9 yr old Jericho Scott told he's too good to pitch

[eanelson4]

If all the parents let their kids take from failure is sadness, then they are losers. Failure is something that happens to everybody and is a great way to learn.

[Fatter than Joey]

I guess the flipside of all of that is: what good will it do teaching them to quit when things are too difficult?

 

That is not taught. Kids get frustrated. They need to hit 20mph before they hit 40 mph.

 

The league that this kid in Connecticut is in must be some sort of rec ball league or something.

 

Exactly -- there has to be a more appropriate league for his skill level.

 

I guess I also have to wonder whether this was an issue of genuine fear for the kids that had to face him, or instead more that the parents saw the children disappointed because they had no chance of success, and didn't like their kids facing iminent failure.

 

My guess is that the parents as a whole probably wanted to play and the coach made the decision. The league made a ruling, and the other coach didn't abide by it, I can understand the coach pulling his team.

 

Failure is something that happens to everybody and is a great way to learn.

 

It isn't the best way to learn. No one learns how to swim if they are thrown in a river if they have never swam before.

[datrain711]

FTJ- I definitely respect the way you are bringing out the parents and league's perspective in this. And I also agree that failure isn't always the best way to learn. However, I find more fault with the league administrator's than the coach. Maybe the coach was wrong for not abiding by the league's ruling, but the fact that adults decided to ban someone from pitching is mind-boggling to me.

 

I wanted to know what your opinion is on the actual pitcher than? Its something he loves to do, and he has done nothing wrong. However, it is obvious that the spectacle of the opposing coach pulling his team off the field when he took the mound is having an effect on him. There is a quote in the original article where he says he feels sad becaues he thinks it is his fault that nobody got to play the game.

[statman0007]

I get your point that the kids need to learn to hit 20 mph before they can hit 40 mph, but it's no reason to not let the kid pitch. I read somewhere that it's an eight team league these kids are in...which means that once in every seven games the kids will be facing a very tough opponent. I think that their development will not be hindered if they are challenged once every seven games.

 

The first baseball league I played in had kids from 2nd to 4th grade in it. As a 2nd grader facing mostly 4th grade pitching, I got destroyed. I got maybe two hits the entire year. I still had a ton of fun though, and kept practicing and getting better. The next year I was about a .300 hitter and the year after that I was mashing home-runs every few at-bats. I think the key was that my coaches and my parents didn't tell me that it was unfair that I was facing kids two years older than me. They just encouraged me and praised me for things like making contact and playing good defense. These days, parents want their kids to succeed right off the bat, and don't want them to have to work a little bit to have success.

[eanelson4]

You don't learn to swim by watching from the shores either. Seeing as these kids are at such a developmental stage, they will catch up to the pitching eventually. Like Statman said, its an 8 team league. They could get their wacks in against the "20 MPH pitchers" for 6 games and have a chance to face an elite pitcher to test their skills the other one.

[bjkrautk]

I can't decide which side I should care less about:

 

- The manager who continues to pitch the kid despite being instructed not to, or

- The parents who don't like seeing one kid that much better than their kids.

 

...I can't even bring myself to care enough to read the story.

[Fatter than Joey]

However, I find more fault with the league administrator's than the coach.

 

Perhaps -- I guess it depends on the parameters of the league -- If the league is a competitive league I can't begin to believe that they wouldn't let the kid pitch. If the league is a rec league designed to get kids exercise and introduce them to sports, and try to get kids active, I can see the rule being put in place.

 

I wanted to know what your opinion is on the actual pitcher than? Its something he loves to do, and he has done nothing wrong.

 

The kid did nothing wrong -- none of them did -- this seems to be 100% on the adults. I am guessing Jericho Scott would have rather played SS as opposed to not playing at all.

 

If Jericho was my kid, I'd put him in a skill-appropriate league. I did just that with my son in FB. I felt like he was at a skill level higher than his peers in our tiny town, so I put him in a bigger program so he can get challenged.

 

There is a quote in the original article where he says he feels sad becaues he thinks it is his fault that nobody got to play the game.

 

I'm sure all the kids were bummed -- I am surprised Jericho's coach was insistent that he pitch at the cost of the 10 other kids on Jericho's team, and I am surprised the other coach pulled his team -- and that both of these knuckleheads couldn't work something out.

 

I think the key was that my coaches and my parents didn't tell me that it was unfair that I was facing kids two years older than me. These days, parents want their kids to succeed right off the bat, and don't want them to have to work a little bit to have success.

 

I think everyone is being presumptuous that this is a competitive league and not some sort of rec league. If this is a competitive league I would tend to agree with your sentiments.

 

I have a son that is a pretty solid athlete -- I like to see him challenged, and he is always playing against kids 2 grades higher than he is. My expectation as a parent is that my son learns to mash, and plays to win.

 

On the other hand, I have a daughter that suffers from severe epilepsy -- For her to get on the field and focus enough to make it through an AB, is an accomplishment in of itself. My expectation for my daughter is that she has fun, yet is safe, and learns to enjoy physical activity. My daughter's case is a bit extreme, but a lot of the girls she plays with are either obese, scared, tiny or otherwise not genetically designed for competitive sports. I am pretty content to watch these girls have fun, and if a team brought in a girl that could pitch at a higher level, I'd probably be pissed as well.

 

You don't learn to swim by watching from the shores either.

 

Yes you do and should. Eventually you have to get into the water, but I can teach more to a kid about hitting w/o live pitching, than a kid facing live pitching, is ever going to learn if he is overmatched.

 

Seeing as these kids are at such a developmental stage, they will catch up to the pitching eventually.

 

100% False. Some kids won't. I would recommend you coach a team of 9 year olds some time.

[statman0007]

I'm guessing it is a rec-league, but I don't think that fact should stop a talented player from playing. A lot of places don't have traveling teams or other "competitive" leagues at that age-level, since they are supposed to be developing their talents. That doesn't mean that some players shouldn't be able to excel more than others, though.

 

I like your suggestion of bumping him up a level if he wanted that. The thing is, he might be playing with his friends and feel uncomfortable playing with older kids who he may not know. Along with developing baseball talents, rec-leagues are also about building friendships and doing things with your peers. I'd hate to be the person that told him he couldn't play with his friends because he's too good.

[eanelson4]

You don't learn to swim by watching from the shores either.

 

Yes you do and should. Eventually you have to get into the water, but I can teach more to a kid about hitting w/o live pitching, than a kid facing live pitching, is ever going to learn if he is overmatched.

 

Seeing as these kids are at such a developmental stage, they will catch up to the pitching eventually.

 

100% False. Some kids won't. I would recommend you coach a team of 9 year olds some time.

The teams would still have practices and 6/7 games against a team with a non-elite pitcher. This is where the kids can fine-tune their skills. They can practice technique off the tee, soft-toss, etc. Then they can get a chance to face a really good pitcher to see if it all pays off. In a good sized league like that, it seems that too much emphasis was placed on one player.

 

As far as them catching up to the pitching, I wasn't necessarily referring to that season. I am saying that maybe they'll get worked by this one kid all year. Next year, however, they (being the hitters) could grow 4 inches and gain 10 lbs and hit his pitching all over the place. Do you then stop the league because one kid is hitting too well? Yeah, he should probably be placed in a more advanced league (assuming they have one), but the fact that the kids can't hit his pitching is not a reason to punish everyone by halting league play.

[bigredrobbo]

Here's the thing I don't understand. We encourage "fair play" and "everyone wins really", all the while protecting from failure. Then, at some point, this changes. When does it change? I don't know, but I know that "this is America, there has to be a winner and a loser" is prevalent. Heck, there are STILL people with their panties in a bunch about the tie in the All-Star Game in 02.

 

Mixed messages? You be the judge...

[Fatter than Joey]

I'm guessing it is a rec-league, but I don't think that fact should stop a talented player from playing.

 

It doesn't -- They only asked him not to pitch. In my son's 4th grade FB, kids over 95 lbs, can't carry or handle the ball. It's a rule, so the big kids don't hurt the little kids I guess.

 

I'd hate to be the person that told him he couldn't play with his friends because he's too good.

 

Well, again I moved my son out of town to play FB, the Scott's could have done the same. If it was important to develop his pitching they should have moved him to a different league, if it was important to play with his buddies, he should have played SS. From the quote below, you can see that the Scotts had other options.

 

At the end of the day, Scott doesn't benefit from striking out far inferior players anymore than the batters benefit from facing him.

 

League officials say Jericho's mother became irate, threatening them and vowing to get the league shut down.

 

"I have never seen behavior of a parent like the behavior Jericho's mother exhibited Wednesday night," Noble said.

 

Scott denies threatening any one, but said she did call the police.

 

League officials suggested that Jericho play other positions, or pitch against older players or in a different league.

 

Then they can get a chance to face a really good pitcher to see if it all pays off.

 

Your arguments are rather idealistic, and I think apply only to competitive leagues, if even that. Until you have coached boys at a rec league level, I would humbly submit your arguments are only based in your ideals.

[Houlie24x]

I'm pretty sure that when I was 7-8 the pitching machines we used for games was set at 35mph.

 

Just a point of clarification -- when you go to the cages -- the 35 mph arm, and the 70 mph arm are generally the same distance away from the batter -- this kid is throwing 40mph from 46 feet, which makes the ball seem a lot faster. Just about any 9 year old could hit 40mph from 60'6". Hitting 40 mph at the cage and 40 from 46 ft can be 2 different things.

No, we used pitching machines for our games instead of having the coach pitch or having a kid with no control on the mound. The pitching machine was set at the mound which would be the same same distance a kid would have been throwing from.

[Fatter than Joey]

The pitching machine was set at the mound which would be the same same distance a kid would have been throwing from.

 

My bad, I thought you meant at the cages.

[RockCoCougars]

just another disgrace in how we handle things in this country. It is now more important for our kids to all feel good about themselves then engage in fair competition. The parents on other teams, coaches, and league officials should be embarassed. Do they really think they are helping out their kids by basically telling them that if something is too challenging than they will remove that obstacle so the kids don't have to experience failure

I agree 100%. The people who don't want this kid to play are the same ones that want to ban strikeouts and not keep score. Kind of defeats the purpose of sports...