Special LL waiver???

"LL did this to themselves by putting themselvs on national TV... and claiming they are the game for everyone"

I understand what you're saying and you're right! They set themselves up for criticism. But do you seriously believe that they went to ABC and ESPN and begged them to put their games on TV?

There's no way that happened! Some slug in advertising got together with some other slug in programming and together they convinced a bunch of network bigshots that putting on the LLWS would put gold in the vault, and they were absolutely right!

Now LL Inc may have taken advantage of the situation by hiring some other advertising slugs who told them what to say to paint LL the way they do, but that's no different than Ford telling us they have a better idea, Phillip Morris telling us they're the company that really cares, or any one of those miserable politicians telling us those things we all know are BS and on they are only saying to get elected! That's the society we've created for ourselves!

Do you really think USSSA, AAU, Babe Ruth, Cal Ripkin or any other baseball program doesn't do the same thing? Go to their web sites an look! The fact is, they're all jealous because LL got there 1st and is getting all the big bucks!

I think it sucks to use the kids as shills to line some millionaire's pockets, but that's life in the fast lane!

Of course you let his records stand. When they found out for sure he was cheating, they did what they could and made them forfeit, what else could they do, the games were in the books! Besides, if you removes any record of any baseball player that got nailed for cheating, kiss off Pete Rose's records, Joe Jackson's and probably a good many other players only MLB knows about.

How would you like to see the same scrutiny applied to every USSSA or AAU tournament you own kids have ever played in? EVERYBODY CHEATS! Would you like to stake your life that your 11 YO hasn't already played against a 14YO in any tournament?

Where you and I disagree is that you think the kids will break the rules and I think its the parents, coaches and administrators who put such a high value on winning. What 9 YO kid is smart enough to go apply for a fake birth certificate, and if they did, where would they get the money to pay for it?

Steroids are something entirely different. We've all read stories of coaches who give their players those things, and of parents so determined to see their kid excel they do it themselves. I don't know of too many little kids who seek that stuff on their own, but I'm sure that since they see the big boys doing it, it will soon happen.

But no we shouldn't allow it to happen because they are hurting someone, and no you shouldn't have to take your son elsewhere! But you have options. Like I said, you can get into the bureaucracy and throw out the bums that are in there! If you don't want to change it and you don't want to go along with it, they you have to go somewhere else.

Yes I'm the guy wanting strict pitch counts and your the guy who says he uses them. I didn't see you say a waiver should be allowed and neither did I!

You know what I meant when I said they're just a bunch of kid trying to play baseball, and you know I wasn't endorsing any of the things you're so upset about, so why do you keep saying that? it sounds like you're mad because I keep saying the problems don't come from the kids, but from the adults with a must win at any cost attitude and the truth hurts.

Of course we should be upset with an idiot coach who does that! I know I'm upset about it and I've been upset enough about it for several years to do everything I could to get it changed. but I only have one voice! Try to get someone who's kid is better than average on any team lower than college who's kid is getting some ink and some attention, but is throwing 100-150 pitches every 3rd game or so to stand up and yell too.

It ain't gonna happen because they don't wanna jeopardize their kid's career! Heck, most of them don't even have the stones to tell the coach they don't think its right, even as they're making an appointment with the doctor because the kid can't lift his arm!

Of course the "good ol' boy's club" stops a lot of good efforts. That's the way it works! That's why you either accept it and then complain, or keep pluggin' away as best you can! Nothing that's tis ingrained can be changed overnight or probably even during one generation and people get tired of fighting the good fight. That's what the "good o'l boys" count on. All they want to do is keep the status quo for as long as they can.

I agree that when rules aren't followed, there will be at least anarchy, but do you really believe that if LL magically got rid of every problem it has those same kids would come back or that others wouldn't still leave? If you believe that, send me some of that stuff you're usin'.

Most of the players go to travel teams because their parents or some other adult has convinced them that its better for them as far as development goes, and I agree! But please don't try to tell me there are that many players who move up because residency or some other rule is violated.

"And what about the kid in Harlem who was a REAL resident and didn't make the team.. Was it fair to him/her? He can't move to another LL."

What about him? you can bet you butt that if he was better than the other players and didn't have any political baggage, he'd have been on the team and someone else would have been gone. What will happen if some kid you know nothing about shows up one day and takes your kid's spot on the team and he finds himself looking for a new team?

You can't even complain because there are no rules in "select" ball! At least LL has rules most people follow. They may not be the best, they may get broken and lots of people might get hurt. so what should we do? Should the US Congress pass a law disbanding LL?

And ya know what? Until All Star time, things are much calmer. All of a sudden the hypocrites running the whole shebang change the rules! Why? To find out who's the best! To win! To show off! To bring in the glory! To have fond memories! IOW, winning takes on an entirely new meaning.

If you want to see how well at least a couple of those organization use a broom, come up here!

RAD, you judge everything in comparison to your situation. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it isn't always the best thing. A big failure of mine is that I tend to judge all HS programs by what I have to deal with, knowing all the time that they can't be the same, but I do it anyway. That doesn't make me a bad guy, just a frustrated one with a lot to learn.

I'll say it again. All we're talking about is a bunch of kids trying to play ball. They aren't the problem and they aren't the bad guys. We adults are! Not you and I specifically, but certainly adults in general.