The coach whose team walked the batter made the correct decision. The other team's coach made a decision to let the injured child play. Either letting the kid play was more important, or winning was more important. If the former, then the result is as it should have been. If the latter, he shouldn't have put the kid in the lineup in the first place. This is the losing coach projecting the blame for his own decision onto the winning coach.
A. It was well known that the kid in question had brain cancer. In fact, he was wearing a batting cap even when he was on the field. The child in question was also in the regional papers
B. "If the latter, he shouldn't have put the kid in the lineup in the first place." So are you suggesting that ill and disabled kids not be able to play Little League? Even if the coach wanted to bench the kid, I don't think that Little League rules allow him to.
I think that the uproar isn't about the fact that the team lost; I think that it's about the fact that the winning team humiliated a child with brain cancer. This is Little League, not the World Series, and the action of the winning coach was tacky and uncalled for.
What coach bats his weakest hitter right behind the big slugger? Let's see: David Ortiz, DOUG MIRABELLA, Many Ramirez...
When my kids were this age and playing little league it worked quite differently from what you and I probably remember.
9 played the field, but every kid was in the batting order. 12 showed up, 12 were in the line-up. 15 showed up .....
I have no problem with the walk, thats baseball.
However, if your going to go along with this touchy feely crap, then don't put a sick/injured/whatever kid in this position, make a rule that disallows the intentional walk.
Unintended consequences ??
I'd prefer going back to baseball.
You cannot blame the winning coach. With a man on third and a good hitter up and weak hitter warming up, the correct call is to walk the batter. The losing coach could've put in a pinch hitter, but undoubtedly THAT would have created even more of an outcry. So, them there's the breaks.
I agree with Verum Ago, the story is the kid who survived cancer. Keep practicing kid and maybe next year you'll be the power hitter!