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

[nelll]

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer Aug 25, 8:37 pm EDT

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)—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.

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. They say Jericho’s coach, Wilfred Vidro, has resigned.
But Vidro says he didn’t quit and the team refuses to disband. Players and parents held a protest at the league’s field on Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch.

“He’s never hurt any one,” Vidro said. “He’s on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?”
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.”
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.

“I think it’s discouraging when you’re telling a 9-year-old you’re too good at something,” said his mother, Nicole Scott. “The whole objective in life is to find something you’re good at and stick with it. I’d rather he spend all his time on the baseball field than idolizing someone standing on the street corner.”

League attorney Peter Noble says the only factor in banning Jericho from the mound is his pitches are just too fast.
“He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower,” 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.”

Noble acknowledged that Jericho had not beaned any batters in the co-ed league of 8- to 10-year-olds, but say parents expressed safety concerns.
“Facing that kind of speed” is frightening for beginning players, Noble said.
League officials say they first told Vidro that the boy could not pitch after a game on Aug. 13. Jericho played second base the next game on Aug. 16. But when he took the mound Wednesday, the other team walked off and a forfeit was called.

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.
Local attorney John Williams was planning to meet with Jericho’s parents Monday to discuss legal options.

“You don’t have to be learned in the law to know in your heart that it’s wrong,” he said. “Now you have to be punished because you excel at something?”

Wow!!! That's not fair, the guy is good, I say let him play dam it.

[IceNine]

I think that it sucks SUPER bad that they did that to the kid... he's good, shoot him.

Maybe he can move up to a better league or something.

[HamsterDance]

This just shows you how much things have changed in such a short amount of time. When I was a kid playing Little League I was a pitcher and I had the best ERA in the league three years running and no one ever said a negative word about it. I am also a college professor and you won't believe some of the things the students parents try to pull sometimes. People never used to do that. You got your grade and if you didn't like it you understood why and tried to do better next term.

[Neo991lb]

You know.. If I were the parents of the kids facing the guy, I would bring my kids to a freaking batting cage and tell them to man up. What a bunch of freaking pussies those parents are.. supporting a team-wide forfeit and walk off because they're facing a really good player? What an awesome message to send to kids- if the going gets tough, it's ok to quit. God that kind of spineless parenting pisses me off. I played hockey for a number of years and there's ALWAYS a stacked team but you try to get better and compete.. you DON'T turn tail and run.

[Dweedlebug]

But it's dangerous!!! Nevermind that the league probably hasn't banned sliding into base with metal spikes on...


Their precious little snowflakes weren't able to hit off the guy, so the parents had to have that guy removed. Heaven forbid if their crotch-fruit failed at something.

[HamsterDance]

I also noticed that the league GM said the kid has not even recorded a hit batter yet. So their claims about him being dangerous are baseless.

[CaptainCanuck]

He should go up a notch to a better league. If all he does is strike out every kid up against him or they back away because they can't see the ball because he throws so hard then they aren't learning how to hit and his team mates aren't learning how to play defense or even having to hit much to win .
Also,at 9,the game is sposed to be fun.
If its a developmental league then he's too good for it.
It's not like hockey where a really good player has to stay in a certain league because he weighs 100 pounds less than the guys in the next one up.

[Chief]

Assanine, The next thing will be not keeping score at all so noone gets their little feelings hurt............

[miDnIghtEr]

weird... when i was young, i was pretty good at baseball. good enough to skip a level of the little league. we had t ball, farm, minor b, minor a, and majors. i skipped minor b, went from farm to minor a... i was the youngest kid in the minor a's, but that was to compensate for the skills. why don't they just move this kid up a league?

[Jimmy Smith]

The Incredibles put it best

"Its phycotic they keep find new ways to celebrate mediocrity but if someone is truely exceptional"

[nickherum]

Way to go America. Nothing like telling a kid that because he's talented and has worked hard that he can't play. What great lesson to teach him.