jonesy7

This actually happened. Your job is to decide whether it should have.

In a nine- and 10-year-old PONY league championship game in Bountiful, Utah, the Yankees lead the Red Sox by one run. The Sox are up in the bottom of the last inning, two outs, a runner on third. At the plate is the Sox' best hitter, a kid named Jordan. On deck is the Sox' worst hitter, a kid named Romney. He's a scrawny cancer survivor who has to take human growth hormone and has a shunt in his brain.

So, you're the coach: Do you intentionally walk the star hitter so you can face the kid who can barely swing?

Wait! Before you answer.... This is a league where everybody gets to bat, there's a four-runs-per-inning max, and no stealing until the ball crosses the plate. On the other hand, the stands are packed and it is the title game.

So ... do you pitch to the star or do you lay it all on the kid who's been through hell already?

Yanks coach Bob Farley decided to walk the star.

Parents booed. The umpire, Mike Wright, thought to himself, Low-ball move. In the stands, Romney's eight-year-old sister cried. "They're picking on Romney!" she said. Romney struck out. The Yanks celebrated. The Sox moaned. The two coaching staffs nearly brawled.

And Romney? He sobbed himself to sleep that night.

"It made me sick," says Romney's dad, Marlo Oaks. "It's going after the weakest chick in the flock."

Farley and his assistant coach, Shaun Farr, who recommended the walk, say they didn't know Romney was a cancer survivor. "And even if I had," insists Farr, "I'd have done the same thing. It's just good baseball strategy."

Romney's mom, Elaine, thinks Farr knew. "Romney's cancer was in the paper when he met with President Bush," she says. That was thanks to the Make-A-Wish people. "And [Farr] coached Romney in basketball. I tell all his coaches about his condition."

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Bravesfan4LIFE33

i admit thats horribke sportsmenship...my only question is why is the kid that cant swing batting behind the best hitter on the team? usually you have another solid hitter backing him up so they cant walk him everytime...but regardless, thats is just low...

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CAN WE SAY 14 YEARS IN A ROW.....GO BRAVES!!!!!

jonesy7

I agree, they should have had another good hitter behind him, but yeah it is pretty sad. However it is the championship game and I think that walking their best hitter is a good baseball strategy. However the coach for the yanks should have called time and went out to his pitcher and told him to throw the not intentional but intentional walk like throw the pitch low and then the next one high and just make it look like they arent trying to intentionaly walk their best hitter.

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Minnesota Twins

Bravesfan4LIFE33

yeah but at that age kids dont have that good of control and it being the championship game i wouldnt take a chance of throwing one in the dirt and the kid scoring and winning the game on a wild pitch...

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CAN WE SAY 14 YEARS IN A ROW.....GO BRAVES!!!!!

Z-unit07

that is so terrible i cant believe someone would actually do that...

big_papi34

who does that? o thats right, the yankees.

i agree thats as low as it gets. a father did that in my cricket league back in aus where he purposly batted this kid who had just got over lukemia at 1 so he could get him out of the way. fortunately for the kid he made i think 20 or 30 and the coach kept yelling form the sidelines get out! get out so the GOOD players can play! where i come from thats called abuse. UNfortunately, we lost!

la_faker_81

What is wrong with you people? What is wrong with winning? If it means picking on the crap kid, you do it. Just like the yanks coach said " It's good baseball strategy". If it happened in the MLB, there would have been no problem. What I am trying to say is, just because the kid is a cancer survivor, does that mean the other team can't win. A very good job done by the yanks manager.

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la_faker_81



GO ANGELS

Well he's kind of had it in me ever since i accidentally ran over his dog. Actually, replace "accidentally" with "repeatedly" and replace "dog" with "son".

jonesy7

but ur not seeing the point! its 9 and 10 year olds! not college or pros! yes it is good baseball strategy but the yankees coach knew that this kid had his sickness. And this league isnt like traveling its a regular in-house league were everyone can play regardless of how good they are at baseball. yes it would have been a good decision if this game was was being played by 13 or 14 year olds but this kid is just 9 or 10 years old. thats 3rd and 4th graders!!! atleast since this coach knew about the kids condition he could have atleast told his pitcher to pitch underhand to the kid or something. because think about it growing up knowing that everday u live it could be ur last and then he overcomes it but still has problems like a shunt in his brain so this kid has a had a very tough life and hes still only 9 or 10 and now he strikes out to end and loose the championship game because of a jerk who made a very low move.

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