9 year old banned

[emap]

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-toogoodtopitch&prov=ap&type=lgns

Good greif shoot me now. I was going to not comment but I can't help it, just shoot me before americans get any more pathetic.

 

[Frostbyt3]

What the...?

*scratches his head* That's just... y'know, I can't even wrap my brain around it. It's kinda surreal.

 

[Belegon]

This is truly ridiculous.

As a little league coach, I absolutely guarantee you that this was not done without the coaches and parents being in control.

Sure, there were kids that were scared or dismayed. There were also kids on that other team that were going, "I can hit him, coach!"

This bothers me immensely and I think that any adult associated with this should be ashamed of themselves.

 

[emap]

Yes thank you for being level headed enough to make a comment that fits what I was thinking both of you.

I swear before the shoot me thought.

I am really hoping the rest of the little leagues are looking at this and going what the hell. Reminds me, don't they have a central committee overlooking all of little league or something?

 

[impressive]

Rather than "allow" the kid to play in a higher league, I think they should require all those "intimidated" by him to play in a lower league. I bet that'd shut up the parents who complained.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Yes thank you for being level headed enough to make a comment that fits what I was thinking both of you.

I swear before the shoot me thought.

I am really hoping the rest of the little leagues are looking at this and going what the hell. Reminds me, don't they have a central committee overlooking all of little league or something?

This wasn't a "Little League Baseball" (reg tm) team/league but a locally controlled youth sports league operating under suggested national guidelines that emphasis developement and participation over competition.

That said, IMHO, league officials acted like jerks, punishing a team and player for being too good after eight games had been played.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[Zeb_Carter]

I see the problem as the returning champion team wasn't going to be the current champion team, so the sponsor whispered in someone's ear to get that kid out of there.

If the kid had taken the position on the champion team, not a word would have been said...IMHO.

 

[R. Richard]

This is truly ridiculous.

As a little league coach, I absolutely guarantee you that this was not done without the coaches and parents being in control.

Sure, there were kids that were scared or dismayed. There were also kids on that other team that were going, "I can hit him, coach!"

This bothers me immensely and I think that any adult associated with this should be ashamed of themselves.

Anyone who has been invovled with youth sports knows that, [There were also kids on that other team that were going, "I can hit him, coach!"] There were also kids thinking, "I can't hit him right now, but gimme a couple more at bats and..."

 

[Belegon]

I see the problem as the returning champion team wasn't going to be the current champion team, so the sponsor whispered in someone's ear to get that kid out of there.

If the kid had taken the position on the champion team, not a word would have been said...IMHO.

Having been involved in youth sports for some time and being aware of the cutthroat competition between the adults, I agree.

However, it was "sold" to the other parents (i.e. the 'non-political' ones) and the kids as being about safety... I'll betcha.

It is absolutely and utterly ridiculous in any form though.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

Having been involved in youth sports for some time and being aware of the cutthroat competition between the adults, I agree.

However, it was "sold" to the other parents (i.e. the 'non-political' ones) and the kids as being about safety... I'll betcha.

It is absolutely and utterly ridiculous in any form though.

That poor, poor kid...

How awful to be told it's BAD to be GOOD!

 

[impressive]

How awful to be told it's BAD to be GOOD!

Oh, I don't know about THAT.

 

[lil_elvis]

So it ain't so, Jericho.

 

[DesertPirate]

Rather than "allow" the kid to play in a higher league, I think they should require all those "intimidated" by him to play in a lower league. I bet that'd shut up the parents who complained.

I like your style kid
The article in my paper this morning put the blame squarely on politics in the league

 

[jomar]

I like your style kid
The article in my paper this morning put the blame squarely on politics in the league

Yeah. The kids may be intimidated by the guy, but they just want to play. Parents and politics can really screw up a good thing.

 

[Guest]

I just read that... I was like ohhhhh come the f*** on.

That's a message we want to be sending to kids.

 

[TE999]

Why am I not surprised by this?

There are factions of parents who wish to remove all competitiveness from youth sports because someone's feelings may be hurt if they lose or some such twaddle. Everyone must get a trophy so no one feels left out.

This foolishness is yet another example of 'feelgoodisim' that is slowly ruining youth sports. Imagine banning a player because he makes other people lose. Perish the thought!

If Chicken Little was to run about in panic today he'd cry "Mediocrity is rampant."

 

[rgraham666]

But on the other hand there's the fact that sports offers unlimited opportunities for a child to be damaged physically and mentally by sports.

I grew to dread sports when I was a kid. Playing baseball meant I constantly had to watch out for 'badly thrown' bats and balls, often from my own team. I still have a dent in my head from such an incident.

Football meant I got knocked to the ground and trampled on, in touch games. Hockey meant I became a poster boy for examples of high sticking, tripping and spearing.

The teachers' reaction to this was, "Don't do that." to the perps. To me, "Why don't you toughen up?"

No wonder I don't like sports and distrust authority figures.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I see the problem as the returning champion team wasn't going to be the current champion team, so the sponsor whispered in someone's ear to get that kid out of there.

If the kid had taken the position on the champion team, not a word would have been said...IMHO.

I am inclined to agree with you but, anyhow, why not have him compete in the higher league, if he is good enough? Generally speaking, leagues are broken down by age groups because older kids tend to be better than younger ones. Nine year olds are not able to compete with 12 year olds, so they play with others their own age. However, this kid is an exception to that general rule, so why not move him up to where he belongs?

 

[sutherngent985]

This kind of shit is the reason I gave up coaching kids. All the kids want to do is have fun...the parents make it life or death. WINWINWIN is all you hear from most of them. I made myself a promise long before my son was born that there is no way he would be involved in this unless he wanted to and if he decided later that he wanted out fine by me.

 

[emap]

But on the other hand there's the fact that sports offers unlimited opportunities for a child to be damaged physically and mentally by sports.

I grew to dread sports when I was a kid. Playing baseball meant I constantly had to watch out for 'badly thrown' bats and balls, often from my own team. I still have a dent in my head from such an incident.

Football meant I got knocked to the ground and trampled on, in touch games. Hockey meant I became a poster boy for examples of high sticking, tripping and spearing.

The teachers' reaction to this was, "Don't do that." to the perps. To me, "Why don't you toughen up?"

No wonder I don't like sports and distrust authority figures.

I distrust authority figures but dang I always liked playing football, we would go out into the field, or forest depending which was closer when we got together with a football and play, we tackled. Great fun, lots of bruises and laughs, a few fights of course. Though it got ruined when I started getting breasts, lots of groping that I wasn't wanting.

The forest games were rather epic in scoring terms, it's rather difficult to stay on your man when he darts around a tree and you follow only to trip on a root. Not to say he didn't trip either sometimes, and of course being kids the football was on many occassions thrown to a tree, they can't catch at all.

Tell you the truth, I think most of the problems people are having with kid sports and playgrounds, namely banning tag and such is the people saying these are wrong are the ones who were teased constantly and couldn't play them to begin with. I admit being picked last sucks, I was picked last many times, I sucked at baseball, I couldn't throw very well and hitting was more of a once a blue moon thing. But everybody has weaknesses, the faster kids realize this, the better they are going to adjust to having a job say.

 

[rgraham666]

Well, when the point of the game became "How can we hurt Rob?" rather than "How can we win this game?" I kinda lost interest.

 

[maggot420]

I wish I could throw a 40mph fastball

 

[jomar]

I wish I could throw a 40mph fastball

LOL I usta throw hard, then I got old and went to a elementary school carnival that had a fast pitch-radar gun game. Lemme tell you about my glory days...

 

[Corylea]

God, Rob, I'm so sorry to hear about your experiences. The teachers and coaches who didn't protect you should have been removed from their jobs, pronto.

I thought I had a terrible time in gym class, but at least the other kids "only" tried to hurt me emotionally.

*hug*

 

[rgraham666]

Thanks. I got through it. And came out better for it. For the most part.

Some scars are never going to heal though.

*HUGS*