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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.
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I was kind of split on this. I hate that adults interfere with kids and ruin their games, but I can understand somewhat if there are safety concerns. But then I read a bit more.
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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.
Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness. The team was 8-0 and on its way to the playoffs when Jericho was banned from pitching.
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Crap crap crap. A 9 year old played 8 games for a team that he chose, he pitched each game, never striking another player. By all accounts the kid is on target with each and every pitch. This is about parents being too competitive, not about kids' safety.
If the kid had gone the whole season, played each game, and won the championship without breaking a sweat I would suggest the parents move him up to the next age group. But to let a kid get 8 games into a Little League season and then decide he has to go? Uh uh. That's fishy.
Maybe I'm a little oversensitive to this because of my experiences with Lil Lookout, but this just stinks. This cannot possibly be a decision made "for the kids". No kid was ever damaged by realizing there are some players that are just a bit more special. In fact, I would suggest that most players benefit by playing with and against that special player. It can help motivate them to work just a bit harder. This is just a sign of weak coaching and pisspoor parenting. The other coaches don't want to figure out another way to beat this team and the parents don't want to admit their kid might not be the absolute bee's knees at everything they do.
When did we become a nation that seeks to remove the exceptional from our sight rather than work hard to climb to that new high level?