<p>This is ridiculous, and a little sad. Sports are often used to teach lessons, what kind of message does this send to kids? “Oh, he’s too good–either he shouldn’t be allowed to play that well, or we’ll just not play against him.” </p>
<p>Ugh. As someone who played t-ball and baseball from ages 5-15, this actually hurts.</p>
<p>You’re asking a 9 year old in a starter league to stand in against 40 mph fastballs?! I know the article says that the pitcher hasn’t hit anyone (yet…), but as a parent–I’d be worried if my kid were up to bat.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t have packed up and quit, though. I’d have had the kids stand far from the batter’s box and let the kid pitch. If he strikes out the side, so be it.</p>
<p>I’m glad you posted this, somebodynew. I’d be interested in hearing people’s responses. For what it’s worth, I knew a family in a similar predicament: their daughter’s out-of-this-world math skills intimidated so many other kids from entering the district math competition (“what’s the point, she’ll win it all anyway”) that some parents requested she not enter.</p>
<p>I don’t think he should move up an age level because the other players would be at a very different level with him both mentally and athletically…it wouldn’t be fair to him…he should be playing with kids at his maturity level. Maybe if he were 10 moving up to and 11-13 year old league would be okay, but I think at age 9 he would be too young for that kind of team. </p>
<p>I think that as long as he hasn’t hit anyone, he should be allowed to pitch. He obviously has some control over the ball. (By the way, that ball looks so big in his hands on that picture–it’s really cute.)</p>
<p>It happens in other sports where sometimes people in your age group are just better or bigger…it’s downright scary in CYO soccer when I had to challenge for the ball someone who at age 13 was already 6-1 and weighed 160-170 (when I was 5’8 and 125 pounds (soaking wet), but it was part of the game and I had to try (I’d like to point out that we beat that team even though he scored 2 goals–yes I’m a junior in college and still remember and think about games from 8th grade when I was in my prime). </p>
<p>Also, what I don’t understand is why the league wants to disband the team.</p>
<p>The “facts” as presented seem rather odd to me.
At 9 years old, our sons played Little League baseball, on a “majors” teams made up of 9 to 12 year olds. Pitchers in our local league (usually 11-12 year olds) routinely threw in the low- to mid-60s. Throwing 40 mph in youth baseball is not a big deal – either the facts are wrong or the kid is playing in a very rudimentary “instructional league” with players who should be hitting softer balls off tees.<br>
All our players were screened through try-outs to make sure they had sufficient physical development to participate safely. If these kids can’t get out of the way of a 40 mph pitch, then they shouldn’t be fielding batted balls or catching throws on the field either.
It would seem to me that the parents and coaches should focus on moving the kid up to better competition (a positive) rather than banning him from playing (a negative).</p>
<p>Have the math girl pitch her high, hard stuff in the baseball games and have the 9 year old fireballer factor the polynomials in the math competitions. Problems solved.</p>
What is the first time he hits someone it’s a fastball to the chest or head (with an ill-fitting helmet, as is common), which can kill? Little kids shouldn’t have to face such fast pitches, and their parents should be able to trust that their kids are relatively safe playing baseball (which they should be at such a young age). </p>
<p>I think he should move up a level. It’s not that uncommon a circumstance. I know that particularly talented eighth graders at my school were occasionally asked to play with the high school Varsity team, even though there may be a 5+ year age gap.</p>
<p>Is it a local travel league? That seems a bit high for house ball.</p>
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<p>As long as they’re wearing helmets, I don’t really see the danger. I mean, at 9 they aren’t even using a hardball yet. </p>
<p>About it not being healthy for the kid, he actually seems to have really good mechanics for a 9 year old, nothing going on there that will cause arm problems in the future.</p>
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<p>I’d like to see some evidence that a 40mph fastball could kill someone. I’ve been hit and seen people hit by pitches hundreds of times from age 9-19. The only serious injuries I’ve ever seen have been hand injuries.</p>
<p>I’m torn on this one. Our friends across the street went through this with their prodigiously gifted ball player son (now a 6th round draft pick, out of h.s., by the Pittsburgh Pirates). Parent jealously is a pretty terrible thing and our friends have been put through the ringer over the years. I get a bit of this in this story as well…especially since it seems the league was, allegedly, perfectly willing for this boy to play, if he switched to a team sponsored by the relative of a league administrator. </p>
<p>However, I still have a fresh mental picture of a 9 year old, who was hit by a ball at the game held in a field adjacent to my son’s drumline practice last night, as he was carted away in an ambulance.</p>
<p>Yeah, a 40-mph ball probably wouldn’t cause more harm than a bruise, unless it hits you on the hand when you’re swinging. The concern the league and some parents had was that with the short mound, the pitch would look really fast and intimidating.</p>
I should have said in my last post that I don’t think death or serious injury is all that much of a concern, but I’m not a fan of the philosophy that an injury needs to happen before a change or discussion of change is warranted. I was making that point more than anything.</p>
<p>Here’s that evidence, though:</p>
<p>From the American Academy of Pediatrics:
</p>
<p>From NY Times:
</p>
<p>From the Institute for Preventative Sports Medicine:
<p>1) 40 mph isn’t that fast. He’s never hit a batter anyway, so he obviously has good control.</p>
<p>2) Most leagues have pitch limits to protect the pitcher’s arm. As a compromise, let him pitch three innings, then put another kid in to finish the game.</p>
<p>3) Something isn’t right. One quote says it’s a developmental league, implying it’s low key and he’s too good for this league. So why was he recruited to play for the team sponsored by the league administrator’s employer, if the league is all sweetness and light? Obviously, because the kid’s team is 8-0, he’s beating the team he rejected, and they’re just not happy about it.</p>
<p>4) The adults, as usual, are screwing this up.</p>
<p>5) It would be great if the parents had the resources to put him on a select team with other players with greater skills.</p>
<p>6) In a couple of years, the other kids probably will catch up and this will all be moot.</p>
<p>So do I get to complain because my professors look “really smart and mean and intimidating?”</p>
<p>When are we going to tell high school players that throwing more than 80 mph is too hard and they must quit? From reading that article (or maybe a different one for this same incident) it sounds like politics playing here…</p>
<p>YES there is a risk of injury; possibly even death. Get used to it or go find a bubble to climb into so you don’t get hurt.</p>
<p>All of the direct-ball contact with the head deaths can be dismissed, as batters wear helmets, and as for the balls hitting kids in the chest, there’s no mention of speed anywhere in the quotes. I’d be willing to bet that the ~38 deaths from chest impact from 1973 to 1995 were all balls thrown significantly faster than 40mph.</p>
<p>I do think, however, that kids should be taught to get hit the right way, just as a safety precaution. My old coach would get a bucket of tennis balls and throw them at us, and we’d have to turn into 50 pitches in a row. That way there’s no chance of getting hit in the chest.</p>
<p>Edit: This should put into perspective the 100 odd baseball related deaths from 1973 to 1995.</p>
<p>I’m not positive on this, but I believe that it’s not a matter of how hard necessarily the blow to the chest is, but when it occurs. If the ball makes contact in between heartbeats–that is when you’re looking at trouble in children. Like I said, not sure but I think that amount of force is not AS important as the time it hits…</p>
<p>hops_scout, you’re probably right, but then it’s just another piece of evidence for letting the kid play. If the velocity is irrelevant, then there’s no issue. The danger is equal with every pitcher.</p>