Open Writing

The news broke this morning, sending parents, teachers, ordinary citizens, fair play merchants, and sportophilists into tailspins from which they might well never recover. The impending recession in many national economies, fuelled by the credit crunch and uncertainty about oil prices, make job losses from redundancy and early retirements everyday occurrences, so why should we even consider them?

Well, I think about them because of a particular sacking that has shocked and alarmed millions of others besides me. Not because I am worried that I might be next. That is not an issue because retirement is habit forming. I am so addicted to retirement that the only occupation that could coax me from my spider-hole would be that of sole monarch of the British Isles and all who sail in her.

Do not panic, for I would not occupy the throne for long. I would hover over the Stone of Scone just long enough to tap into the retirement benefits, replace the Upper House with an elected Senate, and sell a couple of palaces to Americans for cash.

By the bye, if the Stone of Destiny has been stolen and smuggled out of the country, it will be sought after, tracked down, recovered, and placed beneath my Coronation Deck Chair (I intend to be more laid back than is customary for Royalty). Anyway, enough daydream talk and back to the subject. Did anyone see where the plot went? Ah, yes!

Usually when someone is, to use a euphemism, ‘let go’ it is because they are either useless at their job, always late, noisy, disruptive, worse for wear from drugs or intoxicating beverages, or for other sane and legal reasons for which workers are appropriately fired.

But the young man I write of, who has been ‘booted out onto the cobbles’ is none of the above. He is smart, courteous, well spoken, never misbehaves, is punctual, respectful, and does his work with stunning exactness. And that is the reason he has been discharged. Yes, I hear your sharp intake of breath!

Young Jericho Scott is a boy that many parents would welcome as their son with thanksgiving. But there are those who do not find him a blessing, and they are the ones that have done the firing. "My goodness, why have they dismissed him?" I hear you cry in dismay. I will explain, but the reason might spoil your day.

First, you must know that Jericho is only nine years old. Second, that he plays in Connecticut’s New Haven Youth Baseball League. Third, that League officials have told Jericho’s coach that he is not allowed to pitch anymore. Fourth, that they have banned him from the baseball diamond because "He is too good."

Imagine your employer telling you that he is sacking you because you excel at your work, and so it isn’t fair to your fellow-workers. What he is more likely to say is "Are there any more at home like you?"

Young Master Scott throws the baseball at a speed of forty miles an hour. That is a long way from older professional pitchers whose fast balls approach the bone-crunching speed of a hundred miles an hour, but it is fast enough to make the League nervous enough to send him packing, besides which they insisted that his team be disbanded and its members allocated to other teams in the league.

His dismissal came after the team had been warned not to let him occupy the pitchers’ mound, but the team coach sent him onfield to pitch. When this diminutive sportsman climbed up to the pitching position, the opposing team packed up their stuff, departed en masse, forfeited the game, and sent a shock wave rippling through the League’s officers.

The League would have gathered more sympathy to its point of view if it had presented a catalogue of all the deaths, disabilities, injuries, disfigurements, orthodontic repair, etc, and all the medical bills that the Great Scott has caused to be raised in his career to date from his dead-eyed hurling at defenceless youngsters who are armed with nothing more than helmets, gloves, and a big stick to fend off the thunderbolts launched by the miniature Zeus. But the truth is that he has never caused any injury to anyone, apart from instilling fear into the fearful.

Rumblings continue to issue from the League and from Jericho’s club coach. Jericho’s parents, coach, and parents of other team members have staged protests at the ban and the demand for disbanding the team.

Jericho’s response to the troubles he feels he has caused, including his team mates’ loss of opportunity to continue playing the game could have been predicted by those who know the lad well. "I feel bad," he said, "because it is my fault no one is playing."

Jericho had helped to power his team to eight straight wins and no losses as they approached the championship playoffs. Now the team of eight, nine and ten year olds looks set to lose the advantages it gained and the opportunities they earned.

This is a sad situation in which there can be no winners, unless we consider that it is permissible to thwart ambition in a young man whose leisure time is spent, not on street corners with a crime oriented gang of social misfits, but on baseball field corners with a dedicated team of young hopefuls who have striven to lift themselves out of the distractions of street life and into the world of sport.

It is a profound shame that sportsmen such as these are treated with such unsporting contempt and the bitterness of disappointment for such a trifling reason. In this matter, adults are behaving like autocratic, spoiled children.

Conversely, the children affected by this ruling are acting like sane and sensible adults. Not only is their example a puissant paradigm that each of us, particularly those world leaders that have red buttons about their persons, would do well to imitate, but I am convinced that these young ambassadors of civilised behaviour would be wise to consider diplomacy as a career path.

Copyright © 2008 – Ronnie Bray
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Ronnie's "RETOLD YORKSHIRE FOLK TALES" Website at: http://yorkshiretales.com