Little League Coaches decison leads to controversy

[pvfan]

Controversy"]http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=415320]Controversy[/url][/url]

There are wonderful stories, especially in movies, where the underdog comes back to win.

This story, however isn't out of Hollywood. It's in Bountiful, where a little league baseball coach is in the middle of a national controversy.

The controversy all comes down to one thing: Should winning a game mean everything to 9 and 10 year olds? It's a question that has a lot of people talking; especially after a coach made his decision.

It's been quite a season for Romney Oaks.

Romney Oaks, Bountiful Little Leaguer: "I actually have a lot of fun."

His Bountiful little league team made it all the way to the championships. He was ready for the biggest game of his life.

Romney Oaks, Bountiful Little Leaguer: "I'm really competitive in sports, and once I start something, I can't stop."

Romney says he was on-deck in his teams championship little league game. His team was down by one and there were two outs. There was a man on third, and his team's power hitter was up, so Romney thought the game would be over.

Then the other team intentionally walked the power hitter on Romney's team. Romney said he was shocked. Romney got up to bat and struck out. His team ended up losing by one run.

Romney Oaks, Bountiful Little Leaguer: "Disbelief. I was in utter disbelief."

Romney's father couldn't believe the opposing coaches intentionally walked a better hitter to face his son: A cancer survivor who needs a shunt in his brain just to live.

Marlo Oaks, Romney's Father: "What are we teaching our kids? Are we teaching them that it's okay to pick on the weakest person?"

Shaun Farr Shaun Farr is the coach who made the decision. He says it had nothing to do with facing Romney.

Shaun Farr, Little League Coach: "There's no way I would've done that. It wasn't that point at all. It was about walking their best hitter."

Farr says he didn't even know Romney was up next. He says it wouldn't have mattered anyway, because he would have still walked the power hitter.

Shaun Farr, Little League Coach: "I was either going to have my kids and their parents upset because we pitched to this kid and he wins the game for them, or I do what I do, and this happens."

It's getting plenty of attention: The Dan Patrick show on ESPN radio, MSNBC, and Sports Illustrated.

Shaun Farr, Little League Coach: "Everybody has their own opinion of it all, but I also think the reason there's so much controversy is because people have painted this picture that I deliberately went after this boy that's recovering from cancer."

He says that's not the case, but some aren't so sure.

Marlo Oaks, Romney's Father: "It's about going up against the weakest player, and getting the weakest player out."

Coach Farr also said that if the game were a regular season game, he wouldn't have walked the power hitter.

This game, though, was for the championship.



I side with the coach in this instance, your kids work hard all year to try and win. You have to give them the best opportunity to do that. If this was a game in which score wasn't being kept I would understand the view the parent of the kid with cancer had. However, this is a competitive sport with score being kept. You play to win. Also, why do they have this kid hitting behind there best hitter? Why not hit this kid 8th? Would make a whole lot more sense and this situation would have never arose, if you play fair here how do kids ever learn to be competitive?

[burton2019]

Ironic. I was just reading this, and debating to post it or not. Interesting read. There has been alot of posts on here before about the actions of parents/coaches at Little League events. Makes you wonder.

[jtw61194]

Been a long time since I've posted, but I thought this would be a good one. When I first heard about this, I was pretty agitated about what the coach did. But, when I thought about it, and I did quite a bit, the coach was treating this situation as any coach probably would have. I am a Special Olympics coach and the students who help me train my athletes are required to look past what they can't do and focus on what they can do. None of my athletes will ever get to play Little League or P-Nut and Special Olympics is their only opportunity to shine in an athletic venue. It is my opinion, from my personal experiences, that kids with intellectual disabilities, physical disabilities, or any other type of limitation want to be treated equally and without a lot of fanfare. I think the bigger issue shouldn't be about what one Little League coach did, but rather how we, as a society, should view people who have limitations or don't fall into the category of being "normal." We all need to take a step back and look at the world through a different set of eyes.

[1inStripes]

Amen 82. I heard all the uproar over this on various ESPN shows, and read Rick Rielly's column in SI, and was very agitated about this. I see both sides of the fence, but I agree more with the winning teams coach, than those against him.

Like you said 82, I feel like most of the kids with disabilities want to be treated equally. Also, we are becoming the United States of Oh God Don't put pressure on my kid. This kid has the right idea. It is good that he was put in this position, and he will better himself from it. He told his father the next day, that he was going to work on his batting so that next year they would want to walk him. That is what I love to hear!!!

You also had that crowd saying, "Its all about fun, and not about winning. BLAH,BLAH, BLAH." If it wasn't about winning, then why was this in a championship game? If the league was only about fun, then don't keep score, don't have a tournament. Romney must not be too bad, because generally you put your best hitter in the 3 or 4 hole. You don't start, or substitute your worst hitter in the 4, or 5 hole. You put them 7-9. I don't think enough people see the big picture personally.

Putting kids in these situations will better them for the future, and make them mentally tougher IMO.

There is way too much coddling go on, and saying "Oh my Johnnie shouldn't have been put in that situation. Why should he/she be the one who made the last out?" It is a game folks, and part of letting the kids play is for them to have fun, but also build skills in working with other kids, and learning how to make friends. I still bet the kid enjoyed playing! If not, he wouldn't have wanted to make himself better for next year.

When I tried to read the thread, I couldn't get it to come up. Perhaps I'm really gonna show how dumb I am, but couldn't the kid have been pinch hit for, if it was that big an issue? How did the team get that far if he was that big a burden?

[imported_MoonlightGraham]

I agree with the coach who walked the better hitter. He did nothing at all illegal.
If this kid was such a "bad hitter" why was he hitting behind the best hitter on the team? Surely that coach isnt going to argue he will get better pitches hittin behind him. Cause anyone who has ever seen a little league at all knows that not every pitcher is gonna hit all there spots.

It seems the kid on deck was hiding, he didnt want the game to come down to him and it did and he just chocked under pressure.

Heck they walked Chad Longworth 4 times one game after he got drafted to face me and I didn't get no article in Sports Illustrated.

On a side note I think this is one of the reasons kids are in the shape they are today. So many parents are complaining trying to run the team or the league and it is taking away from the kids just going out and playing the game the way it is supposed to be played.

If the opposing coach had threw at the other kid, or left a kid in longer then he should have been I could understand a defense, but to walk a batter to face another batter is just part of the game, no matter at what level.

[Monkeyhead]

It's part of the game. It may be in bad taste it seems, but it is a coaches job to teach his team how to win. If it were not little leaguers out there, you would hear no fuss about it.

[Unchained]

I see it like this (and not trying to be insensitive). The young man was in the lineup medical issues or not. If the coach wants to cry about it, it was his call to have him in the game. Were it a healthy child that struck out, no big deal, but this coach put the other coach in a lose-lose situation. That coaches job was to win the game, and get his team on. Sure folks are angry, but how devastated would those little ones on the other team have been had he beaten them? That's life-some have to win, some have to lose. Things don't always have storybook endings. It would have been cool if this brave youngster had homered after the other batter being walked to get to him. That would have been a real feel-good story.

[R0cketer]

I agree that the coach was in a no-win situation.

I mean its great that the kid was playing, and able to play but you don't give them anything. If its Little League, and the player didn't start, couldn't the starter have re-entered? If he started, what had he done the rest of the game. What had the power hitter done. Was there no sub on the bench?

It wouldn't be fair to the other coach to not try to win for his players in that circumstance. Bottom line. The cancer survivor had already won by being there.

[1inStripes]

Very good points Rock and Indian Dad.

Another thing that strikes me as odd. Yes, the kid is a cancer survivor and has a shunt in his head. He had to wear a helmet in the field, but guess what position he played. Centerfield. If he was that poor of a ball player, why would he be at one of your strongest positions, instead of rightfield or something?