I think the real factor is mentioned about midway through the story. We moved my daughter to a bigger league 2 years ago and no one knew her. Three weeks after the "top teams" had started practicing, we were called and told to meet our team. We were told we had no coach and as an expansion team had to find 2 sponsors, one for the league and one for our team. After seeing my daughter practice that night I was pulled aside and told to ride out this season and next year they would move her to the "top teams" since she was good. I promptly pulled her out of the league.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?”
I was called the next day and asked to reconsider, they told me they could move her to a better team and I explained that would be the opposite of what I was trying to accomplish. I was horrified that winning a under 10 division was more important then developing young players. We moved to an even bigger league that puts all players in a draft and also counts points for pitchers so it is fairly even.
I ran into a guy who was on the team we left. They lost every game badly that year, but he recruited a number of talented young players in the off-season, he was winning the league and the "top teams" were upset that he did not put those players into the main draft.
Unfortunately I also hate the other side of this, which is giving everyone a trophy. There has to be some kind of middle ground between psychotic parents and league officials, and awarding everyone something.
It's like I'm talking to fucking monkeys here sometimes.
we fking suck this shouldnt even be coming up as a story...R we the US or what?
