Little League behavior

I believe that 11 & 12 yr olds should be playing on the 50/70 diamond. It makes the game more fun in my opinion. First time son played on it was in cooperstown and it was a blast. Definetely gets the boys ready for the big diamond better. I think once LL embraces the 50/70 for the 11/12 yr olds then you'll see the 46/60 go by the wayside. However LL would have to admit that the Babe Ruth organization (Cal Ripken) came up with a good idea!

Does LL pay to fly the teams to the World Series? I am pretty sure that Cal Ripken does for their World Series.

I blame the parents and coaches for kids acting like punks in the dugout. Problem is they don't want to admit to it and do something about it before it gets out of hand and the kids think it's fine, parents and coaches just blow it off as some lame excuse that "kids are being kids". That's garbage. In all the years my kid played, not once did he ever disrespect the game and act like a punk on the field or in the dugout. Sure kids are emotional when things don't go their way in baseball because they're not mature yet and don't quite get it sosomebody has to be there to keep them straight and teach them. By blowing it off as "kids being kids", you wind up with whiney punks.

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Originally posted by lafmom:
I've always followed the LLWS including the game last night. I've never seen some of what I saw last night. If I hadn't been watching with a friend, I would have thought I was imagining things. One of the teams had a pitcher who said "sh*t" several times, two other players who said "f*ck" and a mom in the stands who said "no f*cking way" when she though the player didn't really walk.

As a mom who grounded her son for three days when he said a cuss word upon striking out once in high school ball..... it's just not acceptable in my household. If I was that mom, I'd be embarrassed.

Good points.

I am not a fan of hyping kids or putting them on TV in the first place. I believe the exposure contributes to the bad behavior. We cannot even get our adults to act appropriately on camera in this country let alone a bunch of children. Alas...

Since that train has left the station however, I look to the parents to control these things. Any kid can lose his temper and throw a helmet or repeat a swear-word they learned previously. Even though we all have weak moments, that is no excuse for the parents/coaches not to step up and provide immediate consequences to such actions.

I'd like to see the cameras start catching coaches and/or parents rushing to the offenders and doling out some stern warnings and punishment. For a kid that did it a first time, why not have a suspension the following game or two? For repeat offenders, removal from the team may be necessary. The parents are in charge here and they need to act that way.

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When it comes to a good mouth cleaning nowadays you see too much of this...







...and not enough of these.


I don't think the young parents of today know how to use the bottled kind.




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How many of you puritans laughed your backsides off when you saw Bad News Bears for the first time?

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Where's my hat? Anyone seen my hat?



I was laughing so hard it flew right off my noggin!




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These games are kids emotions on national television. It's the ultimate reality show (regular reality shows are preplanned). These kids aren't thinking about what they're saying in the heat of the moment. It's a lot of pressure on them. If a kid is giving a coach a rash of BS blame the coach. Chances are the coach didn't put a stop to it the first time it occurred. Then you have these coach's egos. I believe some of them take trips to the mound just to be on television.

Imagine a coach removing his stud pitcher from a regional championship and a trip to the LLWS for having a hissy fit on him on national television. Would the coach be called a moron or heralded as a coach with morals and a sense of what's right? I'm betting the public reaction would be he's a moron for overreacting. We're living in a "win now" society.

If you've never been to regionals or the LLWS, not all the parents are class acts either. The last time I was at the LLWS the PA warned one team's parents to settle down or be removed. A couple of parents were eventually removed. You typically don't see parental behavior on TV unless it's positive.

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Originally posted by Texas Crude:
How many of you puritans laughed your backsides off when you saw Bad News Bears for the first time?

What is your point?

Because someone made a movie and someone laughed at it that it justifies "actual" bad behaviour? I never watched Bad News Bears but even if I had it wouldn't mean that parents should not teach their children right from wrong. BTW, I don't think they should make movies like that but again, that genie has been out of the bottle for a long time.

Frankly, I don't get the puritan comment either. Just because parents make mistakes does not mean they should refrain from teaching their children how to act properly in public.

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I believe that 11 & 12 yr olds should be playing on the 50/70 diamond. It makes the game more fun in my opinion.

Especially if the majority of the kids are going to be 13 now.

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Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
I never watched Bad News Bears........

You're kidding right????

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I believe CD. I've just seen parts of it...not the whole film. How does it end?


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Originally posted by gotwood4sale:
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I believe CD. I've just seen parts of it...not the whole film. How does it end?


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It ended with 5 sequels and a remake of the original.

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Wow! I've got some catchin' up to do on Bad News!




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Y'know, I'm watching this New York vs. Washington game and this kid from New York hit a homerun. That's all good, but I can really careless what his freakin' mother says about her little boy after the hit. I think this coverage would be soooooo much better if they got the cameras away from the bleachers.

In the interest of fairness, I will say that twice this year I've seen an opposing player in the infield slap hands with a batter from the other team that was trotting around the bases after hitting a home run. Displays of sportsmanship like that are good to see at a young age. I just don't want to see any of my Cubbies doing it to Pujols.

In the interest of fairness, I will say that twice this year I've seen an opposing player in the infield slap hands with a batter from the other team that was trotting around the bases after hitting a home run. Displays of sportsmanship like that are good to see at a young age. I just don't want to see any of my Cubbies doing it to Pujols.

Wayne

If the Cubbies did that to Pujols...they would have very sore hands

That's a cheap shot, Dad43! Wish I could argue that it was untrue.

Me being a player it happens all the time in any game. It is called being competitive. These boys are competing for the title of best little league team in the world and to lose it truly sucks. These kids probably have one chance at this and they want to make the most of it. These kids don't like losing plain and simple

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It is called being competitive

If you believe this is what it means to be "competitive", you have a lot to learn.

I don't want to come across as beating this to death, but I just can't get away from it. I love watching this event every year, but it's getting embarrassing. Just a few minutes ago a relief pitcher for the Washington team came in the top of the sixth with a 1 run lead and eventually wild-pitched in the tying and go-ahead runs. As the manager got to the mound the pitcher, clearly sulking, asked if he could just go ahead and hit the batter. The manager handled it well, and asked if the kid didn't want to pitch anymore, the kid told him twice emphatically "no", and was replaced. I think I'm beginning to agree with some previous posters. It's all the microphones everywhere that's causing this. Had the manager not been miked, the kid's unfortunate remarks would never have been heard, and the manager could've given him the butt-chewing he deserved, and maybe would've learned from.

I was thinking the same thing Wayne. I seen that too. It seems that most of the problems and the talking back c-rap is from the American kids and it's quite embarrassing if you ask me. Here's an example of what I saw today. The incident which Wayne described, and then I seen the complete opposite in the game before when the pitcher from Venezuela hit the batter from Japan. The pitcher goes over and shakes the batters hand when he was standing at first. It was a class act from that youngster and I really was proud of that kid, but then you see what the American kid does in the next game. What an embarrassment.

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Originally posted by joebaseball5943:
Me being a player it happens all the time in any game. It is called being competitive. These boys are competing for the title of best little league team in the world and to lose it truly sucks. These kids probably have one chance at this and they want to make the most of it. These kids don't like losing plain and simple

I teach US History and my students progress is measured through a state given test. So basically the more I have to pass it the better it looks for me. So what you have set up is a competition between all US History teachers in my school, county and state.

Ok let me throw this scenario at you. My first period class I give one of the greatest lessons anyone has ever seen. Kids leave my room smarter than they went in. Because of this how would I be received if I walked next door to the other US History teacher's room and started talking trash?

What if I had the worse lesson in the world that day? Would it be ok to sit there and sulk? How should I react when other teachers come in to cheer me up?

Or I could send out a county wide or state wide Email telling all the US History teachers I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Am I being an immature jerk or am I being competitve? I think most people would call me something slightly worse than a jerk. And I would deserve it because I would be a jerk.

There is no difference here. These may be kids and prone to emotional outburts but you can't let it go. You have to teach them regardless of the cameras and mics of how to be a winner with class and also a loser with class. If you keep saying they are young kids being competitive or there's all this pressure on them then they will never be able to learn this valuable lesson.

There's nothing wrong with being competitive but there's a whole lot wrong with being a jerk.

Is it me, or should the Iowa coach teach his young pitcher on the mound tonight the art of smiling?

p.s. I think that HBP in the top of the 4th was intentional on his part. Very sad.

He just hit a HR and he still does not smile, but then again, the announcers are all over that.

I agree with many of the points made about the LLWS. Very sad to see the behavior.
My MVP is the ss from Japan. Kid is about 4'6 and maybe 80 pounds wet.That young man has some moxy, just look at his face when he plays. Pure joy and love for the game.
Watch when their team is up, he is alwasy wide eyed at the fence.he has been a real delight to watch.
I cant stand the HR and the kids that look at it and then flip there bats.What the heck is that. The kid from Ven. did it.I heard that was disrepectful to do that after hitting a HR.
Anyway I agree way too many tears and irritation .

I also give kudos to some of these little guys having to pitch to these huge kids.I would be afraid to have my kid pitch to them.

Did anyone see the game last night when the boy (Kiko something) mouthed the obscenity after the catcher did not squeeze the ball for with the runner coming home? It was unbelievable. "f***ing catch the f***ing ball."

Mom and Dad will be so proud.

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Originally posted by ...:
Did anyone see the game last night when the boy (Kiko something) mouthed the obscenity after the catcher did not squeeze the ball for with the runner coming home? It was unbelievable. "f***ing catch the f***ing ball."

Mom and Dad will be so proud.

I blame that on the director of the broadcast and the cameraman for putting the camera on him so close.

Gotta blame somebody.... how about the little darling uttering the support for his teammate. IMO the cameras show what the players provide, good and bad, How bout the GA kid giving props when the game tying (10-10)homer was hit. Sure makes it easier to pick a team to root for, go TX !!!

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Originally posted by coach2709: There's nothing wrong with being competitive but there's a whole lot wrong with being a jerk.

That about sum's it all up.

And IMO there is a big, and very clearly definable difference between overt "Jerkism" and the quiet under the breath stuff.

I put some responsibility on parents and caoches...despite the behavior rules being customized by the "MTV Generation", I can assure you that my teams and my kids, win or lose would stand for something...beyond "All about me"...

44
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Amen to observer44's comment.

The California coaches weren't too happy with the boy either. Coach got him on the mound and later in the dugout.