NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player - too good, it turns out. The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said. The controversy bothers Jericho, who says he misses pitching. "I feel sad," he said. "I feel like it's all my fault nobody could play." Thats B/S, no kid should feel that way!!! http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/8488564/9-year-old-boy-told-he's-too-good-to-pitch
That's not right... let the kid pitch! He's got potential, let him play. its not his fault he's that good.
Thats just wrong. Now you're taking experience away from a kid who might actually have a future in this. Even worse making him feel bad.
You either got one kid being miserable or 20 kids being miserable. Both sucks. I've coached youth teams for a long time (not baseball but the point is the same) and I've seen my share of kids who were so good they'd take out the opposing team all by themselves. Maybe fun for them (though I'm having my doubts about that too) but certainly no fun for the 20 or so crying kids who were looking forward to a game and getting totally blown out. Let the kid play on an older team where he's actually getting competition to improve and let the other kids have their fun.
You don't get better by playing people who are the same as you, or those who are worse. The pitcher shouldn't have to switch, though he should as it probably would be more fun. However, these other 9 year olds will never get any better without trying. There will always be people who are better at things than you, does that mean you give up whatever you are doing when someone else can do it better? What kind of message is that?
That's exactly why it makes preciously little sense for the pitching kid to play against kids who won't hit a single one of his pitches. They won't get any better if their tries are bound to fail. It's a bit like putting Mike Tyson up against a 16 year old. The 16 year old won't learn a thing other than that he's not going to box against Tyson anymore. And yes, giving up on a futile effort is an important message. I want my kids to be challenged not overwhelmed.
so once hes gone, are they going to not let the next best pitcher pitch either? i understand it from the other coaches and parents perspective, but i dont like it... there is always someone who is the best in any sport/league/competition/whatever... kids need to learn sometimes there might be someone better than you, either work harder to get a hit off the kid or suck it up and strike out going down trying your best...
Batting practice. Batting cages routinely have 35 and 40 mph cages, that could certainly prepare you for 40 mph pitch one you get the 35 mph down. Not to mention, you could practice bunting. This kid might throw fast, but I doubt he has a full repertoire at 9 years old. The pitches are gonna be straight man. You stick you bat out enough times you are bound to make contact. Bound to fail? I don't even know where you get that. They are all in the same age group and experience it seems, some just have more talent (like everywhere in life). Comparing a 16 year old with a seasoned boxing vet is ridiculous. These kids aren't getting in the box with Randy Johnson here.
No it's not. The differences in physical ability can be astonishing in that age group. I once coached a 10 year old in soccer who had the shot of a pretty strong adult. Opponents actually refused to play against him so I can relate to that story somewhat. At one point, he broke my goalkeeper's forearm during practice - on a freekick from about 12 metres away. It was a lot like watching Tyson fight a schoolgirl, I can tell you that.
Basically your telling kids that if they are too good to play they might as well quit. What kind of message is that? Instead of trying to get the other kids better, you encourage them to not improve by eliminating competition? Thats almost as absurd as the story I heard about the girl B-ball player that was first not allowed to play with other girls for being her age, so she had to play with the boy leagues. Then they tried to get her banned from the boys league because she was better then them as well......
Yes because in society today kids aren't allowed to win or lose to get trophies or titles because other kids might "feel bad". Everybody is lumped together in this perfect little vanilla world of equals where the worse player and the best player get the same accolades. Don't get me wrong kids that just aren't good should get credit for trying - but don't hold back the kids that excel. I don't know about any of you, but failing at something made me try harder to do it better. When I lost at ANYTHING it just pissed me off and made me work harder to get better so I wouldn't have to experience that feeling again. People who are given things come to expect to always be given things and will never work hard to get it on their own. I don't know where I made the change from sports to the welfare system - BUT IT STILL FITS!
Yeh, I'm not a huge fan of the winning isnt everything approach either. A little competition never hurt anyone.
They made us read a book in middle school called 'The Giver'. The part I bolded reminds me of that story.
First off. I want to know where these kids are playing where 40 miles per hour is too fast. In a league I coach in, 40 mph is pretty routine and the best achieve upwards of 48 and 49. The University of Miami sent two scouts to watch a 10 year old throw 60+ a few years. Was he dominant? Absolutely. Was he unhittable? Absolutely not. And he was beat several times that year. Second. Your taking valueble experience away from all of these kids. The pitcher is missing out on experience. He may be much better than everyone else but he could still use the experience to sharpen his mechanics and control. And then work on a changeup, etc. An the kids he's facing have a chance to face someone who is better than them. That might not sound all that great, but I guarantee you, no matter what level you play at, you will always face someone who is better than you. That experience is valuable. That is how you improve yourself.
I remember playing pee wee football and when the season ended and the trophies were handed out how good it felt to get one. This trend to make everyone 'equal' so to speak is going to, IMO, raise a generation of kids that will have no real drive to excel. What's the point? If you get the same recognition as the weakest link in the chain, there's no motivation for improvement.
I remember losing the (baseball) league championship when I was 7, but winning it the next year as an 8 year old. I worked hard the whole season because I didnt want to lose again. I hated watching those kids celebrate. That work ethic stayed with me all through my playing career. Had I been given the same trophy and felt "equal" to those kids that beat my team the year before who knows how things would've turned out.
"WTF ?" was my reaction when I read this in the Miami Herald this morning. You see, I was (and still am) the worlds worst athlete. I have zero skills at throwing, catching, hitting or tackling. I mean ZILCH ! And I was always the last kid picked to be on a team, and sometimes it was even the coach telling the other kids they HAD to take me onto their team. It was all very humiliating.....but I never once stopped trying The worst was in Jr High wrestling.....I remember once, Coach Johnson just looked at me, and then looked at who I was matched up with (Fabiano Gonzalez, probably the best athlete in the school) and said "forget it Clements, you don't have too". I got P.O.'d and told him no, he wasn't going to that to me, as it was more humiliating than losing, to not even try. So we went at it, and Fabiano predictably beat me very quickly. But after the match was over, Fabiano, who never spoke to me, or even acknowledged me as a living breathing person before that day, extended his hand and helped me up off the mat. From that day forward he always said at least hello to me, and even a couple of times walked home from school with me. We didn't become "best buddies" but I think I gained a bit of respect from him, because at least I tried. That respect was worth it, and the feeling that I wasn't a coward. I may not be able to beat him, but I wasn't going to run away scared either.
