The New Haven (CT) Youth Development League should be disbanded after its disgraceful treatment of 9 year old pitcher Jericho Scott and his team mates.
What exactly did these Einsteins do?
Did they ban Scott for being too old? No. Did they throw him out for using drugs? Starting fights? Bullying teammates? Swearing at umps? Head hunting? None of the above.
They banned the boy from pitching, because he throws too hard! Because some lawyer's little thumb sucker can't hit Scott's 40 mph fastball.
The league lawyer -- since when does youth baseball need a lawyer??? --- told the AP:
"He [Scott] is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower," [League attorney Peter] Noble said. "There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport."
What a bunch of wusses! Somebody might actually get their uniform dirty. Somebody might get a bloody nose! Some poor little nine year old might actually...cry! Think of the horror, the devastation, the lifelong psychodrama that would cause in households across the Greater New Haven area!
Sadly, this is the norm. There are little leagues, development leagues across the country that do not keep score. That, in lieu of putting too much pressure on the youth of America, do not put any pressure on the youth of America.
These kids are young men. They are going to have to learn, somehow, someday, that getting a bloody nose or a dusty uniform isn't the end of the world. They're going to be our future leaders for Cripes sake! And all these lawyers and overprotective parents are concerned about how these poor babies feel!
As if Scott isn't being punished enough, the league has seen fit to disband his team, divvy up all its players to the other teams, and erase their accomplishments! I kid you not!
"Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it."
Well, the whole $5,000 ought to be refunded. The sponsors of these teams ought to insist that they be refunded, and the parents who did this ought to be ashamed.
Kids are tough. Kids want to compete. They learn through disappointment as well as victory. Sure, every kid who has ever played a competitive sport wishes they could win all the time. But you know what? It ain't ever happened yet. Not in baseball. Not in basketball, football, cross country, swimming, archery.
Remember that story about Francona being blamed for Os closer George Sherill going on the DL? This is how we got there, folks. That same mentality. We baby our players from wiffle ball right on up to the big leagues, and the game is suffering because of it.
Let these boys grow into men. Quit meddling and let them learn the game. Let them grow up. Learn respect. Learn honesty. Learn that while winning isn't everything, you better give your all if you're going to settle for a loss.
What these parents, lawyers, administrators are doing has ripple effects. it's not just a sport on some diamond in suburban New England, it's got implications for the whole darn country and the values we as Americans have shared for 230+ years.