Are we pushing our Little League players too hard?

Question

http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news?slug=ap-toogoodtopitch&prov=ap&type=lgns

A generation ago, 7-8 was a tee-ball league, 9-10 was coach-pitch, 11-12 was player-pitch.

Today, a 9 year old is told his fastball is too good to pitch in little league.

Answer 1

First, we're not talking about Little League. Little League rules don't allow local leagues to ban a 9-year-old from pitching. We're dealing with an independent league.

I don't see how the question posed relates to the story. Who's pushing whom too hard?

That said, when I played, coaches didn't pitch at any level. Forty miles per hour is hardly too fast, either. I threw 36 mph the first time I was clocked at the fair. And when I managed a Little League Minors team, I had my players take batting practice with a pitching machine set at about 46 mph. When my players got into the game and saw 35 mph fastballs, those baseballs looked like watermelons.

Today's parents are doing their children a huge disservice with awards for everything they can think of under the sun; graduation from pre-school, kindergarten, fifth grade, eighth grade; and overall shielding Johnny from anything that might hurt his feelings or break the skin on his hand.

Answer 2

  40 MPH too fast???  We set our machine for 7-8 year olds at 38MPH, and the ball still has an arc on the way to the plate.  If they're freaking out over 40MPH, they should be playing coach-pitch.  It makes for a much better learning experience for beginning 8-10 YO players anyway.

Answer 3

I really don't know why amerikans are so obsessed with sports....