The Canyon Del Oro Little League, where Christina played ball, will be issuing uniform patches in her memory - all players will wear them in the coming season. Leagues in Florida and California have already announced they will do the same. Patches are for sale at the league Web site with proceeds benefiting the Christina Taylor Green Memorial Fund.
Showing posts with label youth baseball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label youth baseball. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
On Opening Day, Oh say can you see?
What's the most stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner you've ever witnessed at a youth baseball league Opening Day? Nominations are now open.
Here's the winner in the 10-year-old category.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Quinn Cotter, a young athlete who's a young author
One of the pleasures of writing a book about kids and sports is getting a chance to meet others who've been thinking - and sometimes writing - about the same issues. I'll have that opportunity next month, after publication of "Until It Hurts", when I meet Quinn Cotter.
Quinn is not just another deep thinker on this subject. He's an author - his book "Playing Time, What Kids Think About Youth Sports" will be published soon.
And Quinn is an especially young author. A high school sophomore, he is 16. We'll be speaking together on a youth sports panel at the City Lit Festival at Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Library, Central Branch, Saturday, April 18 at noon.
This from an article at the Web site of the Gilman School, where Quinn is a student and a baseball player.
"Playing Time really got its start in 2006, when Cotter was 14 and presented a shoebox full of his note cards to his parents on Christmas Day, telling them of his intent to make the book a reality.
"From there, he set about finding an agent, scouring the internet and sending out query letters, hoping the combination of teenage author and organized, well-written manuscript would make for a persuasive case.Though Cotter began his note cards at the age of 10, he says that many of his stories come from experiences he had not forgotten, all the way back to the age of 5.
“The book is really based on my experiences, not on others’ experiences or what people have told me,” Cotter says. “I think it has a good communicative style. It’s different. It really came straight from the note cards. If you were to see the original copy of the manuscript, note cards and paper are stuck together.”
Congratulations, Quinn. And see you next month.
Quinn is not just another deep thinker on this subject. He's an author - his book "Playing Time, What Kids Think About Youth Sports" will be published soon.
And Quinn is an especially young author. A high school sophomore, he is 16. We'll be speaking together on a youth sports panel at the City Lit Festival at Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Library, Central Branch, Saturday, April 18 at noon.
This from an article at the Web site of the Gilman School, where Quinn is a student and a baseball player.
"Playing Time really got its start in 2006, when Cotter was 14 and presented a shoebox full of his note cards to his parents on Christmas Day, telling them of his intent to make the book a reality.
"From there, he set about finding an agent, scouring the internet and sending out query letters, hoping the combination of teenage author and organized, well-written manuscript would make for a persuasive case.Though Cotter began his note cards at the age of 10, he says that many of his stories come from experiences he had not forgotten, all the way back to the age of 5.
“The book is really based on my experiences, not on others’ experiences or what people have told me,” Cotter says. “I think it has a good communicative style. It’s different. It really came straight from the note cards. If you were to see the original copy of the manuscript, note cards and paper are stuck together.”
Congratulations, Quinn. And see you next month.
Friday, February 27, 2009
How not to run a youth baseball tryout
Ted Sullivan has a disturbing, important post today at Ahead in the Count. He's writing about a youth baseball tryout in the New York area, attended by kids who probably haven't thrown a ball in months. There are lots of boys and girls, ages 8 to 12. And one radar gun.
This gives me a reason/an excuse to link to a post from last summer on youth baseball and curve balls. And to an article I wrote about the problem for the New York Times.
This gives me a reason/an excuse to link to a post from last summer on youth baseball and curve balls. And to an article I wrote about the problem for the New York Times.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Jason Koenig v. North Mason School District
This story got past me last spring, but now that I've heard about it I just have to comment.
From the Seattle Times:
"A Mason County jury ruled Wednesday afternoon that the North Mason School District was not negligent in pitching student Jason Koenig approximately 425 pitches in a 16-day period in 2001.
"In a lawsuit that Koenig's attorney believes was unprecedented in the United States — and one Koenig hopes nudges the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) to re-evaluate its rules — Koenig sued the school district in April 2004 for negligence."
Two things I find notable about this story. First, of course, that we've reached a point where kid athletes are suing adults for putting them in harm's way. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around, that children are safer on a sports field precisely because grownups are running the show?
Second, the reason that the school district was found not negligent - the jury determined that Koenig's high school coach didn't know enough about "the risks of high pitch counts."
Maybe. A follow up story in the Times gives more detail of how the coach used - and allegedly misused - Koenig. It's a cautionary tale for every parent. Even the most informed, grounded, caring coach is, at the end of the day, only a coach, with an agenda that could differ from what's best for your child. It's uncomfortable and sometimes awkward. But don't be afraid to speak up and, if needed, speak up loudly.
(Incidentally, in this case, Koenig's mother, apparently did explicitly tell the coach to take her son out of the game. He was injured 23 pitches later).
This isn't an attack on coaches. I'm not advocating that every high school kid who suffers an avoidable injury hire a lawyer. Maybe stricter rules that rein in the adults will do.
From the Seattle Times:
"A Mason County jury ruled Wednesday afternoon that the North Mason School District was not negligent in pitching student Jason Koenig approximately 425 pitches in a 16-day period in 2001.
"In a lawsuit that Koenig's attorney believes was unprecedented in the United States — and one Koenig hopes nudges the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) to re-evaluate its rules — Koenig sued the school district in April 2004 for negligence."
Two things I find notable about this story. First, of course, that we've reached a point where kid athletes are suing adults for putting them in harm's way. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around, that children are safer on a sports field precisely because grownups are running the show?
Second, the reason that the school district was found not negligent - the jury determined that Koenig's high school coach didn't know enough about "the risks of high pitch counts."
Maybe. A follow up story in the Times gives more detail of how the coach used - and allegedly misused - Koenig. It's a cautionary tale for every parent. Even the most informed, grounded, caring coach is, at the end of the day, only a coach, with an agenda that could differ from what's best for your child. It's uncomfortable and sometimes awkward. But don't be afraid to speak up and, if needed, speak up loudly.
(Incidentally, in this case, Koenig's mother, apparently did explicitly tell the coach to take her son out of the game. He was injured 23 pitches later).
This isn't an attack on coaches. I'm not advocating that every high school kid who suffers an avoidable injury hire a lawyer. Maybe stricter rules that rein in the adults will do.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
What every kid player doesn't need
My early nomination for "Least Essential Youth Sports Product of the Year." (And judging from the faux smiles plastered on their faces, I'd say Sparky Lyle and Roy White agree). Yours for $19.95.
Notice how the kid drops a pristine white ball on the ground and that the one he picks up looks like it was last thrown by Burleigh Grimes.
Notice how the kid drops a pristine white ball on the ground and that the one he picks up looks like it was last thrown by Burleigh Grimes.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
The high price of sports gear
Here's my latest post on BusinessWeek's "Working Parents." I'm writing about the high price of youth sports gear. Do 11-year-olds really need baseball bats powered by "CNX technology"? No. Do we happily buy these expensive toys for them? Absolutely. Want to see my credit-card bill?
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Baseball helmets in high school, continued
More on high school baseball players and face protection.
The issue generates more discussion in the November edition of Pediatrics. Ronald W. Coen, of St. Luke's Regional Medicial Center, Boise, Idaho, writes that to advocate for helmet-wearing infielders is "highly quixotic." (Translation: What were you thinking?) Dr. Coen then raises an issue that I did not in Sunday's post. "Helmets would restrict peripheral vision and restrict the ability of the defensive ball player to dive for balls and also look upward for high fly balls. It is not difficult to imagine a third baseman diving to his right for a line drive only to have his helmet move into his line of vision and batter his face when he hits the ground."
Also in the November edition, Comstock and Collins, researchers and helmet advocates, respond: "Sports have strong traditions and cultures, and historically, introduction of protective equipment has been resisted." (Translation: Get over it). "When helmets were introduced to football, ice hockey, and men's lacrosse, some were concerned that injury rates would increase. Athletes in these sports also use their peripheral vision to field fast-moving hard objects during play; however, few clinicians today would argue that these sports would be safer if helmets were not required."
An interesting debate, well argued on both sides. I maintain that the most formidable obstacle to required face protection is the pro-sports model. If sport goggles were mandatory in the big leagues, attitudes in the amateur/youth ranks would soften quickly.
The issue generates more discussion in the November edition of Pediatrics. Ronald W. Coen, of St. Luke's Regional Medicial Center, Boise, Idaho, writes that to advocate for helmet-wearing infielders is "highly quixotic." (Translation: What were you thinking?) Dr. Coen then raises an issue that I did not in Sunday's post. "Helmets would restrict peripheral vision and restrict the ability of the defensive ball player to dive for balls and also look upward for high fly balls. It is not difficult to imagine a third baseman diving to his right for a line drive only to have his helmet move into his line of vision and batter his face when he hits the ground."
Also in the November edition, Comstock and Collins, researchers and helmet advocates, respond: "Sports have strong traditions and cultures, and historically, introduction of protective equipment has been resisted." (Translation: Get over it). "When helmets were introduced to football, ice hockey, and men's lacrosse, some were concerned that injury rates would increase. Athletes in these sports also use their peripheral vision to field fast-moving hard objects during play; however, few clinicians today would argue that these sports would be safer if helmets were not required."
An interesting debate, well argued on both sides. I maintain that the most formidable obstacle to required face protection is the pro-sports model. If sport goggles were mandatory in the big leagues, attitudes in the amateur/youth ranks would soften quickly.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
High school baseball and facemasks
Safety is first in youth sports - or should be. But what happens when safety collides with our notion of what looks and feels like sports?
Recent example: Two researchers from The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, Christy L. Collins and R. Dawn Comstock, collected data from 100 high schools about baseball injuries during the school years of 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. In all, they found 431 injuries. Of those, 60 (11.6 per cent) were attributed to being hit by a batted ball. (Warning: More statistics ahead.)
Blows to the head/face (48 per cent) and mouth/teeth (16 per cent) accounted for the highest percentages of batted-ball trauma. Of kids who were smashed with a batted ball, 18 per cent required surgery. All this, and a lot more, is published in a scholarly article that appeared recently in the journal Pediatrics.
Collins and Comstock conclude their paper with a recommendation, one that, while perfectly sensible, I bet my vintage Mickey Mantle bobblehead will never catch on. "[W]e strongly recommend that helmets with face shields or at least mouth guards and eye protection be used by pitchers, infielders, and batters at the high school level," the authors note.
The recommendations have several things going against them: the added expense of the safety equipment, which most high schools would be hard-pressed to absorb; and the thorny issue of enforcement. Imagine an umpire checking each inning for mouthguard compliance. (I don't want to). Though adults might be loathe to admit it, our most vigorous objection might be on aesthetic grounds. We tend to like kids sports best when they are indistinguishable from the real thing. And who ever saw Alex Rodriguez wearing a facemask?
Recent example: Two researchers from The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, Ohio, Christy L. Collins and R. Dawn Comstock, collected data from 100 high schools about baseball injuries during the school years of 2005-2006 and 2006-2007. In all, they found 431 injuries. Of those, 60 (11.6 per cent) were attributed to being hit by a batted ball. (Warning: More statistics ahead.)
Blows to the head/face (48 per cent) and mouth/teeth (16 per cent) accounted for the highest percentages of batted-ball trauma. Of kids who were smashed with a batted ball, 18 per cent required surgery. All this, and a lot more, is published in a scholarly article that appeared recently in the journal Pediatrics.
Collins and Comstock conclude their paper with a recommendation, one that, while perfectly sensible, I bet my vintage Mickey Mantle bobblehead will never catch on. "[W]e strongly recommend that helmets with face shields or at least mouth guards and eye protection be used by pitchers, infielders, and batters at the high school level," the authors note.
The recommendations have several things going against them: the added expense of the safety equipment, which most high schools would be hard-pressed to absorb; and the thorny issue of enforcement. Imagine an umpire checking each inning for mouthguard compliance. (I don't want to). Though adults might be loathe to admit it, our most vigorous objection might be on aesthetic grounds. We tend to like kids sports best when they are indistinguishable from the real thing. And who ever saw Alex Rodriguez wearing a facemask?
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Coming to the aid of Jericho Scott
Top nine ingenious solutions to the Jericho Scott crisis:
9. Encourage mother to enter bidding for Chicago Cubs.
8. Move pitching rubber from 46 feet to 460 feet.
7. Sheathe all batters in bubblewrap.
6. Adopt new Little League rule - all pitchers named for biblical cities must toss underhand.
5. Youth bocce season just around the corner.
4. Even things up by allowing opposing team to sign Danny Almonte.
3. Let Bud Selig worry about it.
2. Ask Chinese gymnasts to vouch that Jericho is really 9.
1. Can't the adults handle this?
Haven't heard about Jericho Scott? Have a look.
9. Encourage mother to enter bidding for Chicago Cubs.
8. Move pitching rubber from 46 feet to 460 feet.
7. Sheathe all batters in bubblewrap.
6. Adopt new Little League rule - all pitchers named for biblical cities must toss underhand.
5. Youth bocce season just around the corner.
4. Even things up by allowing opposing team to sign Danny Almonte.
3. Let Bud Selig worry about it.
2. Ask Chinese gymnasts to vouch that Jericho is really 9.
1. Can't the adults handle this?
Haven't heard about Jericho Scott? Have a look.
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