[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

I think you were talking to me, if not I'll answer it anyway If I was on the board I would have asked what the reason was for asking for that kid to be removed from the pitching position.
1) How many kids has he hurt?---None
2) How many kids has he hit with a pitch?---None (from what I have read)
3) So what is your complaint? ---We can't beat them when he pitches.(or something along the same lines)

If you were on the board, why did you let him join the team in midseason to begin? Why would you allow a player already participating at a higher level, play down on his nights off from his real team?

My answer to the above would have been, get your kids in the batting cages and work them on hitting fast pitching. As a rec league board member I have no reason to support the decision to ask him not to pitch. You only get better by facing better players, and to water down the league (remove star players) so that everyone is about the same level is not doing anyone any good.

Maybe you have missed the point that this is solely a developmental league, not supposed to be a competitive league though obviously some coaches believe it is. In a developmental league, from youth ball to professional ball, the "all stars" are quickly removed and placed at a higher level because there is no challenge for that player to face.

That is a big issue I have seen in my experience in rec league. Few coachs want to work very hard, or teach very hard. They want the teams all even so that they can say "look at billy, do what he does" instead of honest to goodness teaching kids the basics. Not sure if it is lazy, or they don't know, or can't teach but I have seen it a lot. And anytime there is a team that has a star pitcher the other teams are at a loss. Step up, get an adult that can pitch and have them throw the same speed, crank up the pitching machine, whatever it takes teach the kids to raise themselves to the level they need to in order to compete.

Exactly and when they can compete, the move up. As previously noted, this kid is already UP and moved down assumedly to satisfy the egos of his coach and parents.

And bottom line if you can't beat that team there is a life lesson, some people have more ability than you....learn it early it will save you a lot of pain later in life!! Some people are smarter, "see" things better and will always rank above you in certain things. Hard work can get you closer, and maybe even past them if you keep working hard....life is not fair and sometimes you lose. An important life lesson that is more important that knowing how to hit a ball...to me rec league ball is just as much about teaching life lessons as it is teaching them to play ball. And this example is a bad one to teach kids...if you can't beat 'em get 'em kicked out! (I know he wasn't kicked out just removed from pitching, didn't flow as good in the statement)

Thank you for proving my position. One of the "life lessons" that should be instilled in the youngster is to improve to move, get better and look for the challenge that will take you to the next step. It shouldn't be, "I'm not good enough to beat the players that challenge me, so I'll go beat up on the kids I know are beneath my level of play". In my neighborhood, someone who did that was considered a bully. In sports, it is known as sandbagging. And in amateur sports, sandbagging is considered such an offensive maneuver, every organization of which I am aware maintains certain levels of classification based upon age, class and/or ability/desire to compete.

Take your pick, but either way, this kid's parents and coach should be taken to task as much as the champion coach which tried to recruit him.