Too Good? Too Bad…
By Glinda
Angry and upset that their children cannot hit a baseball thrown by a fellow nine year old, parents forfeit the game and leave him standing on the mound, looking at an empty home plate.
Is this a scene edited out of The Incredibles?
No, it happened in the Newhaven, Conneticut Little League! Just last week!
Because Jericho Scott is so talented, they want his team to disband and be redistributed among the other teams. Except for, I’m assuming, poor Jericho.
I don’t know what makes me feel worse about this story. Is it that Jericho is essentially being punished for excelling at pitching? Or that the parents from the other teams chose to impart a very harsh lesson upon a child, even though they claim it was the safety of their own children at stake? It’s a toss-up, really.
Although Jericho has never hit anyone, his top spitching peed of 40mph made some parents nervous. I get that, I really do. But is he not supposed to pitch to the best of his ability?
Or is it really a case of Jericho being just too good?
Do little Danny’s parents get upset because his team gets shut out every time they play against Jericho’s team? Is Danny depressed because he is not yet good enough to hit pitching of Jericho’s caliber?
Oh well.
Get used to it, young Danny.
It’s about time parents got their heads out of their collective derrieres and taught their children that they will not always be the best at something. That even though there is someone better than them (and trust me, 99% of the time, there will always be someone better than them at something) it doesn’t mean they can’t try hard and do their own personal best.
And even if their own personal best doesn’t get a home run, or even a single, that it is ok. The earth will not spin off its axis. It just means that you put your head down and try harder next time.
Nobody likes to lose.
But learning how to lose, and how to be a gracious loser, is one of the most important lessons we can teach our kids.
I would not be surprised if soon young Jericho is forced to relocate to another city, change his name, and become an insurance salesman.
Just so everyone else can feel better about themselves.
Thanks to Dr. Nic for the story idea!
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I can’t believe this is real. The parents won’t let their children play with him because he’s too good? They want his team broken up???
It’s the frickin’ Apocolypse.
And a good thing, too, under the circumstances.
Those parents need to be beaten in Times Square. On television. What’s the lesson they’re trying to teach their kids? Strive for mediocrity? Oh, wait, they want Jericho SCOTT to strive for mediocrity; they want their kids to learn if you cry and kick your feet and complain that “it’s not FAIR!” if someone’s better than you are, that you can spoil things for everyone.
It’s a proud moment for parents in Connecticut.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:54 pm
It is a sad story indeed. Yes, demoralizing if he strikes everyone out so quickly. But what about learning to try to hit the ball anyway? It’s a good skill.
Don’t worry, he’ll get the last laugh. That kids going pro, and he’ll have more money than the rest of them combined.
September 4th, 2008 at 3:28 am
The poor kid. And the poor OTHER kids on his team and on the opposing ones. I mean, nobody knows better than this old baseball fanatic the satisfaction of smacking one over the wall and doing a glory run around the bases, but at some point you do, you know, face somebody better than you. That’s the game. That is the nature of games.
For children to be arbitrarily removed from playing a game they love for reasons unrelated to the appropriateness of their game conduct and sportsmanship is appalling. And I say that as someone who got removed from the school baseball team because I was a girl who’d turned twelve.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:46 am
I do think there’s another side, but I also agree that this was handled badly. The solution isn’t to ban the kid from playing; it’s to find him somewhere he can play at his level and be challenged.
I’ve never been a sportsperson, but my understanding of fair play is that, when you can more or less effortlessly trounce your opponents every single time, it’s only fair to them and to you to find tougher opponents. Because there has to be a “sporting chance” or else it isn’t… sporting.
September 4th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Who says they wouldn’t be able to hit off of him? I know that kids can go to batting cages that pitch 40mph, so it isn’t completely out of the question. I’m wondering if it is more the parents’ problem than the kids themeselves.
September 4th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Sad, but considering the current state of things, not surprising. Excuse my language, but the kids whose parents pulled them out of the game are going to end up being whining pussies when they get older. Kind of like their parents.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
Isn’t the slowest pitch speed at the batting cage 40 MPH? I was going to the batting cages with my mom when I was no more than 8 years old! These kids shouldn’t have too hard of a time getting their chops up.