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www.youtube.com/bestbuy - Musician and Best Buy employee, Keith Parsons, rocks his Best Buy holiday campaign audition.
293 Comments
- inactive, on 04/03/2009, -6/+429Thank god we're punishing people for talent and hard work. Let's not allow excellence to get out of hand, okay?
- knottriel, on 08/26/2008, -8/+178A much more detailed article from CNN/Sports Illustrated is here:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/mlb ...
It sounds like some pathetic small town politics when you get to the part, "Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators. Jericho instead joined a team sponsored by Will Power Fitness."
I can't believe they're screwing over a kid for being too good because of petty politics.
Er, I can believe it, but I'm completely disgusted by it. - alecsputnik, on 08/25/2008, -7/+146i hate people that succeed at what they try to do! go play some video games kid!
- TimLL32, on 08/26/2008, -2/+121That kid pretty much has bragging rights for life.
- MoJoe88, on 08/26/2008, -3/+92"No son, try throwing it slower and maybe in the dirt every once in awhile. Maybe then you'll make the team"
- BoSuu, on 08/26/2008, -7/+61I feel bad for the kid, but I honestly understand the leagues though process on the issue.
A 9 year old kid with a 40 mph pitch is some scary ***** for the 9 year old up to bat. It's not fun for the rest of the kids in the league either. It's a crappy situation for all involved I am sure, but if the kid is that good I would think he would be able to play in a league with some older kids? I know most leagues have age groups as a general rule of thumb and kids that excel beyond their years are moved up without much fuss. - ironeus, on 08/25/2008, -2/+44A little more speed and we have a real-life Rookie of the Year.
- ImOscar, on 08/26/2008, -3/+43He should be rewarded by being put in a league at his skill level. I can see where the league is coming from on this. It's a co-ed beginners league, it should be fun.
- sinaura, on 08/26/2008, -6/+45This kid will probably grow up to become a baseball phenom, make millions, and sleep with more women then his entire little league counterparts combined. The jealous parents of the other kids are just trying to get their licks in before it happens. It must be demoralizing to see a kid like that, then to look at your own child and realize your dream of retiring off your kid's baseball fortune is just that, a dream.
/sigh - Eslamicolt3, on 08/26/2008, -3/+39Dash: But Dad always said our powers were nothing to be ashamed of, our powers made us special.
Helen: Everyone's special, Dash.
Dash: [muttering] Which is another way of saying no one is. - cuoops, on 08/26/2008, -0/+32Move him up to older kids league. Problem solved......
- RMoore08, on 08/26/2008, -8/+30Let the kid pitch. Its not his fault hes good.
- inactive, on 08/26/2008, -2/+23Well obviously he should be playing with older kids. It sounds like he's way out of the league of his peers to the point where it's pointless playing because he will win every time. (And scare the ***** out of them with his fast ball).
- 9bpm9, on 08/26/2008, -10/+31I was really hoping this was from The Onion.
- inactive, on 08/26/2008, -18/+39Yes because little league is all about athleticism and not everybody having fun, you know throwing the ball around and hitting it;)
- Medicamusic, on 10/28/2008, -1/+21I tried that all through little league... didnt work.
- Mononuclear, on 08/26/2008, -7/+27Why doesn't the kid play with older kids at the same skill level as him? This is like the article about the girl not allowed to play basketball because she was like a foot and a half taller than everyone else.
This isn't the Olympics or even High School. Kids play sports to have fun. When you have one kid that destroys any competition the game is no longer fun and basically ruins it for anyone else.
This kid has every right to play and have fun too but not at the cost of everyone else. Is it worth it to let the one kid play with his age group while 50 others kids lose all interest in baseball? - patbon, on 08/26/2008, -2/+21That boy's got the devil in him
- eric0213, on 08/26/2008, -4/+21Lesson 84: Don't put an RSS feed on your website if you're hypocritical.
http://i33.tinypic.com/2z9cdft.jpg - neilk85, on 08/26/2008, -3/+20I gotta say that even tho I was disgusted by this at first, it was the right call for the boy and for the rest of the league since HE SHOULD BE PLAYING IN A MORE ADVANCED LEAGUE.
If you read the more detailed SI article it said that he was offered the chance to play as part of the more advance Little League System rather than the beginning league for 8-10 year olds. He should take the opportunity to actually put himself to the test with comparable competition rather than playing down to less skilled players.
Not only would that benefit the beginners league since they'll have promoted a more advanced player to a better league making it possible for newcomers to learn the game (rather than get mowed down) but more importantly it will allow him to actually hone his skills and strive to improve.
I played USTA Juniors tennis for 8 years and this sort of thing happens all the time where a kid get rediculously good and dominates everyone in his age group. But instead of just letting him sit there and mindlessly mow everyone else down they move him up to a higher age or skill group so he can face tougher challengers and become a better player.....and the player and his parents welcome this rather than bitching just so the kid can stay where he is. - faithforever, on 08/26/2008, -3/+20What's not being included in these shock value articles is that this little boy is in a co-ed youth league for beginning players age 8-10. He's free to go play Little League if he wants to, instead of playing in a league much below his ability.
It's a little different when you realize he's also pitching to 8 year old girls with 40 mph fastballs. - Drahkar, on 08/26/2008, -5/+20@ B1163r -
You are such a hypocrite. You claim its OK because they are making sure the game is fun. But what about this kid? The purpose of this league is, and I quote 'a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport'. So how the hell can you claim you are promoting the sport or helping people develop their skill when someone of exceptional talent comes along and you effectively ban him from the game?
That's a direct comparison to how the US currently treats its research and science sector and while we are starting to lag behind everyone else in the world. Nobody wants to use the best people because it will shake up the foundation the people at the top are so comfortable in.
So lets not try and play the administration for the league off as noble good Samaritans. As the article pointed out 'Jericho's coach and parents say the boy is being unfairly targeted because he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league's administrators.'. With that looming int he background I feel safe in saying that 'The joy of the game for the kids' probably had nothing to do with this boy being singled out. - novalux, on 08/26/2008, -1/+15Did he just say funky butt lovin?
- Antixian, on 08/26/2008, -2/+15god forbid some other little ***** actually steps up and hits those fastballs.
- OstrakonX, on 08/26/2008, -10/+23I was a little league ump for a while.
Kids like this are the ***** devil, and they ruin the game for everyone. They ruin the game for the other team because 9yr olds can barely hit off of a tee, let alone 40mph heat. Not to mention the coaches will violate pitching guidelines designed to not let situations like this happen and let the kid play the whole game every game. (And if you call them out on it, the hypercompetitive bastards will either feign ignorance or throw a fit. Even if you throw the rule at them, the next ump will likely let them get away with it.)
They ruin the game for their teammates because there's no challenge when you know the other team can never score. Not to mention the kid everyone's talking about is never you. It doesn't matter that you hit a triple: that kid just threw his third straight no-hitter.
Don't give me this "punishment for talent and hard work" *****. It's not "hard work" for kids like this: it's hitting pubery way too early. And in the few instances where a 9yr old actually wills this kind of pitching ability into existence, 9 out of 10 times it's because his parents are pushing him way too hard in an endeavor that he should not be focusing on.
I'd rather punish one kid then punish the rest of the whole ***** league. - rukeypoo, on 08/26/2008, -5/+18funky butt lovin?
- chicagodj, on 08/26/2008, -0/+12whoosh...
ya hear that? yeah that's the joke flying WAY over your head. - sivart84, on 08/26/2008, -2/+14'Much more detailed'? These two articles are identical...
- Crystallio, on 08/26/2008, -0/+12Despite whatever small-time politicking is involved, he'd probably be better off playing in an older age division anyhow as he'd get a chance to throw against better players.
- faithforever, on 08/26/2008, -0/+12That is the wrong contact information. The league in question is the Youth Baseball League of New Haven, not the West Haven Little League.
- vanetta, on 08/26/2008, -0/+10Hell, Back in '82, I used to be able to throw a pigskin a quarter mile
- sirbeta, on 08/26/2008, -5/+15Absolutely sickening. I understand the safety concerns the parents have but that's all part of the game. If they're afraid their kid is going to be hit by a pitch, he shouldn't be playing in the first place. Even slower pitches can pack a punch. There shouldn't be some sort of skill cap that gets you in trouble if you pass it. The whole object of the position is to strike the opponent out, not softly pitch him a ball he can hit. I hope this kid doesn't grow up thinking he needs to dumb himself down a notch out of fear he'll get in trouble for being good at something.
- dsanonline, on 08/26/2008, -4/+13This is sad to see and I personally don't agree with it. None the less, I can see the dangers and reasoning behind it.
On the bright side, the kid can expect a glorious baseball future ahead considering the publicity this kid is getting... you all know this kid is going to be groomed in baseball and sign with a top major-league baseball team in the future.
Kid, I envy you. - Truth3, on 08/26/2008, -0/+9He better be careful how he pitches, he might need Tommy John surgery by 15.
- meromasta, on 08/26/2008, -1/+10You know they should just promote him to a more competitive league. Let him play with older kids who can hit that 40mph heater.
Not only will everyone be happy but this kid will develop much better with competition. Don't blame the kid for being good. He's a phenom. Phenoms need to be nurtured to their potential. playing him in a uncompetitive league isn't helping him either. - Oracle95, on 08/26/2008, -2/+10Whatever happened to the motto "Do your best?"
The new motto these days is "Lower your expectations". Set goals that no one can take from you, shoot below the curve. - TheMachine1, on 08/26/2008, -1/+9"When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said."
That sounds like something you would see in a movie about a misfits baseball team. - duggdowncatisad, on 08/26/2008, -6/+14In other news, the International Olympic Committee has told Michael Phelps that he can't swim in the 2012 Olympics because he won too many medals in Beijing.
- inactive, on 08/26/2008, -6/+14Baseball is not life;)
- Seaton, on 08/26/2008, -6/+14HOW DO I REEEECH THEEEEEEZ KEEEEEEEEDZZZ?!?!?!?!?!
- ahollywoodtale, on 08/26/2008, -2/+10I've played sports a lot growing up. I've been hit by pitches and gotten scraps and bruises. I've been hit with a bat that was thrown. It's a sport, you get hurt sometimes. You get dirty. Yeah it's painful and it sucks sometimes - but it's never stopped me from playing, and I wouldn't ask someone who was good to ever stop playing. Confidence would have probably made you less "scared *****". My coach took us to the batting cages, told us to practice - cause we enjoyed playing we were never scared ***** of a kid who could pitch fast.
- fugularity, on 08/26/2008, -0/+7So he was just supposed to up and quit and happily join the rest of his team in disbanding?
- inactive, on 08/26/2008, -4/+11ahollywoodtale,
You are mistaken. I am a soccer coach. Yes there are a few parents that take the kidssports waaayyyy to far. But for the overwhelming majority of parents there it is all about the kids having fun, and their kids are out of the league the moment they stop having fun. - WoollyMittens, on 08/26/2008, -1/+7Yes, and pitching baseballs is a deadly act of assassination?
- Totz83, on 08/26/2008, -0/+6Hi, you must be new. Take a seat right over there next to pedobear =p
- elveis, on 08/26/2008, -2/+8puss
- inactive, on 08/26/2008, -0/+6When I was a boy paraplegics used to throw 80 mph and juggle knives at the same time! Naked.
- Wartz, on 08/26/2008, -2/+8Good job, you contributed to the pussification of America.
- ahollywoodtale, on 08/26/2008, -7/+12everyone says it's all about "having fun" but seriously if you really believe that then you haven't been to a little league game lately or any sport for youngsters. It's really not. Parents are insane when it comes to there kids looking good on the field.
So instead of rewarded a talented kid, the banning him from playing? There are better ways to handle it. Letting the parents decide is letting the politics get in the way of the sport. - inactive, on 08/26/2008, -0/+5It's the distance from mound to plate. In the batting cages it's a longer distance. The reason this causes a big difference is if you pitch at 40mph, the ball goes from the mound to the plate so fast you don't have much time to react. While, in the cages, with a longer distance, that same 40mph ball would take longer to get across the plate, giving the batter more time to react.
There is some conversions that you'll notice during the little league world series where they say "oh, that's like a major league pitcher throwing 110mph" - that just means the ball is in the air for that amount of time, not that it's going equivalently fast. -
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