Merit whiffs when players are too good

If you can't beat him, ban him.

When 9-year-old Jericho Scott threw chin music, the New Haven Youth Baseball League threw one right back at him.

Scott, an ace pitcher for his team, should keep the bases empty. Adults running the league should get a clue.

Imagine if the great athletes of today were banned for being too good to be true.

If midfielder David Beckham kicked too hard, the Ridgeway Youth Football League would have kicked him out. No more "lights out" for Shawn Merriman. No more competition.

In New Haven, Connecticut, pitcher Jericho Scott was banned for throwing a 40 mph fastball by the Youth Baseball League of New Haven, forcing him to put his jersey away for the last time.

"I feel sad," Scott said in the ESPN article entitled "Nine-year-old boy told he's too good to pitch" by John Christoffersen. "I feel like it is all my fault nobody could play."

The only reason authorities decided to ban Scott from taking the mound is because his arm is a danger zone.

New Haven coach Wilfred Vidro counter-argued that, "How can officials punish a kid for being too good?"

In 1965, the collegiate basketball rule committee made dunking illegal, as they believed that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was able to jump with too much ease. Instead of banning Kareem they set a compromising ground for Kareem and the league.

There was no sense of compromise for Scott. The New Haven Youth Baseball League could have asked him to practice pitching where he is able to control how fast he can pitch. Instead, they banned him and disbanded his whole team.

Former Southwestern College student Ray Lozada was recently offered a full-time scholarship to play baseball in Menlo College in San Francisco.

"Personally, when I was in Little League and in the 9-10 year division, there were kids throwing from 50-60 mph and they had horrible control of their pitches," said Lozada. "So I believe that Jericho is just a victim in his environment. I imagine that the competition in his area is not very good and his above-average skills are magnified, not because he is an extraordinary talent, but because the players around him are inferior."

"And besides, what are we really teaching the kids in his league?" he said. "Basically, the parents are sending the message that if one individual dominates above all, then he should be cast out, I believe that is wrong and feel really bad for Jericho."

Jericho Scott was punished for his great ability instead of commended. A young athlete such as he should be able to give his all to the best of his ability.