Chicago Way extends down to Little League?

[ChicosBailBonds]

Sad.  Was involved in Little League a bunch with my son, including the All-Star level.  We took this stuff very seriously.  The rules are crystal clear on boundaries...ironclad.   I hate when this stuff happens, because it deprives another team that played by the rules.

Little League strips Chicago team of US Championship

http://espn.go.com/chicago/story/_/id/12308988/little-league-strips-chicago-team-us-championship-suspends-coach

[GGGG]

The biggest problem with youth sports are the parents.  With my youth sports days well behind me, I look back on it sometimes and think "WTF was that even about?"

And I have never had much love for the official Little League organization.  Way too much focus on the all-star season and the tournament leading up to the LLWS.  I think the couple years that my kids played in it, their season was done by late June.  Really?

[ChicosBailBonds]

The biggest problem with youth sports are the parents.  With my youth sports days well behind me, I look back on it sometimes and think "WTF was that even about?"

And I have never had much love for the official Little League organization.  Way too much focus on the all-star season and the tournament leading up to the LLWS.  I think the couple years that my kids played in it, their season was done by late June.  Really?

I don't mind the timing, much of that is dictated by the weather throughout the nation to get the regular season in.  We start out here in February, obviously many states can't do that. 

Little League has its own challenges now with Pony and other "real baseball" rules that are sucking kids out of LL at a huge rate. They are going to have to adapt the rules to keep kids playing in the league and not be solely dedicated to their travel ball teams.

[MerrittsMustache]

They weren't the only team doing this. They're simply the team that won doing it so they got called out. That doesn't make it right but there are basically no consequences so other teams are going to keep doing it in the future. Is Little League going to take back the kids' once-in-a-lifetime meeting with the President?
It sucks but what can you do? Parents typically ruin youth sports.

[GGGG]

I don't mind the timing, much of that is dictated by the weather throughout the nation to get the regular season in.  We start out here in February, obviously many states can't do that.  

Little League has its own challenges now with Pony and other "real baseball" rules that are sucking kids out of LL at a huge rate. They are going to have to adapt the rules to keep kids playing in the league and not be solely dedicated to their travel ball teams.

Not only adapt their rules, but adapt their priorities IMO.  The travel ball teams IMO are pretty much straight forward in their purpose - to play a lot of games against quality competition in order to improve the personal and team baseball quality.  I can understand that.

LL seems to straddle between "universal access" and this tournament, which has become a huge money maker for the organization.  And on top of it all, you have a governance organization that makes Greece look like a well-oiled machine.

[reinko]

They weren't the only team doing this. They're simply the team that won doing it so they got called out. That doesn't make it right but there are basically no consequences so other teams are going to keep doing it in the future. Is Little League going to take back the kids' once-in-a-lifetime meeting with the President?
It sucks but what can you do? Parents typically ruin youth sports.

Methinks it would not be that hard, to do a quick analysis of every US team say right before the LLWS began, to ensure no shady business is going on, to avoid something like this.  That is 8 teams, about what, 25 kids a team?  Telling me you can't look into 200 kids over the course of a few days?

Maybe parents having to sign affidavit's saying their child is eligible to play?

[Benny B]

The biggest problem with youth sports are the parents.  With my youth sports days well behind me, I look back on it sometimes and think "WTF was that even about?"

And I have never had much love for the official Little League organization.  Way too much focus on the all-star season and the tournament leading up to the LLWS.  I think the couple years that my kids played in it, their season was done by late June.  Really?

I thought it was bad when my 5 year old played fall baseball this past Sept/Oct... they were having the kids pitch (after 4 balls, the coach would step in at least), which, OK, I'm fine with the concept of giving them some exposure to that aspect of the game.  Practices were 2x a week and there was a game every Saturday and Sunday, which was a far cry from his summer t-ball league that had one practice and one game a week.  But what I thought was a simple township, intramural baseball league turned into a travel league.  When I saw the game schedule the first time, I didn't even recognize half of the places where we were playing "away" games.  All of this together seemed a little intense for five year olds, but they were having fun, so I have no regrets.


Then I remembered some of the people I work with who have taken their teenage and pre-teen kids to soccer, baseball, softball and gymnastics tournaments in Las Vegas, Palm Springs, Cancun, Boca Raton, etc.  The problem with youth sports today isn't too many practices, too many games, or too intense competition at an early age... it's that in a lot of places, it truly isn't about the kids anymore.

[GGGG]

Methinks it would not be that hard, to do a quick analysis of every US team say right before the LLWS began, to ensure no shady business is going on, to avoid something like this.  That is 8 teams, about what, 25 kids a team?  Telling me you can't look into 200 kids over the course of a few days?

Maybe parents having to sign affidavit's saying their child is eligible to play?

Isn't that what the district administrators are supposed to be doing?  

[Lennys Tap]

Sadly nothing new under the sun. 50 years ago this summer (1965) I played in the Colt League World Series for Northbrook, Il. Riverside, Ca., Houston and Greensboro, NC were the other participants. Greensboro won but was later stripped of the title. IIRC they had 2 players (one of them their star pitcher) who were overage. Kids/teenagers play, adults cheat.

[MerrittsMustache]

The primary issue I have is that the cheating was totally worth it. If they had played fair, missed the LLWS and that was that then they don't get to meet the President and First Lady, they don't get honored before MLB games, their league doesn't get hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations, they don't see themselves on SportsCenter, they're not a national news story, etc.

They have to give back a trophy and the coach can't coach LL next year? Who cares? If someone said that your son/daughter could have those experiences, wouldn't you try to get away with cheating too? At the very least, you'd think long and hard about it, right?

[GGGG]

They have to give back a trophy and the coach can't coach LL next year? Who cares? If someone said that your son/daughter could have those experiences, wouldn't you try to get away with cheating too? At the very least, you'd think long and hard about it, right?

Honestly, I wouldn't cheat for that purpose at all. 

I mean, I love my kids and still do a lot for them.  But the one lesson I try to impart is that the only way life usually gets better is when you have to work for it. 

[JWags85]

I mean, I love my kids and still do a lot for them.  But the one lesson I try to impart is that the only way life usually gets better is when you have to work for it. 

But they still had to work for it.  They weren't using corked bats, or PEDs, or even kids that were overage.  It was a player or two from a neighborhood a few streets over.  This kids still faced a lot of adversity and dug in to come back from a pretty crushing defeat to the Vegas team they eventually beat for the title.  These kids didn't explicitly cheat and still played their asses off.

[GGGG]

But they still had to work for it.  They weren't using corked bats, or PEDs, or even kids that were overage.  It was a player or two from a neighborhood a few streets over.  This kids still faced a lot of adversity and dug in to come back from a pretty crushing defeat to the Vegas team they eventually beat for the title.  These kids didn't explicitly cheat and still played their asses off.

Merritt's labelled it "cheating" and asked if a parent would "cheat" given the benefits. 

The LL officials involved "cheated."  The parents allowed them to "cheat" with their kids.  The kids probably knew, but when your parents and your coach allows it, you find a way to justify it in your mind.

[MerrittsMustache]

Merritt's labelled it "cheating" and asked if a parent would "cheat" given the benefits. 

The LL officials involved "cheated."  The parents allowed them to "cheat" with their kids.  The kids probably knew, but when your parents and your coach allows it, you find a way to justify it in your mind.

I should have been clearer in my post and phrased it as: "If someone said that your son/daughter could have those experiences, wouldn't you try to get away with this type of cheating or something similar too? At the very least, you'd think long and hard about it, right?"

[Benny B]

I should have been clearer in my post and phrased it as: "If someone said that your son/daughter could have those experiences, wouldn't you try to get away with this type of cheating or something similar too? At the very least, you'd think long and hard about it, right?"

Personally, I would not.  But I know that I am in the minority in that regard.

[reinko]

I should have been clearer in my post and phrased it as: "If someone said that your son/daughter could have those experiences, wouldn't you try to get away with this type of cheating or something similar too? At the very least, you'd think long and hard about it, right?"

As a dad (albeit of a 6 month old), my first instinct is no.  Not too sound so high and mighty, but the example you set for your kid, that cheating or bending rules, to get stuff can do a ton of harm.  What would stop them from cheating on a test, breaking the law...again, not saying that fudging your zip code for Little League will turn you into the next Jeffrey Dahmer, but kids are way smarter these days than they used to be.  If you give a millimeter, they will take a mile.

[GooooMarquette]

I should have been clearer in my post and phrased it as: "If someone said that your son/daughter could have those experiences, wouldn't you try to get away with this type of cheating or something similar too? At the very least, you'd think long and hard about it, right?"

No.  I want my kids to be proud of me and how I raised them.  And I want them to know the difference between right and wrong.

Think about being on your deathbed, as you ponder how you raised your kids and how they'll think about you when you're gone....

[🏀]

Everyone should turn on 670, there's radio gold coming.

This is all about racism now.

[Lennys Tap]

Sadly, many parents start cheating on behalf of their kids at an early age. Guys will actually coach travelling or all star teams in all sports to make sure junior's on the team.

[Blue Horseshoe]

Everyone should turn on 670, there's radio gold coming.

Best press conference coverage since Dr. Death.

[🏀]

Best press conference coverage since Dr. Death.

+1, which wasn't long ago.

That last caller was goooood. This is only going to be better.

[GGGG]

Everyone should turn on 670, there's radio gold coming.

This is all about racism now.

Ugh...  This is just getting sad and predictable.  

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

Sad.  Was involved in Little League a bunch with my son, including the All-Star level.  We took this stuff very seriously.  The rules are crystal clear on boundaries...ironclad.   I hate when this stuff happens, because it deprives another team that played by the rules.

Little League strips Chicago team of US Championship

http://espn.go.com/chicago/story/_/id/12308988/little-league-strips-chicago-team-us-championship-suspends-coach

Had to come out of haitus to respond to this bull crap. Its not the kids fault. They didnt know so why punish them? They just wanted to play ball. So please continue on your self-righteous pilgrimage. The only reason this happened is because the cake eaters from Las Vegas bitched and moaned and Kristi Black was a sore loser and had enough time on her hands to research Chicago district lines. I dont believe a word out of her mouth that they dont care about getting the championship.

Chitown Out.

[🏀]

Had to come out of haitus to respond to this bull crap. Its not the kids fault. They didnt know so why punish them? They just wanted to play ball. So please continue on your self-righteous pilgrimage. The only reason this happened is because the cake eaters from Las Vegas bitched and moaned and Kristi Black was a sore loser and had enough time on her hands to research Chicago district lines. I dont believe a word out of her mouth that they dont care about getting the championship.

Chitown Out.

You couldn't be more wrong.

This happened because the Village of Lynwood hung a sign congratulating a player for being on the team. Another area LL manager saw it and asked questions. DNA Chicago looked at it and discovered all the problems.

Las Vegas had nothing to do with it until DNA Chicago did the legwork.

[MerrittsMustache]

Had to come out of haitus to respond to this bull crap. Its not the kids fault. They didnt know so why punish them? They just wanted to play ball. So please continue on your self-righteous pilgrimage. The only reason this happened is because the cake eaters from Las Vegas bitched and moaned and Kristi Black was a sore loser and had enough time on her hands to research Chicago district lines. I dont believe a word out of her mouth that they dont care about getting the championship.

Chitown Out.

A coach from Evergreen Park was actually the "whistle blower."