Nine-year-old told he's too good

[Guest Verbal Kint]

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Nine-year-old told he's too good

Jericho Scott throws about 40 miles per hour.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- 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?"

[Guest Verbal Kint]

This crap pisses me off... soccer moms getting butthurt that their kids' little league teams lose, and get shut down by a 9yr old prodigy. They can claim safety concerns all they want, but that's total BS in my opinion.

Let the damn kids play ball... enjoy the sport. Stay the **** out of it.

[Guest Boomhower]

Hopefully somewhere somehow, he will be invited to further his abilities. Obviously, this kid has places to go in the baseball realm.

[Mike.357]

Why don't they move the kid up to the next age group of players?

If a kid in school is way smarter than the grade level he is in they can move him up ala Doogie Howser.

Why not move little Jericho up a league, have him play with older kids?

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[Im Neero]

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.

Someone suggested that. I guess the parents didn't like that idea.

[TripleDigitRide]

It's disgusting that parents and coaches of opposing teams would forfeit a game simply because the pitcher was "too good". What kind of picture does that paint for the children on the forfeiting team? Very bad move, IMHO.

With that being said, I think I'd move my child up a level. Chances are, very few of the children at his current level will be able to get a hit off him. There's no challenge for this kid at his current level of play, and it's far too easy for him to actually learn anything that he doesn't already know. A higher level of play would likely increase his skill level.

[Mike.357]

A higher level of play would likely increase his skill level.

That is exactly why you move them up. No doubt his mother is an idiot.

[Im Neero]

She sounds like it. She called the police because the other team forfeited. What was she expecting them to do about it?

[Guest Verbal Kint]

Yep... definitely need to move the kid up in age brackets.

He would probably just catch **** then too... from parent's and coaches claiming it's too unsafe for him with the older kids. Then there's also the physical/size difference. I no doubt believe skill-wise it would be best to bump him up, but then again he'll physically be dwarfed by most of the kids. Guess it wouldn't matter too much when pitching...

Dunno. Like I said... parents just need to stay the hell out of their kids sports and extracurricular activities.

[TripleDigitRide]

She sounds like it. She called the police because the other team forfeited. What was she expecting them to do about it?

And she's likely the very same woman who also called the police because her Whopper wasn't made correctly.

[Mike.357]

when I coached little league I had a 12 year old who was head and shoulders better than everyone else in the league. Of course he pitched. That kid could throw heat.

I took the team to a White Sox game and he threw in the 85mph range at the radar gun game at the stadium, 3 pitches anyway.

I think he had one no hitter that year. But there was never talk of him not being able to play. The travelling team wanted him bad. But he wanted to play in the regular league with his buddies.

Just goes to show you that there are always phenoms. And just because the kid is a monster now does not mean that he is the next Randy Johnson

[Guest Disney]

Keep the kid in the league and help the other kids step up to be able to hit his pitches.

I got caught up in that mess playing with older kids when I played little league. I HATED playing with the older kids. I always felt like I was an outsider to them. I played both age groups at the same time, so I would play on my regular team then usually the same day i'd play on the older team. They did it to me in High school as well. I was a started on our varsity team when I was in the 8th grade.

Just let the kid play ball!!!

[analog_kidd]

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 this is the root of it all. They let the kid play most of the season, then when little Johnny doesn't have a chance, because he doesn't have natural skills, or is unwilling to put in extra effort to hone any skills, the parents cry foul.

When my kids were younger, I hated organized sports where everything had to be equal, and everyone gets a trophy. Total BS! Sometimes in life, you are going to meet people who are better than you at things. Either work harder, or find your own strengths, or accept it and move on.

[BryanP]

"Paging Mr. Bergeron, Mr. Harrison Bergeron, your table is ready."

[Im Neero]

Next thing you know he'll have to pitch in a gauntlet.

[Angus]

Ummm..imagine...one good 9 yr old against 100 other BAD 9yr olds? I doubt that. I agree, it is the adults who ae ruining this for the league. Why not try to teach your kids to play better. If this is a beginning league to teach them the basics, well the very basic is how to lose. It is ok to lose when your 9, just don't act like your 9 when you lose as an adult...lesson #1.

[Guest db99wj]

In life, whether it is sports, jobs, whatever you sometimes lose, you come up against people that are better, smarter, stronger, faster, than you get the @#$% over it, no matter what your mother says, you are not THE best and losing is part of it. If you take something away from the experience that is positive, you won. If you gave, as the old saying goes, 110%, then you won.

I try to teach this to my kids, even the best player of ______, loses and has lost on the way to the top, but they keep trying, they keep practicing, they give it their all to get better.

I remember from T-ball to baseball in middle school, we had 1st place teams, 2nd place teams and on down. None of this generic trophy crap.