Is it ok to commit violence to NON customers???

[Crazeyal]

I read this and GOD am I glad I'm not involved. I would SO go to jail over this, even if it WASN'T my kid!!

9 year old banned from playing BECAUSE HE'S TOO GOOD!!

[Rine]

I think I understand the situation.

If I was nine or ten years old and wanted to play ball, I'd be intimidated to play against someone that pitches that fast. The kid is obviously far above the normal level of play for that age level. I understand the frustration for the kids on other teams...who would want to play knowing that they would probably lose? What nine year old kid can hit a forty to fifty mile per hour baseball?

I'm not entirely sure what the right course of action is in this kind of situation. I can understand both sides of the story. I feel for everyone involved.

[Pedersen]

I've got to side with the really fast pitcher here.

He's good, by all accounts.

Part of playing a game of any sort is being capable of accepting a loss. Another part is playing to win even when you have every reason to believe that the game will be a loss by your team.

I'll just point to American football for a minute: Every year, there's some team that sucks. Badly. To the point that they will only win one or two games. And yet, they get out there every weekend to play.

Wait, irrelevant, since they get paid, right?

Okay, put me in front of any first person shooter game. I suck. I'll be lucky to finish the session with a positive number in my kills column. But I'll still have fun.

I'll play sports, too. Even though I am roughly as coordinated as Flipper doing the 100 meter dash in the desert. Why? Because I'm there to have fun. And the people around me are what makes the game fun. Winning helps, sure, but it's not required, not by a long shot.

And the other kids need to accept that.

Bah, probably babbling a bit here, sorry.

[lordlundar]

Ah but you make a good point. He's good. Really good. He's not breaking the rules or anything like that, so why should he be punished? It's no different if a kid was suspended for consistently scoring 90s in his/her classes.

Gotta dislike a setup that encourages mediocrity and punishes people who excel in their skill.

[the_std]

The only point I will give them in all of this is the safety concern. A ball going that fast could cause some serious damage. But they refute that themselves by pointing out that he has never hit anyone with his pitches, never missed his target. So, once again, it becomes the adults trying to protect the children from what could happen, which could prove dangerous in itself.

[Titi]

I won't give into the "safety concern" that was mentioned. The parents only said that because their babies would most likely not hit the ball, lose the game and then come home crying about it and the parents would actually have to parent and tell them that world is not fair, sometimes life throws you a curve ball, and all the other things that they don't want to. (Remember VRS's post about the lost teddy bear and how they would have to send the kid to therapy to recover.)

[marasbaras]

The safety concern is garbage.

However, the article did mention that it was a development league. If this is the case, the highly-skilled pitcher needs to be moved to a more appropriate league.

Remember, folks, this isn't the School of Hard Knocks ... this is kids' sports. Let them have fun ... and, because kids grow and gain skill at different rates, place each child in the appropriate league for their abilities.

[MystyGlyttyr]

There was this one team that we played against when I was in school, and they were ridiculously good. We're talking beat us by 40 or 50 points (basketball) every time.

It eventually got to the point where, rather than play them seriously, we just started fucking with them during the game, "tripping" and pulling their shorts down, "accidently" beaning them in the head with the ball, etc. (Real mature, I know, but hey, we were 12, what do you want?) We still lost regardless but it was more fun for us to just humiliate/maim the other team than let ourselves get humiliated by losing so badly.

I hate to say it but it might be safer for the good athlete to get moved into another league where he won't get singled out like that. Kids are nasty, vile things and they will eventually turn on him like we did the good team.

Still, an outright ban is a bit much. Especially reading this line...

Jericho’s coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league’s administrators.

That is just slightly weird...

[draggar]

I saw this the other day and was disgusted. The kid is good and he didn't want to transfer to the defending champion team and after then did they want to ban him.

They mention that the kid is not only a fast pitcher, but he has CONTROL of the ball which is more important.

This kid, if he keeps his interest in baseball, has potential yet these "adults" (and I'm using the term loosely) are thwarting that potential and pride he has in the game.

So now are pro sports going to start doing this? Sorry Ken Griffey Jr, you're too good. Sorry Babe Ruth, you're too good, you can't play.

[simpleyme]

have any of you ever had a child on a sport team? OMG the other parents are horrible I thanked the lord when my son was done with baseball , he is grown and plays on his employers team now

my 12 year old daughter is in junior cheer leading it is run by parents and it has been misrable

last year was the first year we joined the parents did not like the coaches and got everyone fired( fired for volunteer positions?)(the coach was actually great and did a fantastic job was a volunteer with no kids on the team I guess she just did not show enough favoritism to certain bitchy moms beloved spawn)

this year my daughter is the oldest and since none of the coaches all being new and have never done cheer before, and the coach last year that was "fired " did not give the new coach her notebook full of cheers my daughter was the only one that knew the cheers

so you would think that her showing the cheers and helping others would be appreciated? no she was told by the cheer coordinator ( who just so happens to have a fat child who does not know any cheers) that she was not a coach and was to refrain from helping and was to sit back and take instruction only or be kicked of the "team"

parents are such bad sports I just hate it , they are jealous and whiney

after this cheer experiance we will not be involved with any more sports that are not ran by the school

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

So now are pro sports going to start doing this? Sorry CC Sabathia, you're too good.

Corrected for more gooder accuracy.