evermore]

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/8488564/9-year-old-barred-for-pitching-too-well?MSNHPHMA


idiots

[ClakarEQ]

Wow, now that is pretty fucked up LOL

[Martrae]

This story makes me mad. By all means let's encourage mediocracy!

[Haylo]

I was just reading that this morning and shaking my head. That reminds me of the rules some of the little leagues use that allow no losers. Everyone wins because the score doesn't count. Now if that's not the dumbest thing to be teaching kids, I don't know what is. There are losers in life, they may as well get used to it now.

[Zanchief]

This is really really sad.

[Drem]

This is ridiculous indeed....

It's a beginner's league designed to promote the sport and the last part of this sentence is what should be happening, not a media buzz, "League officials suggested that Jericho play other positions, or pitch against older players or in a different league."

If he's that good and has league backing then he should've already moved to another team / league / age group / whatever. This situation seems forced and pointless

[Tossica]

I agree with Drem. There are other leagues this kid can play in where everyone would probably have more fun, including him. There's no sense putting him up against a bunch of beginners. It's stupid.

[Martrae]

It's stupid they gave the kid and his team no other option. Get rid of the pitcher or we're disbanding the team? How is that fair?

[Drem]

Because there's only 100 players spread out over 8 teams. That offers enough people to play the field and be left with two or three kids for relief. It'd be better for the teams to have one or two more players a piece

[Gypsiyee]

I don't know - it says he's great at pitching sure, but that doesn't mean that he can field a line drive from the fat 12 year old named bubba who can hit it like a truck.

It's a social sport, and they're alienating the kid just because he's good. It sends a message of rewarding mediocrity, and that's horrible to teach. It also sends a message to the other kids that when someone is exceptionally talented, all you have to do is gripe about it and they'll go away so you can look better.

Little league is an opportunity for kids to get to know each other, learn from each other, and have fun - how is this kid going to make any friends if he's just told he needs to go play with kids completely out of his age group? How are the other kids going to have the opportunity to get any better if it's permissible to just whine that they can't do it? Kids do that all the time - they're not good at ballet, they quit and switch to softball - they're not good at softball, they say they can't do it and cry to mom to switch them to soccer. They're children - that's what they do.

This kid is by no means the fastest pitcher in his age bracket in the whole US - it's not that uncommon to have a 9-10 year old pitching 40 mph, and it is even less uncommon on all-star teams post little league seasons. This is the only league handling it this way, that's why it's news.

[Zanchief]

I don't this league is as beginner as it's made out to be if it has a slew of local sponsors. The fact that the coach of the reigning champion team is the one making the most noise makes me think this has very little to do with either the welfare of the kids, or the integrity of the league.

[Gypsiyee]

well we had local sponsors when I was in a pretty non-competitive little league when I started playing softball (sersiously, we were the pricebuster panthers), so I'm not sure how much that has to do with it, but I definitely agree that this is more centric around the coach etc than it is around his actual ability because like I said, 40 mph isn't uncommon at all. It's good, sure - good enough to get him to the all-star team, but not so amazing that he's like some super ringer.

[Tossica]

It's FOX.

I assume they are making a bigger deal out of it than it really is for dramatic effect.

[Diekan]

It's stupid they gave the kid and his team no other option. Get rid of the pitcher or we're disbanding the team? How is that fair?

Isn't that pretty much how far left liberals in general think? No individualism allow. The same thing is happening in the classrooms. Wasn't there an article a while back about how some schools are taking kids crayons, etc and putting them in huge bowls for all to share?

By the way I say "far left" liberals because I believe the average liberal has more sense than that. This type of nonsense is Pelosi liberal, not the average Joe liberal.

[Zanchief]

As apposed to the far-right conservatives who are all mindless sheep to religion and their government? Any individualism is deemed unpatriotic.

This isn't a political issue.

[Tossica]

How the fuck is saying "Hey kid, you are too good to be playing with these chumps" somehow holding him back? It's no different than taking a genius kid out of regular classrooms and putting them somewhere where they can be challenged. If the ENTIRE point of organized sports is to WIN at all costs, then yeah, I can see how you'd all have your undies in a bunch over this but I thought that at a little league level, the idea is to teach teamwork and give the kids a chance to have "fun" while getting excercise and learning to do something they can take pride in.

[Drem]

Bingo

[Maeya]

He's being told that he's not allowed to play with kids in his own peer group because he plays the game too well. If he refuses to move, or if the coach refuses to let him move, they are going to disband his team as punishment. If I recall correctly, they don't disband the 4th grade if the genius kid doesn't want to leave the classroom to go off to his advanced classes.

[Evermore]

this seems to be growing...

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/8495030?MSNHPHMA

[Zanchief]

How the fuck is saying "Hey kid, you are too good to be playing with these chumps" somehow holding him back? It's no different than taking a genius kid out of regular classrooms and putting them somewhere where they can be challenged. If the ENTIRE point of organized sports is to WIN at all costs, then yeah, I can see how you'd all have your undies in a bunch over this but I thought that at a little league level, the idea is to teach teamwork and give the kids a chance to have "fun" while getting excercise and learning to do something they can take pride in.

They didn't move him into a new league, they disbanded his team and told him he can't play anymore.

This isn't about the welfare of these kids, or how much fun they can.

[Tossica]

So what is it about then?

Seems to be about making sure EVERYONE has fun, not just the super kid and his team.

The kid's probably on steroids.

[Zanchief]

It's about this whiny brat of a coach that doesn't want to lose.

[Tossica]

It's about this whiny brat of a coach that doesn't want to lose.

I doubt it. It's more likely about a bunch of parents that want their kids to have fun and actually have a chance to hit a ball that's pitched to them.

It just doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me.

[Gypsiyee]

It's one team.. it's not like they don't have the chance to have fun and hit the ball against the other teams, is it? When I played little league I only played the same team twice. Two games a season is not going to ruin their fun, and what about the Jericho's fun? He doesn't matter because he's good?

These parents are making mountains out of molehills.

I completely agree that it's about a whiney coach that doesn't want to lose.

Furthermore, Diekan - please don't turn this into a left/right issue. I think it's safe to say that at minimum, Zanchief and I are pretty freakin liberal, and I don't think your generalization fits here at all.

[Tikker]

around here, if a kid is too much better than his age group in hockey, they tend to promote the kid to the next age group

theory being that it doesn't do him any good to always dominate (makes him lazy etc) and it helps the rest of the league in terms of parity