[BurlyShirley]

Read it, its worth it!

You make the call
Is it good baseball strategy or a weak attempt to win?


This actually happened. Your job is to decide whether it should have.

In a nine- and 10-year-old PONY league championship game in Bountiful, Utah, the Yankees lead the Red Sox by one run. The Sox are up in the bottom of the last inning, two outs, a runner on third. At the plate is the Sox' best hitter, a kid named Jordan. On deck is the Sox' worst hitter, a kid named Romney. He's a scrawny cancer survivor who has to take human growth hormone and has a shunt in his brain.

So, you're the coach: Do you intentionally walk the star hitter so you can face the kid who can barely swing?

Wait! Before you answer.... This is a league where everybody gets to bat, there's a four-runs-per-inning max, and no stealing until the ball crosses the plate. On the other hand, the stands are packed and it is the title game.

So ... do you pitch to the star or do you lay it all on the kid who's been through hell already?

Yanks coach Bob Farley decided to walk the star.

Parents booed. The umpire, Mike Wright, thought to himself, Low-ball move. In the stands, Romney's eight-year-old sister cried. "They're picking on Romney!" she said. Romney struck out. The Yanks celebrated. The Sox moaned. The two coaching staffs nearly brawled.

And Romney? He sobbed himself to sleep that night.

"It made me sick," says Romney's dad, Marlo Oaks. "It's going after the weakest chick in the flock."

Farley and his assistant coach, Shaun Farr, who recommended the walk, say they didn't know Romney was a cancer survivor. "And even if I had," insists Farr, "I'd have done the same thing. It's just good baseball strategy."

Romney's mom, Elaine, thinks Farr knew. "Romney's cancer was in the paper when he met with President Bush," she says. That was thanks to the Make-A-Wish people. "And [Farr] coached Romney in basketball. I tell all his coaches about his condition."

She has to. Because of his radiation treatments, Romney's body may not produce enough of a stress-responding hormone if he is seriously injured, so he has to quickly get a cortisone shot or it could be life-threatening. That's why he wears a helmet even in centerfield. Farr didn't notice?

The sports editor for the local Davis Clipper, Ben De Voe, ripped the Yankees' decision. "Hopefully these coaches enjoy the trophy on their mantle," De Voe wrote, "right next to their dunce caps."

Well, that turned Bountiful into Rancorful. The town was split -- with some people calling for De Voe's firing and describing Farr and Farley as "great men," while others called the coaches "pathetic human beings." They "should be tarred and feathered," one man wrote to De Voe. Blogs and letters pages howled. A state house candidate called it "shameful."

What the Yankees' coaches did was within the rules. But is it right to put winning over compassion? For that matter, does a kid who yearns to be treated like everybody else want compassion?

"What about the boy who is dyslexic -- should he get special treatment?" Blaine and Kris Smith wrote to the Clipper. "The boy who wears glasses -- should he never be struck out? ... NO! They should all play by the rules of the game."

The Yankees' coaches insisted that the Sox coach would've done the same thing. "Not only wouldn't I have," says Sox coach Keith Gulbransen, "I didn't. When their best hitter came up, I pitched to him. I especially wouldn't have done it to Romney."

Farr thinks the Sox coach is a hypocrite. He points out that all coaches put their worst fielder in rightfield and try to steal on the weakest catchers. "Isn't that strategy?" he asks. "Isn't that trying to win? Do we let the kid feel like he's a winner by having the whole league play easy on him? This isn't the Special Olympics. He's not retarded."

Me? I think what the Yanks did stinks. Strategy is fine against major leaguers, but not against a little kid with a tube in his head. Just good baseball strategy? This isn't the pros. This is: Everybody bats, one-hour games. That means it's about fun. Period.

What the Yankees' coaches did was make it about them, not the kids. It became their medal to pin on their pecs and show off at their barbecues. And if a fragile kid got stomped on the way, well, that's baseball. We see it all over the country -- the overcaffeinated coach who watches too much SportsCenter and needs to win far more than the kids, who will forget about it two Dove bars later.

By the way, the next morning, Romney woke up and decided to do something about what happened to him.

"I'm going to work on my batting," he told his dad. "Then maybe someday I'll be the one they walk."

http://utahamicus.blogspot.com/2006/08/you-make-call-is-it-good-baseball.html

 

[narlus]

so picking on a weak, cancer-ridden kid is funny?

 

[BurlyShirley]

so picking on a weak, cancer-ridden kid is funny?

That some a-hole did that I find amusing to no end.... So terrible its funny.

 

[robdamanii]

Once again proving that the yankees suck.

 

[Mike B.]

I've coached Little League and I wouldn't want to win that way. I want my best players to triumph over their best players. Some young player leagues don't even keep win-loss records but since this league does and they hold a championship game, they are basically saying winning does matter and it is worth something. Dick move I guess but I think an awful lots of coaches would have done it.

Now someone write the version of this story where they pitch around the star and the kid with cancer puts the ball in play, reaches safely and in the process drives home the winning run. It would have movie of the week written all over it.

 

[BurlyShirley]

I think that it's reasonable to walk the better kid. I mean, if you were the kid w/ cancer, would you want your team to win BECAUSE you had cancer? What I mean is, would you want to be treated differently? At what point does it stop?

 

[robdamanii]

From what the article says it just makes the kid want to be better. I think he's over it and everyone ELSE is making a fuss about it.

Yankees still suck though.

 

[maxyedor]

So did this kid wanted to be treated like evrybody else? If he wanted to be "normal" then fvck it, sh1t like that happens to normal people. Would this have been newsworthy if the kid just sucked at baseball, and never had cancer, or would the coach be complimented on a great game strategy? My guess is that if this kid were healthy, and just couldn't hit nobody would care.

 

[Toshi]

i think it was a cheap move on the part of the coach who put the cancer kid right after the star player. it wasn't that way in order to allow the cancer kid to drive in runs as a cleanup hitter, so one can only assume that it was an attempt at manipulation itself.

 

[Jeremy R]

If Romney would have hit a home run, they would have protested that he was on Human Growth Hormone, and they would ban him, and Dick Pound would do a bunch of interviews about how we have to rid the PONY league of performance enhancing drugs.

On a serious note, that was a crap move.
But the kid already has been through a lot worse than a baseball game.
He is probaly the only one not losing sleep over this.

 

[jonKranked]

so picking on a weak, cancer-ridden kid is funny?

the oklahoma city bombing was pretty funny too. and i think its been long enough to say 9/11 was good for a chuckle. Ted Kazynski was a riot. AIDS is freaking hysterical. :redX:

 

[Tame Ape]

What if Romney's plays against a kid with Lukiemia and another with Downs? Who is more deserving of the win?

 

[jonKranked]

What if Romney's plays against a kid with Lukiemia and another with Downs? Who is more deserving of the win?

then it would be the special olympics, and steven lynch already wrote that song.

 

[LordOpie]

That's not funny. Funny would've been... star hitter hits a homerun and walks (not runs) the bases. That normally pisses off pitchers who then plunk the next batter as a form of revenge. Plunking cancer-boy... that's funny.

I think that it's reasonable to walk the better kid.

It's not because walking anyone intentionally in that league is 'wrong'. It's a non-competitive league, so playing to win (by coaches) is wrong.

Don't get me started on how a non-competitive league has a "championship" game... that's retarded.

 

[Potroast88]

I liked the story because it had the word "shunt" in it. I like saying "shunt".

 

[Toshi]

What if Romney's plays against a kid with Lukiemia and another with Downs? Who is more deserving of the win?

or a child of a mother who drank during pregnancy, or did crack? how about a kid who severed his forearm muscles in a suicide attempt, thus ruining his swing...?

 

[Westy]

If that is the funniest thing ever, you need to get out more there sunshine.

 

[SkaredShtles]

If that is the funniest thing ever, you need to get out more there sunshine.

I kept waiting for a punchline.........

 

[A.P]

Parents these days are terrified of letting their kids feelings get hurt. Its a game. Someone has to loose. Was it a lowball move to walk a kid in little league? Sort of. Maybe intentional walks shouldnt be allowed, but they are so they were playing by the rules of the game, and generally you play to win. And it wasnt the other coaches fault that the kid with cancer was coming up next.

 

[LordOpie]

no, this is funny...

 

[bjanga]

"I'm going to work on my batting," he told his dad. "Then maybe someday I'll be the one they walk."

Kinda sums it up right there. If they were playing for fun why were they keeping score? Why play if you are not attempting to win?

 

[Tame Ape]

no, this is funny...

funny!

 

[I Are Baboon]

i think it was a cheap move on the part of the coach who put the cancer kid right after the star player. it wasn't that way in order to allow the cancer kid to drive in runs as a cleanup hitter, so one can only assume that it was an attempt at manipulation itself.

It's a non-competitive league and batting orders are arranged based on some certain criteria (like position, age, uniform number or something like that). Coaches have little say in arranging the batting order. Again, it's a NON-COMPETITVE league where sportsmanship and teamwork are supposed to come before winning. That was a real classless move on the part of the coach.

 

[BurlyShirley]

My only question is: At what point does something like this quit being wrong?

A kid w/ cancer?

A kid w/ one arm?

A kid who is obese?

A kid who is just slower and weaker?

A kid with glasses?

At what point does it quit being "classless" and start being "good strategy?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Still......... looking.............. for............ humor..............

 

[I Are Baboon]

I think it's classless becasue of the fact that the league is supposed to be non-competitve. I'd be saying that no matter who was the on deck batter, even if it was a normal kid who just sucks at baseball. Personally, I think the fact that the kid had cancer makes no difference.

 

[BurlyShirley]

Still......... looking.............. for............ humor..............

You never find something so god awful that its funny?

Anyway, for the record, its not a "non-competitive" league and intentional walking is ALLOWED and they also keep score, hence the championship game.

 

[BurlyShirley]

I think it's classless becasue of the fact that the league is supposed to be non-competitve. I'd be saying that no matter who was the on deck batter, even if it was a normal kid who just sucks at baseball. Personally, I think the fact that the kid had cancer makes no difference.

Where does it say its non-competitive? It was a championship game, no?

 

[Westy]

They should have beaned the talented kid when walking him. What if things got tied up and they had to pitch to him in extra innings, they wouldn't have to consider walking him if he had a busted eye orbit.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Where does it say its non-competitive? It was a championship game, no?

I heard it on the radio.

The term "non-competive" is a bit misleading. Sure they keep score and have a championship, but that's supposed to come second to teamwork, fun, and learning the game.

 

[BurlyShirley]

I heard it on the radio.

The term "non-competive" is a bit misleading. Sure they keep score and have a championship, but that's supposed to come second to teamwork, fun, and learning the game.

Im not trying to get into an argument w/ you because Im torn on this one myself, but "learning the game" involves all the strategy that comes along with it. Baseball is a game of strategy before it is one of skill for sure.

I see two completely valid arguments. One for each side. Very wierd scenario.

If I were the coach, I wouldnt have had the heart to walk Jordan, but I cant say that its wrong. As somebody else brought up, what if he hadnt of had cancer. If he just sucked... then it would be a non issue.

 

[SkaredShtles]

You never find something so god awful that its funny?

Yes - but that wasn't it.

I *am* glad that you found it amusing.

 

[SkaredShtles]

I guess the only conclusion we can reach is:

Baseball is teh ghey.

 

[fuzzynutz]

Any kid whose Make-A-Wish dream is to meet George Bush deserves to be struck out.

Seriously though, if it were me, I would have thrown at (hit) both kids. Get those bases juiced and then strike out the third batter, instantly bringing my pitcher to pimp status.

 

[I Are Baboon]

Im not trying to get into an argument w/ you because Im torn on this one myself, but "learning the game" involves all the strategy that comes along with it. Baseball is a game of strategy before it is one of skill for sure.

I see two completely valid arguments. One for each side. Very wierd scenario.

If I were the coach, I wouldnt have had the heart to walk Jordan, but I cant say that its wrong. As somebody else brought up, what if he hadnt of had cancer. If he just sucked... then it would be a non issue.

I don't think that particular moment was the right time for a coach to teach what an intentional walk was. I don't think it's that black and white. You have to consider all the factors, and that wasn't the right time to show all the players how to go after a weaker hitter.

....not that I really care all that much about this. I just have my opinion.

 

[BurlyShirley]

You have to consider all the factors, and that wasn't the right time to show all the players how to go after a weaker hitter.

I dunno man, bottom of the 9th, championship game...

 

[I Are Baboon]

I dunno man, bottom of the 9th, championship game...

But the words "non-competitive" keep ringing in my head.

 

[oiswego]

has america turned into girls?
what's the purpose of schoolyard ball games? to pick the best, strongest players who will help you win. what's the purpose of school for that matter? to pick on those weaker than you are....

and what's the culmination of years of comedians and other comedic outlets? laughing at someone else's misfortune.
i for one am not ashamed to say it's really not that funny that the kid got walked so they could pitch to the weaker kid, but it is good strategy in a game that you're trying to win.

what is funny however, is that everyone is crying about it like it really matters. soon enough, i bet all schools and communities are going to start instituting regulations where there are no "winners" or "losers" and that everyone is created equal.

screw that---and on the flip-side, how would those yankees have felt if they knew they had a real good chance to win by doing something unpopular, but instead opted to pass it by?

i

 

[peter6061]

I don't see a problem with what was done. Bottom of the ninth in the championships. You go for the win.

This whole 'non-competitive' thing is crap! What happens to these kids when they grow up and have no 'real-world' experience about winning and losing? Life's not fair. We all deal with it. If you grow up thinking you're entitled to stuff and you're always going to win, you're in for a real shock when you get older. I, for one, will not be putting my kid into any 'non-competitive' sports. I believe he should know how it feels to win and lose. I think these traits are being lost on the over-expecting youth of today.

And going back to this game, the kid woke up the next morning and decided to work on his batting practice. Way to go.

 

[sanjuro]

I coached youth basketball, 9-12 years, on a local and a national level. On a local level, I had an inner-city team, mostly kids who were not able to get other teams, and typically we got creamed.

On the national level, I was an assistant coach on a city-wide all-star team which actually won the national championship, which I still feel fortunate to participate in.

First of all, this is not a regular season game, but a championship game. I can imagine someone might think that there is little difference, but I can tell you "the will to win" is not playing dirty pool, but working very hard during the season.

My regular season team practiced twice a week for 4 months and the all-star team 6 times a week. With those kinds of efforts, winning was very important to me, my kids, and their families.

My next comment is that I blame the coach of the losing team for bad strategy. The league rule was everyone plays at least a quarter, so I spent hours devising lineups which would maximize my stronger players and shelter my weaker ones.

I am pretty sure that the losing coach decided to put his weakest player in at the last at-bat, according to the rules. If he didn't realize that the last inning was critical in a tight game, whose fault is that? If this kid's feelings were important, why not start him and then yank him out later?

Finally, I never played in organized sports as a youth, so at times I debate whether I should be involved as an adult coach. I do not think it is important to kids to play in organized competitive sports. Being active and athletic, yes, but I think organized sports can be very sh*tty with politics, overaggressive adults, and just normal team dynamics and issues.

This kid and his parents chose to play in a league. Winning, losing, and looking like hero/goat is part of all it. Tough luck kid.