9-year-old boy told he’s too good to pitch

[NDboy15]

9-year-old boy told he's too good to pitch - Yahoo! Sports

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.”

What the hell has become of this country?

 

[SoCalDomer]

it was very apparent this year when my 3 year old son took his first instructional class that kids of all ages mature differently. there were kids older than him who had less attention span and less physical ability. there were kids his own age who ran much faster and threw much better.

i don't know whether the coach, the league and his parents handled this right, but at 9 years old you no doubt have kids who may not even be able to get out of the way 40 MPH pitch if it were thrown at them.

i don't care if the reporter says the kid wasn't wild; if he's 9 years old he doesn't have control yet. control is one of the hard things to learn.

you could have kids out there that it's their first time playing baseball. not only is the risk of getting hit in the face significant, it also becomes a matter of helping the kids learn to play better. how many of these kids can hit a 40 MPH pitch? according to the news piece this was an instructional league, not a competitive league.

why the coach pressed the issue after the league asked him to just play a position doesn't make sense to me.

but i suspect that his is another situation where if we had more facts, we could probably understand this better. news reports are so short and so incomplete (often times facts are left out intentionally).

also, when i played little league there was always the option of moving a kid who was really advanced up a level or moving kids down a level. surely they could work something like that out here.

 

[NDboy15]

That is true, safety and I see what you mean.


Yeah, Why make such a big deal and just move him up to the 11-12 year old age. The competition would be better for him in the long run and all the chaos of quiting and forfeiting could be stopped for that league.

 

[brownkj002]

This is bush league. The kid should be able to pitch . We need as a society to stop coddling the youth so much. God forbid a little league kid strike out and hurt his/her confidence.

 

[davidtro99]

as was mentioned by socal, it may be difficult for a 8-10 year old to get out of the way of a 40 mph pitch. i have been coaching little league for 9 years, and have 2 state titles in the 9-10 yr old division. the idea was floated to move the player up to the next level (will probably happen next summer for him) it is equally challenging to get out of the way from a ball smoked by a 12 year old up the middle when the pitcher is standing 45 feet away. i was struck twice this year by 2 different 12 year olds in the right leg from a ball that was hit up the middle and there is no time to get the lower body out of the way.

to tell a kid he is too good to play is asinine. (spelling?) a job of any coach is to develop players to be the best they can be. and there is something to be said for mound time in an actual game.

am i being told this is the oldy 9 year old in the history of youth baseball that has ever thrown 40 mph. might as well sign him to a contract in the bigs now. apparently that is where he is headed.

also for $5 you can buy a face guard at any local sports shop. if the parent want to protect their players, spen the $5. little league will be making these mandatory on helmets in the very near futre anyway, just like the double first basebag.

let the kid pitch!

 

[davidtro99]

oh yeah! and the coach that forfieted should be repremanded. there are ways to play a game under protest, he robbed his players of an opportunity to rightfull beat one of the better team in their league. anybody can be beat on any given day. esspesially at that level. teach the kids to bunt. make the defense work. play the game coach.

 

[Sureal]

You don't give kids F's, everyone gets a trophy, there are no losers and everyone wins...

We haven't seen the apex of wussification of our young people.

It's going to get worse people...

 

[tko]

sounds like me. nobody could touch me in little league but i still was able to pitch and dominate. honestly i dominated all through high school and beyond until i realized i wasn't going to make in the big leagues. kicking a kid out of little league is so absurd. he'll get his opportunity to shine and face competition in the coming years. i hope he stays positive and has a solid family to support his talents.

 

[AlbuquerqueIrishFan]

This league sucks. Let the kid pitch. Safety is not an excuse, you just get a head guad as previously mentioned. This is disgusting.

 

[Shamrock44]

This is absurd. I'm speechless.......

 

[donjuan]

One major point curiously left out is, the mainstay of the the league committee, also is the coach of a championship little league team who was spurned by Jericho, who wanted to play with his friends. ESPN reports that this coach made numerous attempts to pry Jericho away from his desired team. Now, since none of that worked, a mid-season banning is declared. Ironic isn't it? Might we have a jeolosy issue here as Jericho's team was 8-0 and on their way to a championship game?

 

[JeremyND07]

I do not even see 40 MPH at that age level a big deal. My son just played in a league for 10-12 year olds and they had 3-4 kids throwing in the mid 50's. The kids might as well get use to seeing pitches at that speed!!! They are only a year or two away from seeing it all the time! I have coached my son from 5 all the way up in all sports and kids these days are wimps, period! When I was growing up there was always one momma's boy in the bunch. Today half the team is momma's boys!!!!

 

[goldandblue]

Let the kid pitch. Or let him play up.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

Its absolutley ridiculous not to let the kid pitch.

 

[goldandblue]

I do not even see 40 MPH at that age level a big deal. My son just played in a league for 10-12 year olds and they had 3-4 kids throwing in the mid 50's. The kids might as well get use to seeing pitches at that speed!!! They are only a year or two away from seeing it all the time! I have coached my son from 5 all the way up in all sports and kids these days are wimps, period! When I was growing up there was always one momma's boy in the bunch. Today half the team is momma's boys!!!!

That's because too many daddy's are too lazy to get out a play in the yard with their kids or not around at all.

 

[JeremyND07]

That's because too many daddy's are too lazy to get out a play in the yard with their kids or not around at all.

VERY good point! I am very active and enjoy play basketball, golf, etc with my son but I know a lot of his friends dad's do not get of there butt to do anything with their sons!! The foundation of obese America starts with lazy dads!!!!!!

 

[goldandblue]

To be honest I couldn't agree more. I'm the same way with my son. Even though he is only 19 months old we are constantly doing stuff outside hitting the tball or what ever. I'm going to use your quote for my signature if that's ok with you!

 

[ChubbyCubbie]

Yet another example of all kids should be winners. At some point, most kids will not make a team, or win a championship and the kids will be destroyed. Kids need to be taught that they will not always get there way and they need to confront challenges head on and not rely on their parents booting kids and/or changing outcomes.

 

[daytonirish]

I really don't understand why they wont let the young man pitch. I understand safety issues. But to think that this is why they won't let the young man pitch is riduclous. Like was said in another post, if your concerned for your childs safety by a face guard, or get off your but and teach them how to plat the game. Being a small person in stature, (5'8" 145 pounds age 45) while growing up my dad was asked almost every year that I was supposed to move up to the next age group if he wanted thm to hold me back for a year. His response was why would I do that, if he wants to play he plays the game with kids his age. I for one am glad he did.

 

[ACamp1900]

I agree with So Cal about moving up and down levels... but come on... to bascially not let the kid play is flat wrong... Hate to say it but this is another grad example of the extreme liberal shift in this country... those who work hard or have any kind of advantage are punished for it while everyone else is given a nice big "it'll be all right' hug... I agree with the original post COMPLETELY... short, sweat and to the point...

what has happened to this country???

 

[ACamp1900]

Also, as an elementary school teacher I have to say... stop babying, enabling, and empowering our children!!!!

We HAVE to get back to the old school, "Shut your damn mouth, sit the hell down!! let your balls drop and freaking deal with it!" additude we used to have for centuries... one freaking hippie movement and 40 years later the nation has lost all back bone... yet these same hippies wonder why teen pregy's, violence, crime, drug abuse and an overall lack of family values have all been an issue since the 1970's


(end rant)

exhale

 

[JeremyND07]

To be honest I couldn't agree more. I'm the same way with my son. Even though he is only 19 months old we are constantly doing stuff outside hitting the tball or what ever. I'm going to use your quote for my signature if that's ok with you!

No problem! Keep staying active with your son...even when your knees and back kill you afterwards!

 

[brownkj002]

Also, as an elementary school teacher I have to say... stop babying, enabling, and empowering our children!!!!

As a fellow elementary teacher, I say amen. Stop being a best friend and start being a parent. Your child should revolve around your life and not the other way around.

 

[JeremyND07]

As a fellow elementary teacher, I say amen. Stop being a best friend and start being a parent. Your child should revolve around your life and not the other way around.

I will cherish the day my life does not have to revolve around my active kids lifes!!! In order to support kids that are in athletics it is hard for your life not to revolve around your kids, period!!!

 

[ACamp1900]

I will cherish the day my life does not have to revolve around my active kids lifes!!! In order to support kids that are in athletics it is hard for your life not to revolve around your kids, period!!!

I thin he was referring more to overall family structure being PARENT centered, not that you shouldn't go out of your way to be a good supportive parent