• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Little League Ethics

Wirey

Wirey

Fartist
I coach a Little League baseball team. We stink. I have 5 players who are in their first year of any organized sport, and it shows. As some of you may know, a long time ago I was a pretty good pitcher who had tryouts with a few big league clubs. If I wrote my father's name here a few of the older members who like baseball might know who he was. So if there's one thing I know it's ball.

I'm a pretty laid back coach and I want the kids to have fun. Unlike their moron parents, I'm completely aware that most of these little goobers have no prayer of ever being a professional athlete. Especially that one kid who tried to throw home with no one on base because he assumed we'd boot the ball around and give the runner a shot at scoring (I mentioned that we stink, right?). He overthrew the catcher from second. Anyway, I went out and got trophies for the team. In these politically correct times I got one for everyone, but I got a couple that were larger for some specific awards, like MVP and Most Sportsmanlike. I asked the kids to vote on who should win what, and that's where the quandary happened.

There's a tie in the voting for MVP. The first kid is leading the team in average, runs, RBIs, stolen bases, slugging percentage, on base percentage, OPS, and as a pitcher is leading in strikeouts and is second in ERA. The second kid is good, but he's not in the first kid's league.

Kid one is Wirey Jr. I'll pause here so you can applaud my DNA. I told the kids if there was a tie I'd break it, and now I'm afraid that if I pick my kid people will see nepotism and not realize he actually deserves it. If I give it to the other kid I'm watering down what it takes to be MVP. I don't have to share the vote totals with anybody, but still I'll know. It seems right to give it to my boy, but it seems correct to give it to the other kid. What would you do?
 
BSM1

BSM1

What? Me worry?
Wirey said:
I coach a Little League baseball team. We stink. I have 5 players who are in their first year of any organized sport, and it shows. As some of you may know, a long time ago I was a pretty good pitcher who had tryouts with a few big league clubs. If I wrote my father's name here a few of the older members who like baseball might know who he was. So if there's one thing I know it's ball.

I'm a pretty laid back coach and I want the kids to have fun. Unlike their moron parents, I'm completely aware that most of these little goobers have no prayer of ever being a professional athlete. Especially that one kid who tried to throw home with no one on base because he assumed we'd boot the ball around and give the runner a shot at scoring (I mentioned that we stink, right?). He overthrew the catcher from second. Anyway, I went out and got trophies for the team. In these politically correct times I got one for everyone, but I got a couple that were larger for some specific awards, like MVP and Most Sportsmanlike. I asked the kids to vote on who should win what, and that's where the quandary happened.

There's a tie in the voting for MVP. The first kid is leading the team in average, runs, RBIs, stolen bases, slugging percentage, on base percentage, OPS, and as a pitcher is leading in strikeouts and is second in ERA. The second kid is good, but he's not in the first kid's league.

Kid one is Wirey Jr. I'll pause here so you can applaud my DNA. I told the kids if there was a tie I'd break it, and now I'm afraid that if I pick my kid people will see nepotism and not realize he actually deserves it. If I give it to the other kid I'm watering down what it takes to be MVP. I don't have to share the vote totals with anybody, but still I'll know. It seems right to give it to my boy, but it seems correct to give it to the other kid. What would you do?
Click to expand...

I coached both my boys in Little League (one year out of 13 kids I had 7 left-handers, I thought I had become dyslexic over the winter) so I understand your predicament. Have you considered co-MVP trophies?
 
Wirey

Wirey

Fartist
BSM1 said:
I coached both my boys in Little League (one year out of 13 kids I had 7 left-handers, I thought I had become dyslexic over the winter) so I understand your predicament. Have you considered co-MVP trophies?
Click to expand...

That, my good man, never even occurred to me. I have a phone call to make.
 
S

sule007

Member
Wirey said:
That, my good man, never even occurred to me. I have a phone call to make.
g.png
Click to expand...
Good luck Wirey
 
C

columbus

yawn <ignore> yawn
Wirey said:
The second kid is good, but he's not in the first kid's league.
Click to expand...
Maybe you should the voters why?
Maybe you are more nepotic than you realise. Maybe the other kid is considered just as good, but the Wireys are considered show boaters who wouldn't know team playing if it bit them on the jockstrap.
Tom
 
Revoltingest

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Get a 2nd MVP trophy.
You made it about the team voting, & it was a tie.
Tis not for you to break it.
 
Last edited:
lewisnotmiller

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
Is there someone independent you can consult, just to check your objectivity?
If not, strikes me you have enough objective stats in baseball that you can check yourself.

Give it to your kid, just not because he is your kid.

Short story time. I played tennis when I was young. I was a solid player, not very talented, but I won a lot. I hustled like hell, I was fast, and I was mentally tough (what happened??)

Anyway, I was captain of the Junior team, and played in the highest Grade senior team.
Every year we made finals, every year my Dad (who was on the selection committee) voted me out of the finals team, and every year I captained it, since it went 4-1 against his choice (lucky it was a panel)!

Anyway...all I wanted was him to abstain himself. Or base his decision solely on stats, and simply declare what was what he would do. Instead, he was so keen to avoid 'unfairness' that he was completely unfair to me. I was being disadvantaged by his involvement.

So, in seeking not to appear biased, try and find a way not to disadvantage your kid. It's a fine line, but it cuts both ways.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top