Sportsmanship

We have drama on the baseball diamond, and I ain't talking about the major leagues. I'm talking about the bread and butter of this great country … youth baseball. Travel ball. Quite possibly the most divisive youth sport on the planet. It's the Wild Wild West. In this case, I'm specifically talking about 12U travel ball, where the internet is currently debating proper etiquette after hitting a ball to the moon. For those who missed yesterday's Nightcaps – first, how dare you. You're better than that. We were, once again, ahead of the trends. We always are. Anyway, I introduced this clip to the class, and it lit a fire under everyone. Some folks loved it. Others were furious. There were a good bunch of you who thought the kid should get drilled the next time up to bat. I'm in that camp. But first, let's go ahead and play it for everyone who hasn't seen it yet:For those who can't read the fine print, that nuke has over 2.5 million views over on Elon's Twitter. That's what we call "going viral" in this business. That clip is all over the place right now, for obvious reasons. Folks are triggered by the theatrics, and it's especially jarring because they're coming from a 12-year-old. It's one thing to see professional athletes do it. But our youth? Where did we go wrong?Now, as I wrote yesterday, the easy solution here is to hit the kid next time. Simple. I believe I suggested that they "hit him in the earhole," but I realize that may be a bit harsh given he's 12. So, the ribs, back, or shoulder will do just fine. But I'd hit him, and I'd do it on the first pitch. Make it clear, make it obvious. Baseball is a beautiful sport in that it self-polices itself. You violate one of the many unwritten rules, you're usually dealt with pretty swiftly. It's perfect. I've been hit before, and I've been the one throwing at people. I played baseball for 20 years. I felt both ends of it. This is 100% what should happen. NOW, as for the internet … we have HOT takes coming at us from all angles:"How is this celebrated?!? What the hell is wrong with people?! Where are the coaches? Umpires? What parent in the right mind wouldn’t drag their son off the field if he did that? Pathetic!!"Kirk Herbstreit is IRATE, and, frankly, a little embarrassed for us. I don't blame him. Everyone wants to blame the parents/coaches in today's travel ball world, and it's hard to argue with that. Again, I played baseball for two decades, and I did it down here Florida. The real deal. We don't mess around. I'm talking games every weekend, practice every day, showcases every month. Not once did I ever wear a go-pro on my helmet or have a cameraman following me around the bases. If I did, I would fully expect to get drilled. I played for a few years under the late Dave West. Remember him? The old reliever for the Philadelphia Phillies? He was part of that great '92 team. Anyway, if we ever acted like this – even a tad – he'd plunk us himself. I'm serious. And then we'd sit the bench for a week. Best coach I ever had. Anyway, that was, clearly, a different time. Things are different now. Tough to say they're better, but certainly different. [email protected].