Little leaguer banned for pitching too fast????

In recent years, we've read about, heard, and probably even witnessed outrageous acts on a little league field. We've seen coaches arguing with umpires over called third strikes, parents getting into fistfights over who's son isn't playing, and all other sorts of crazed behavior (and if you haven't, YouTube has plenty of them for you to check out). But just when I've thought I had seen it all...

A New Haven, CT youth baseball team bans a nine-year old from pitching because he throws too hard.

Huh? Wha, wha, what?

A baseball league in New Haven, in their infinite wisdom, deemed that Jericho Scott's 40-mph cheddar is too fast and 'dangerous' for anyone else in his age group to hit against and warns the coach to put him at another position or face disbandment. When he refuses (as any sensible coach would've) and sends Scott back on the hill the following week, the other team's parents packs up their kids' gear and heads home. Scott's team is disbanded and scattered about to the other teams in the league.

Please tell me that there is more to this story. Please tell me that I'm drawing conclusions. Someone please tell me that Jericho is really 19-years old. Anyone? Bueller???

And we wonder why our kids would rather stay in the house, watch their blood pressure spike from inhaling a four-piece snack from Popeye's, and stick to their Wii's, Gamegears, and Playstations instead of going outside and actually breaking a sweat. When we aren't vicariously living through our children because we couldn't get off the bench on our high school JV team, or pushing our kids away from sports entirely because we see $$$$ and a quick retirement flashing in our heads from the cracked up idea of Jr. being the next Labron, LT21, or A-Rod, we sissify the game in the name of everyone feeling better afterwards.

I'd love to hear the lessons taught to the kids who were thrusted back into the car by their parents that evening. I wonder how those conversations went on the way back to the house?

'Hey son, if someone presents a challenge to you, always remember to back the hell away and go home. Because when all else fails, don't even try.'

That's something Homer Simpson would say and he's an 'effin cartoon. That's not supposed to be real...is it?

It makes one wonder how these kids, let alone their parents, are going to cope once they hit high school and want to play sports, only to find a bunch of other kids who are bigger, faster, and stronger than they are. Are their parents going to rush them back in their bubble-wrap because the other guy tackles too hard on the football team? Are they going to be the ones storming the school board meetings because another kid has better grades and that makes their anointed one cry himself to sleep in his pillow?

Seriously, twenty years ago, we'd look at other countries pull stunts like this on the tube and laugh our collective ASSES off about it; giving up without a fight is something the French were supposed to be known for doing. Now you're telling me that this is acceptable behavior? in America?? The next thing you know, teams will be forced to play ballgames without taking score and....oh wait....