N.Va. Boys' Championship Dream Doomed by a Moment of Vengeance

The Washington Post ^ | 11/4/06 | Timothy Dwyer

[T-Bird45]

The South County Raptors, a scrappy football team made up of 12- to 14-year-old boys from southern Fairfax County, were supposed to meet the Herndon Hornets today in the first round of the county playoffs.

Instead, the Raptors are at home, their season over with no possibility of a championship after a league commissioner fired the head coach and the assistant coach this week. Their offense? They moved the commissioner's son from defense to offense for the final game of the season last Saturday, an overtime win that put the Raptors in the postseason.

[Petronski]

Folks, please don't feed the trolls.

Agreed.   I'm done with that.

That's exactly what's going on here.

[Petronski]

I just love that tagline. LOLOL

[NittanyLion]

The problem is that, so long as you accept the premise of the logical fallacy (which is the either-or fallacy in this case, with a dollop of oversimplification thrown in for flavor) you have fed the troll. For example, would you agree that kids should be taught to respect the law? O.K., the government of Germany passes a law that says you have to turn in for execution every Jew you know. Are you going to teach your children not to obey the law (how shameful!)?

Well stated. I think you're exactly right as to what's going on here.

[robertpaulsen]

I would respond, but I'll instead follow your advice and not feed trolls who pop up late in a thread like a Whack-A-Mole with Nazi analogies.

Godwin's Law in action.

[robertpaulsen]

"He fired the coaches; that broke up the team."

Don't be misleading. He fired the coaches. The team broke up the team. Their choice.

[OKSooner]

That kind of stuff is more common than you'd think. I heard a story about a particular school here in my home town where "all the wealthy folks" send their kids - a particular dad said "If my kid doesn't play, the lights don't come on."

No different from ordinary boorish little-league conduct, except with a veneer of class and the power of the $$ behind it.

[Petronski]

Sorry, I'm done feeding trolls.

[Petronski]

By breaking up the team, the commissioner did the equivalent of "I'm taking my ball and going home."

Definitely his right, but also childish and asinine.

[beezdotcom]

The coach never should of accepted the terms offered.

The coach never should HAVE accepted the terms offered. I agree - I would never coach for a jerk with that attitude. Even so, the coach thought he HAD lived up to those terms, based on his understanding of those "terms".

Ask the commissioner's SON which jerk let him down.

[Lancey Howard]

Surreal.

[Dante3]

I've heard similar stories in other sports also. There was a story on the Internet how a chess coach or parent, I forgot which, threatened to sue to keep a girl - who won it according to the rules - and substitute his kid. The association caved and included also his kid.

[Dante3]

You make a good point. Seems such a promise would be awfully stupid to make or demand. Yes, what if the kid does get hurt, is late, breaks team rules, etc.? And to fire a coach when the team is about to go into playoffs?

[beezdotcom]

Definitely his right, but also childish and asinine.

Exactly. Whether or not the coach actually agreed to what he THOUGHT he agreed to, the RIGHT thing to do is coach in the manner that is best for the team.

Oh, but he should "live up to his word", some say? How far does THAT logic go? What if he had agreed to do something MORE egregious, like direct one of his players to deliberately injure another player? Should he still "live up to" doing the wrong thing?

[beezdotcom]

Comparing someone to a Nazi is needless in most cases.


Most, but not all.

[Petronski]

Players and coaches together make a team, and this one was on the way to a championship. But sometimes commissioners are just childish pricks.

[vladimir998]

I agree, but he apparently really does "own" the team.

[Tax-chick]

That kind of stuff is more common than you'd think.

It probably is. Fortunately, our children aren't in team sports, so we don't have to deal with it personally. My oldest daughter was doing horse jumping for a while, and may start again next year when she can drive - our schedule got too crowded! Some of the other kids run. And they're all in Boy or Girl or Cub Scouts.

Scouting doesn't seem to bring out the worst in parents the way these sports do!

[Rifleman]

I would be kind of interested to know if the rest of the players and their parents knew that the goal of all their money and sweat was, "the entire league exists so he can play defense on the best team in his weight class"

Such an agreement was not the coaches' to make or the commissioners to demand without the knowledge and agreement of the other participants.

[StAnDeliver]

"4. The coaches will be coaching again next year, in a different league"

5. Hinkle will be watching from the sidelines next year as a parent, not as a commissioner, after the FCYFL fires him and bans him from any other role within the league.

[StAnDeliver]

9.08 Player Participation

9.08.01 The player participation policy of the American Conference is that each player shall participate in every game for a significant portion of the total game time. Although a specific number of plays or time requirements are not required in this conference, it is the spirit and intent of the League that all Players participate fully. Teams participating in this Conference shall not select players that will not play a significant portion of each game.

9.08.02 The player participation policy of the Central and National Conferences as well as the Anklebiter Group is that each player shall play the entire game, either on offense or defense, except in case of an injury or sickness. The purpose of this rule is to allow every rostered participant to play the entire game.

9.08.03 Full compliance with the participation rule is mandatory. Coaches found guilty by the Rules Committee for not complying with this policy will be disciplined. Specific sanctions may include fines, forfeiture of games, suspension of coaches, exclusion from League post season competition, and expulsion from the League by the Board. Complaints shall be filed in writing through the Club Commissioner to the League.

Hey Bobby, rules are a bitch, aren't they?