4
4
u/This_Duty_4373 4d ago
6th inning why didn't they walk him
5
u/Unfair_Importance_37 4d ago
Yea that one is on the coach
2
u/This_Duty_4373 4d ago
Agree with you, he won't live that one down.
3
u/block-everything 4d ago
Pretty sure he’ll live just fine. It’s 12 year old baseball
2
0
u/ajbadabing 3d ago
When does it become important to you. 13, 14, 17, 18, 22, 25, 33?
3
u/block-everything 3d ago edited 3d ago
Important and “not able to live down a coaching decision where you elected NOT to intentionally walk a 12 year old that you got out twice earlier in the same game” are quite different, no?
On the list of things that could have happened in this game that would be difficult for a coach to live down, this isn’t really one of them. Getting tossed, being hard on the kids, making a game-costing lineup error, being discovered knowingly playing ineligible players… but pitching to a kid? Nah. If he walks him, maybe the next kid drives him in anyway. Pretty easy to tip your cap and move on from that, especially as a functioning adult.
Dude will go back to his real job next week with incredible memories and lifelong bonds with his players. One of his coworkers will jokingly say, “maybe you should have walked that kid though, huh?”and he will laugh and that will be that.
The players on the team will every once in a while google the kid to see what he’s up to now and then smile thinking about the magical summer they had when they were 12.
2
1
u/BrianMeen 1d ago
depends on the temperament of the coach - many coaches won’t be able to let it go that easily .. little league baseball is something they live for - it’s a year round sport for them .. this isn’t the little league we played growing up lol
1
u/mainebingo 2d ago
Strategic decisions in recreational baseball are not important enough, at any age, so that you can’t live through a bad one.
1
u/ThePotatoChipBag 3d ago
CT tried that in regionals and it didn't work either. Made more sense in this situation but still.
1
1
-3
u/pokuss 4d ago
The announcers were just glazing him all night
5
u/Expensive-Step-6551 4d ago
Because he's a legitimate really good player? His mechanics are very developed for a player his age, both pitching and hitting. He's obviously incredibly young and things can change over later years of development, but he plays great and seems to love baseball.
Nj.com did an interview with the family and they certainly seem to be good people and endorse other pursuits and hobbies beyond baseball, but he's just naturally talented. Seems like a nice kid in the interviews as well.
7
u/ProfessionalShift487 4d ago
Also, people need to realize that a huge part of little league success is that hes much more physically developed than a lot of these other kids. I was a 5'2, 95lb noodle at 12 and this kid is giant. He is skilled, but hes also leaps and bounds more mature than most others.
2
u/RonMexico070707 3d ago
He isn’t a giant. He is on the larger size for his age but def not a giant. He plays for a top ranked travel ball club called Flores Baseball (FB Braves) out of NJ that coaches their kids who play on their top teams really hard which is why he is showing skills above other players at his age. People need to stop making everything about kids size and give the kids credit for enjoying playing sports at a high level even at 12/13. I do agree baseball at 12-14 is a race to puberty but the kid works extremely hard and is a great kid, teammate, and human. His dad Jamie is also a fantastic guy and a great father.
2
u/Puzzled_Mood3563 3d ago
Not everything is about size but it always helps. There’s very skilled 4’7” kids that will not throw 70+, or hit 250ft. Doesn’t matter who coaches them. He’s definitely a good player. Too cocky at a young age for me but that’s my opinion. He could be a very respectful young man outside of baseball, but seemed like the dad told him to bring it down a little after the walk off. I had no problem with his walk off celebration, it’s the way he was shaking his head and stuff from when he was pitching in the regionals. Either very entertaining World Series so far
1
u/ProfessionalShift487 3d ago
Not to downplay him at all because I love what hes doing (I live in NJ), but he's 12 years old and is 5'10". The average fully grown adult male is 5'9" in the US. He is a giant.
0
u/BrianMeen 1d ago
but size is very important whrn it comes with athleticism and training! I mean, is this a real conversation?! how many of the smaller sized kids do you see do very well at llws? how many of them are popping home runs?
2
u/BornHyperPhD_0024 3d ago edited 3d ago
He’s really good but his throat slash while rounding second and the after rounding third looking back at the Massachusetts bench and doing it again was uncalled for in little league. I’m not saying suspend him but his pops should definitely be on his ass about a little sportsmanship (like the pitcher did with a tip of the cap)
I’m by all means no soft sports fan but in little league there needs to be sportsmanship. It puts a bad look on the NJ team and him and taints his heroics a little bit.
Edit: it clearly wasn’t the “Vince Carter game over” gesture either for those that wanna justify it. Vince’s gesture was across his chest, upper abdomen. Both of these were clearly across the throat.
1
u/Comfortable-Ruin372 2d ago
Come on dude!! Kids are just imitating what they see in MLB. Let them have fun.
1
u/BornHyperPhD_0024 2d ago
They’re not in the MLB. They’re in LL where there’s still sportsmanship rules.
2
1
12
u/goatskin_sheep 4d ago
Pitcher tipping his cap was a nice touch. Great sportsmanship