By Staff
My column from last Friday really made a few people upset. If you remember, I wrote about the new pitching rules for Little League, pretty much not agreeing with the whole situation.
Well, 35 e-mails and several phone calls later, I must say, I will clear things up a bit.
First of all, in no way, shape or form was I slamming the League, like some think. I have always liked Little League baseball, especially the people involved. The coaches are always great at getting me game results in a timely matter and they care about what's best for the children. I also enjoy all of the e-mails from Lori Zimmerman, League Information Officer at Niles FOP. She's always on top of things, no matter how busy she gets.
My main argument in my column was the fact that I do not understand why rules are constantly being changed, switched, added or taken away – not just from Little League – but from all levels of all sports. Reading the article about the new pitching rules really set me off. But now that further information has been given to me, I will say that I see both sides of the issue.
One fact that I like about this rule is that it will allow children to become familiar with more than one position on the field. In most leagues, it is not uncommon for teams to play anywhere from two to four games a week. With these new rules, coaches will have to develop more players' pitching abilities instead of only relying on a couple of pitchers.
This rule also does not mean that pitchers have to sit out of games. It simply means if they reach their pitching limit, they cannot pitch until their rest period is up. They can, however, play different positions on the field, which is another plus if you ask me. Playing the same position over and over can get a little boring sometimes. Plus it's great experience for any player to learn to play different positions.
While this rule did seem pretty ridiculous at first, I can now see completely why they are doing this. The sole purpose is to make sure the children are safe. It will help protect their growing bodies from damage. No one wants to see their 13 year-old child go through surgery because for his first few years playing baseball he was not only throwing the ball wrong, but throwing wrong day after day, which will take a toll on an athlete's developing muscles and bones.
Unfortunately, there are some parents out there who want nothing more than for their child to go pro – no matter what the consequences. That's why rules like these are important to leagues. Not only are they benefitting a child, but they are taking the steps to make sure all of the athletes are safe.
With this said I will now apologize to anyone I offended in my column. My intent was not to do that. I was only expressing my thoughts. I would like to thank Lori for providing me with additional information to help me see the bright side of this rule.
Things have changed a lot since my days on the playing field, and I know they will continue to change as time goes by. These are just things we have to accept and realize – things are never like they used to be!
Have a great weekend!