CyMoN

9-year-old boy told he’s too good to pitch

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer Aug 25, 8:37 pm EDT

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 miles per hour. 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.
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“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?”

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a sad day for the 4runner
"One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life."

CyMoN

wow well I hope they put him a older league so he can still play

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my rigs
89 4runner
1989 4runner v6 5 speed everything factory +4susplift running bfg 31s and a aux gas tank and more aux lights than needed

86 pickup
1986 stock pickup 22r 31.10 BFG ATs flatbed

a sad day for the 4runner
"One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life."

Toddski

My son who is 9 is kinda in the same boat. They still have a pitching machine until they are 10. He has been approached by a 13 year old team to play with them.

If the kid can play let him. Just hope this kid doesn't burn out his arm.

My dad was drafted by the Yankee's a while back as a pitcher. My son keeps asking for grandpa to teach him how to throw a curve ball and a knuckle ball. My dad wont do it. He just tells him to throw straight and concentrate on his position. The curve ball will come later he tells him.

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Todd

'91 4runner SR5.
OME 901 coils, Bilstein shocks, 31" Wildcountry TXR Tires. Lightforce Lance 140 offroad lights.

X-AWDriver

Maybe the Yankees should sign him,they need some help.

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EWAYota

I grew up in some what of the same situation. I threw harder than most, and I also faced a kid who threw even harder than I did. We coped with it. I had the chance to jump up a level at that age. Theres a bit of a differance when playing with 8-9 year olds, as oppose to 10-12.

And to be honest, 40 is fast, but there are kids throwing harder than that at the same age. I faced the kid who threw harder than me in LL numerous times, and 99% of the time, I struck out, as did the majority of the team. I was never upset that I couldn't hit off him, I was more in awe of the fact that he threw hard. I think most of my team was. It was such an amazing speed that to this day, I can still know his name, only playing him that one year.

Your always going to have someone be better than the rest in anything. Punishing him by not allowing him to do what he's good at is ridiculous. Parents are worried that he'll hit their kid and their child will be hurt. Welcome to any sport. If there is a child bigger than the others in a football league, playing running back, do we protest so that our children only have to tag him for a tackle instead of actually tackling him?

When I played within Toronto's organization, we still faced guys who threw incredibly harder than most. I sat at 93-95 miles per hour, hitting 96-97 miles per hour a few times in the game. That would be in the upper range for speed as most sit in lower 90's on average. We faced a guy down from the Giant's AAA team in A ball due to control issues. He sat at 98-99 miles per hour, hitting 103-104 miles per hour. Thats dang near unhittable (with his control issues). We might not be able to hit it but we could bunt!

Same thing in HS. Played against a school, Walla Walla, who had a kid, Jarod Jones, who threw in the upper 90's which is fast in highschool. He had a no hitter going into the 7th. We won off of a bunt, stolen base and a wild pitch.

Your always going to face someone in every sport who dominates, even in a young age. To beat them, you need to rise to the challenge and play even better. By him throwing so hard at a young age, it just challenges the other kids to develope their skills. Unfortunately, we have parents who are worried their children will get hurt and cry. And if that child was on their team, they wouldn't be crying foul at all, they'd be cheering him on, boasting that their child's team is 8-0.

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