Here's a link to more pics - slideshow gallery
Posted on 08/25/2008 5:44:23 PM PDT by Teflonic
NEW HAVEN, Conn. —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.
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
A kid who can throw that fast should a more than a few good people watching.
I have a question for you. What I didn’t get from the article is whether or not there is an age limit in place determining the level the kids can play.
I know very little about baseball and softball. I’m going by the rules and policies in place for volleyball (rec, club and school), soccer (rec, travel, school), lacrosse (rec, school), basketball (rec, school). For example, in Club volleyball, a kid regardless of age has to “play up” meaning the kid has to play on the team that’s in accordance with her skill level even if she’s 13/14 and the rest of the team is 17/18. Happened to my oldest. She was always the youngest by 2 or 3 yrs. But in school ball, she had to play according to the school policy/rules so even if her skill level was varsity(7th/8th grade) she had to play jv if she was in 5th grade. High school is different in that when she was a 9th grader, she was playing Varsity anyway, etc.
In Soccer (rec council), another one of my kids has to play in the 12 yr old year league regardless of her skill level...she isn’t allowed to play in the 10/11 or 13 yr old league.
So my question is what’s the policy or rules for this particular league? Is he permitted to “play up?”
That’s what is sounds like to me but the article doesn’t give enough info.
Well it seems a little strange that the article doesn’t mention his height or weight, much less a picture. If he’s 7’7” and 275 pounds maybe that’s something, how are we to know?
Mr. Rogers generation.
My eleven-year-old nephew has a hot arm, and you are right: he’s had scots sniffing around him since he was nine years old.
Pitching is hard, and not many people can do it.
This is how liberals react to something. Instead of confronting it, they abolish the whole game, road, program, etc.
Cowards all! And the kids suffer because of it.
That should read “scouts”. I don’t know if any of them are Scots.
After 10 years here at FreeRepublic I have learned that when attached to the term “FEMININE PERSPECTIVE” the comment is rarely meant as a compliment. If I’ve misunderstood your intention, I apologize.
"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."
Here in lies the problem. 9 years old and he's getting recruited so he joins whatever team he and his parents see as best for him. The only way to solve this is to have a draft and or random lottery for players. Somehow parents and coaches always manage to manipulate this system too. No one wants their talented little one on a losing team, even if it's by chance.
If I were that sponsor I would pull the team out of the league, and then publicly announce willingness to play all comers. My business would bask in the glow of publicity.
That's unfair to Fred Rogers.
But seriously, I'm from Mr. Rogers' generation as well (dude lasted a long time), and when I was playing Little League, if there was a kid who was dominant with the fastball (which there were - I still remember names), and some grownup started whining about how that kid was pitching "too fast", I would've thought that grownup was crazy.
40 MPH BY A 9 YEAR OLD IS NOT THAT FAST.
I have baseball camp every summer and one of our contest is radar gunning throws per age group. Several 9’s threw over 40, the winner this year was 47. What it points to is the weakness of the league. Of course when it was described as an 8-10 co-ed developmental, it sounds like more of a “fun” league that competitive.
As a dad and a coach, if this kid isn't being challenged the mom needs to move him up to a higher level of play. you don't get better throwing a good fastball by poor hitters. If he doesn't move up he'll develop poor habits and him and mom will develop some every unrealistic expectations for his future in baseball.
That would have nothing to do with his skill level, imo. However, I know very little about baseball.
I was questioning whether or not he was allowed to play up regardless of his age. The article made it seem as if he were allowed to play for a different team but didn’t mention an age policy. Is the team the same age but just a more skilled team?
How sad...
MY 9 year old faced another 9 year old that was topping out at about 57 mph. The guy was a HOSS (Texan/Bonanza for HUGE), but we faced him in the play offs, and even though we lost, we managed to hit off of him rather consistently.
I guess thats the difference between Texas League and normal Little League...
Here's a link to more pics - slideshow gallery
Sounds like this league is full of sissy momma's boys.
#23
Well said. This female/mother of 4 athletes agrees that excellence should never be punished and is something to which all can aspire. Same goes for academics, imo.
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