Little League pitcher ousted for being too good

Sandra Rose August 26, 2008

A Connecticut little league team was disqualified because its pitcher was deemed too good to play against other teams. The team, Will Power Fitness, streaked to an impressive 8-0 record largely on the strength of 9-year-old Jericho Scott’s arm.

But the stuffed shirts at the Little league office in upper crust New Haven asked the coach to replace the youngster as pitcher because other teams were intimidated by the kid. Of course the coach balked at the odd request and the team was quickly disqualified.

Y’all know it’s because the kid is black, right? Had this been a white boy he would be hailed as a Phenom or the next coming of Babe Ruth.

This story made my blood boil when I read about it yesterday. Instead of encouraging this little prodigy to follow his dreams, they made him feel unwanted for being too good. Where’s Rev. Al Sharpton when we need him?

(Source)

terika83

Sandra I am SOOOO with you on this. This makes me VERY angry! How could they even allow the team to be disqualified??? He’s not breaking any rules…he’s doing what he’s SUPPOSED to do! This is an outrage…foreal and you are right, had he been right all praises would have been hailed….SMHHHHHHH
terika83

*white!
MAJAHINEVERYWAY

My blood is boiling too. Hopefully, his parents will continue to encourage him to keep playing. My boys play little league baseball too for a predominantly white recreational center. There is always hate going on when your children are excelling especially in baseball. They expect it with basketball and football. This is a disgrace.
Sharonda

Disqualified for being too good?That’s like going on punishment and you made an A on your spelling test (regarding to children).This make no sense.As a parent I would question this.
http://www.myspace.com/iyonah iyonah

I agree w/ you Ms. Rose! This story pisses me off. I hope the team goes on to be able to qualify and win during the playoffs. As long as the parents keep encouraging their son, hopefully he won’t be to damaged by this sitaution. It’s sad that you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t when you’re a minority. Even children are directly affected on a continuous basis because of RACE! Based on the reports, the family and team have a lawyer so I expect more to come with this story soon. SMH – It’s like for every 5 steps forward we take 20 back with situations like these.
starr

I agree with you sandra. When that big azz kid was pitching in little league a few years back, they had him signed and playing for the yankees. Nobody wanted to disqualify his azz.

I hope the kid keeps playin. Stuff like this mames me mad.
http://www.myspace.com/thegameoncw Bird

I think I saw this story on CNN, but didn’t read it because the title alone was stupid. This is ridiculous and ripe for a lawsuit.
shunda

This makes no sense and people wonder why our black young men feel like they never have a chance. An incident like this can scar a kid for life.
pointhimout

see boys and girls, the man starts keeping the brutha down at a very early age. Ridiculous. Talent is talent.
vipatlstyle

Are you serious? Like I really don’t want to believe this, but it’ probably true. I wish they would have told one of my kids that. Wait I don’t have any kids, but if I did they would have to call in the FBI special tactical enforcement, if such department exist. If my kid isnt playing nobody in the whole division would be playing, ya dig?

That’s how I do,
VIPATLSTYLE
Kymystry

Wow… Sandra gave the lil Brotha props for being BLACK .. she didn’t call him Bi-Racial or latino …

now to the topic … he’s in Conn.. He’s Black … and they Mad …

Martha Stewie lives in Conn .. went to Jail came ot and her “empire” is larger than eva.

The Parents need to Sue with the quickness … this is ReDamnDiculous. !
Detroit48205

I dont think it was because the kid’s black… its because he can throw 45 mph which to me is a little too fast for LL….
katgirl33

Yeah Sandra, this was some bullshyt right here! Their team was 8 – 0…they disqualified the team for the rest of the season, and are trying to disband the whole team. Just read in the paper that the team let him play anyways after the ruling first got handed down……the opposing team forfeited the game.
brenden

The worst part about this story is I have little cousins who play in lil league and the boys there pitch in the 40-50 mph range. Which means this young man is throwing balls at a very avg speed. So the fact that the parents are having hissy fits means either theres a conspiracy against this little boy, OR these people are raising a bunch of lil…No it’s not about the kids its the parents,,,A bunch of punk b*tches is what they are. Let these kids be kids.
kalvonel

I was too pissed when I read about this. Yet “white” folks want to wonder why black people don’t trust them. it’s s**** like this that convinces me that most “white” americans are closet racist(s). Then to try and justify by saying this one kid discourages other beginners –

‘“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.”’

The whole premise behind any sport is competition and personal growth. all the other kids and parents need to learn how to teach their kids to be heathly competitors instead of whinners who opt to cut/ban competition simply cause they are not on the same level.
BlkButterfly

I was chatting with my Bro who lives in CT about this matter and this story is a little twisted…

This story is a lil wrong: his team didn’t get disqualified the team they were playing packed up and left…her’s the story:

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.

[+] EnlargeAP Photo/Douglas Healey

Officials with the Youth Baseball League of New Haven say they will disband Jericho Scott’s team because his coach won’t stop him from pitching.

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?”

o this was on the news last night and this morning it’s on espn’s front page too,
Mzsuave

“Where’s Rev. Al Sharpton when we need him?”

Al will be catching a red-eye flight to CT and will be there tomorrow morning to protest.
http://groups.msn.com/televisionland CaliGirlinGA

Just for clarification – this is not officially “Little League” – it’s a developmental league called “Youth Baseball League” of New Haven, CT. Little League is a nationally recognized league of boys and girls that would not tolerate this banning.

Now, as a mom of a boy that played LL for 8 years – they start out with a “t” and then graduate to a pitching machine at age 5. This machine delivers a pitch at 40-45 mph by the time the kids are 8 years old. What’s the difference between the machine and young Jericho Scott? The machine is not always accurate and down the middle. Even the coach has said that Jericho never hit anyone with any of his pitches. So what is the fear?!

Sorry to say…but I agree with the others here…most likely racism – they don’t want to see this young brother succeed. Even he is quoted as saying, “I feel sad. I feel like it’s all my fault nobody could play.”

Now look what they, the organizers of that league, have done to this young man.
Yanaja

This situation is just wrong…

FYI though Sandra – New haven is sooooooo NOT a good part of Connecticut. Is is SUPER hood there…don’t let the college repuation fool you. Right around the corner from Yale is the worst projects ever.

I was raised on the Stamford/Greenwich border of Connecticut
http://blog.singersroom.com/celebs/ Seattle Slim

I see this not only as a racial issue but an american issue. American culture these days forces kids to believe that being mediocre or even less is the right thing to do. Don’t rock the boat if you will. Black children are hit even worse.

Screw the jackass that had an issue with the way his mother acted. I would’ve brought a blowtorch. If I were his mom I would take him out and put him in a bonafide little league. As long as he keeps doing his thing, he could get a scholarship to college with that arm and laugh at all the haters
krbinc

STOP CRYING FOR AL! WHEN HE’S THERE, YA’LL CRY HE’S CAMERA READY! HOW WHEN SH#T HAPPENS, YOU CRY OUT FOR HIM! YOUR A TRIP SANDRA!
Mzsuave

Krbinc….I think she was being sarcastic.
sharnell

Thank you Yanaj, because I am from Hartford and I can assure you I would rather read about him pitching a ball fast than shooting faster. The End!
candycane

That’s wrong so many different ways. The other kids were intimidated, shiiiiiiiiit it should’ve made them strive to do better. He could make whole league better if he’s that good of a pitcher. If the kids are able to hit off him wont that improve the hitters skills as well.

WHITE FOLKS!!!!!! UGH!!!

Little League pitcher ousted for being too good

Michelle Obama had something very important to say last night (too bad I missed it)

Sadly, Brianna got sent home last night

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