Nine year old boy told he's "too good" to pitch

Zapp Brannigan · 08-26-2008, 02:56 PM

He's a kid, he wants to play with his friends.

MetsFan · 08-26-2008, 03:16 PM

You really think that's the case Zapp? I've coached from tee ball through Babe Ruth and have seen stuff like this happen over and over again no matter if the age is 5 or 15 or somewhere in between.

And, even if that is what he wants, unfortunately you can't always get what you want (but if you try sometime you just might find, you get what you need .. aw yeah ... you get what you need - oops, sorry about that, back to the discussion ...). A 'developmental' league is there for just that ... to develop kids who need work on their baseball skills or who are not physically developed enough to play in little league. He does not appear to fit into either category and probably should not have been in that league to begin with. Once there, though, I do agree that they should let him pitch if other 9-year olds in the league are allowed to pitch. There's just a lot more to this story, I'm sure, than the mom, etc., are trying to portray (particularly when you see the comment about two teams wanting him to play for them and the mom calling the cops to try to get them to let the kid pitch - wtf?). It's more than "they won't let my little boy pitch because he's too good." There's a lot of adult drama going on beyond that - trying to win an 8-10 year old league championship for god sake.

Zapp Brannigan · 08-26-2008, 03:29 PM

Then why, oh why, did the league champion (defending) offer him a spot on THEIR team....then, the coach of the team and the president of the league now rule right before the playoffs the team couldn't play.

supersoad1 · 08-26-2008, 03:52 PM

that's ridiculous. i guess mlb teams should forfeit when they go against CC sabathia or K rod

MetsFan · 08-26-2008, 04:08 PM

Originally Posted by Zapp Brannigan

Then why, oh why, did the league champion (defending) offer him a spot on THEIR team....then, the coach of the team and the president of the league now rule right before the playoffs the team couldn't play.

Did you miss the part where I said once he was in the league they should let him pitch? Or the part where I said this all has to do with the drama of ridiculous adults worrying about winning the championship of freakin' developmental league for 8 to 10-year olds (in both directions - his parents & coach wanting him to play there and the other coaches/teams that tried to get him and are now trying to get him excluded this far into the season)? I agree that since he's in that league now and of the proper age, etc., he should be allowed to pitch. I was simply pointing out that this is not a case of "sissifying America" or equivalent to making a kid move up to another league for older kids as some have suggested. And that the poor kid was put in this situation by adults who weren't looking out for his best interest & should have put him in regular little league right from the beginning. Their cry about him just wanting to play with his friends is likely only a smokescreen.

homerdindon · 08-26-2008, 04:12 PM

I was thinking the same thing as you legridder. 40 mph for a 9 year old isn't the most unreal thing I've ever heard of. I know when I was 10 there were people in my All-Star games throwing in the well into the 50s. It's not like the kid is throwing 70 or something ridiculous like that.

OldShamrock · 08-27-2008, 10:57 AM

This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport.

Sooo, you're promoting the sport by disbanding a team and punishing the best competitor??

Another example of bringing down the special people to make everybody special so nobody is.

Just a wild guess, but I'll bet the 'league attorney" didn't complete in sports as a kid.

Adults can really ruin things for kids now, because they have the need to filter the experience through their own sense of judgement. A couple years back I had big kid on a little league team I coached who threw 72 as a 12 year old, which is the equivalent of 103 in MLB when you factor in distance. And his control wasn't the best either. Nobody complained. Thank God that league's parents understood that the games were for the kids to play, not for the parents to watch and mitigate.

MetsFan · 08-27-2008, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by OldShamrock

Another example of bringing down the special people to make everybody special so nobody is.

I completely disagree with that assertion. It's a DEVELOPMENTAL league - which by definition means it's for kids that aren't so good yet. If the kid is good enough to dominate a DEVELOPMENTAL league, then he should be in the regular league (where, guess what, he wouldn't dominate anymore but be just an average player for his age at the proper level for his age and ability). I don't think this situation has been handled well by anyone directly involved, but it is not an example of bringing down a special/talented person so that s/he is equal to everyone else.

OldShamrock · 08-27-2008, 11:19 AM

Originally Posted by MetsFan

I completely disagree with that assertion. It's a DEVELOPMENTAL league - which by definition means it's for kids that aren't so good yet. If the kid is good enough to dominate a DEVELOPMENTAL league, then he should be in the regular league (where, guess what, he wouldn't dominate anymore but be just an average player for his age at the proper level for his age and ability). I don't think this situation has been handled well by anyone directly involved, but it is not an example of bringing down a special/talented person so that s/he is equal to everyone else.

I'll agree that the kid should be moved up to the regular league. Isn't that what this league is for? You develop, you get good, you move up. If that is what this developmental league is for, then move the kid up for cryin' out loud and move on.

But you're inferring that just because its a developmental league, there should be complete competitive parity. In any league, developmental or otherwise, there will be a kid who is the most skilled and a kid who is the least skilled. If this kid moves up, there will be another who will be the most skilled in the league.

So you promote the kid. You don't punish him. When you punish him, you're sending the message that to be exceptional is not a good thing.

MetsFan · 08-27-2008, 11:31 AM

I agree with most of what you're saying. And I don't think there should be complete competitive parity, but I do think that the whole premise of "he's being punished for being too good" as suggested by his mother, the article, and some of those commenting on here is off base. The whole situation has been handled poorly and the kid is suffering for it - but there is a responsibility for that suffering that falls upon his parents and coaches because he was obviously already good enough to not be in that league before he ever signed up this season (hence the two teams, including defending champs, competing for his services). It's not just the league's fault - that's all I'm saying.

Moreover, as others have stated, he is not "exceptional". He's actually maybe a little above average for his age. They've made him "exceptional" by putting him in a league with kids who are below average, young, or inexperienced.

Nine year old boy told he's "too good" to pitch

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