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In yesterday’s news, it was reported that 9-year-old Jericho Scott has been banned from pitching because the right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40mph – too fast, according to officials with the Youth Baseball League of New Haven, Connecticut. The league told Jericho’s coach that the boy could not pitch any more.

The Youth Baseball League of New Haven has been around for three years and has eight teams with about 100 players. Officials for the league said they would disband Jericho’s team and redistribute its players among other squads and even offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it.

However, Jericho’s coach refuses to disband the team and parents and players held a protest on the field last Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch. Although there is speculation as to why Jericho is being unfairly targeted (he turned down an invitation to join the defending league champion, which is sponsored by an employer of one of the league’s administrators), the fact remains that he is being punished for being too good!

According to Jericho’s coach, he’s never hurt anyone and he’s on target with his pitches all the time. But some parents have expressed concern. An opposing team forfeited a game last week when Jericho took the mound.

“I think it’s discouraging when you’re telling a 9-year-old you’re too good at something,” said his mother, Nicole Scott. “The whole objective in life is to find something you’re good at and stick with it.”

The league’s attorney, Peter Noble, says the only factor in banning Jericho from the mound is his pitches are just too fast.

“He is a very skilled player, a very hard thrower,” Noble said. “There are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport.”

Of course, Jericho is upset and wants to play baseball, as any child of his age may enjoy doing.

“I feel sad,” Jericho said. “I feel like it’s all my fault nobody could play.”

A simple solution to this issue, in my opinion, is to allow Jericho to continue playing but encourage him to play a variety of positions on the team (not just pitcher) and ask him to pitch a little slower. However, I have a few opinions about this and I want to address a couple of them.

I agree that Jericho should be allowed to play. It’s unfair to say that he is “too good” to play. He shouldn’t be banned from pitching because his fastball is faster than most. Why would we want to tell our children that they are too good at something and hinder them from doing what they enjoy and are good at? This sends a negative message to children who want to play, have fun and enjoy participating in recreational athletics (These are good things! Fit, healthy children that enjoy playing games and sports is good for our youth and our society).

As long as they are not hurting anyone (including themselves), and as long as they are not being coerced or forced to perform at a level that is not at their developmental age (something that is happening a lot these days resulting in injuries never seen before – see this blog story), I see nothing wrong with them playing a sport at which they may be better at than other kids. It’s a fact of life that some children develop and excel faster than others in some instances, and as long as it’s not harmful to the developmental stage of the child, then it’s perfectly okay.

However, I also completely agree with attorney Peter Noble that the league is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport and build fundamentals. But banning Jericho because he pitches faster than others shouldn’t be a problem if he is on target and not hitting anyone. It may make it harder for other kids to bat against him, and if that is the issue, then just ask him to slow down his pitches or have him play another position!

Although I agree that Jericho should be allowed to pitch, I have a few concerns, and some of these may contradict what I just wrote above.

If Jericho is being encouraged to play little league baseball at a high level by his parents or coaches, or if he is beginning to specialize in baseball and not continue to play other sports or play as a child of his age should be doing, then I would be hesitant to allow him to keep pitching.

Because I don’t know his background and what else he is doing or what his parents and coaches are training or encouraging him to do, it’s hard to know if this is what is happening. However, those are valid concerns for a child of his age. At 9 years old, Jericho is still in the developmental stages of his physical development. Having him specialize in a particular sport or work on biomotor qualities (speed, strength, etc.) would be detrimental to him during this stage of his development.

He should be playing games (and running, jumping, crawling, etc.) with other children in his age range while playing a variety of sports throughout the year. These things will help him develop properly and prevent injuries or long-term issues. I would recommend that he play multiple sports throughout the year and also multiple positions on the baseball team, not just as pitcher.

I wanted to address this because I’m currently studying for my Level 1 Certification with the International Youth Conditioning Association (IYCA). Once I pass my exam, I will be on my way to becoming a Youth Fitness Specialist.

I’ve already learned how children develop at different stages in life (6-9; 10-13; 14-18) and how the type of training and activities they participate in is very important in order to avoid injury, stay fit, be healthy, and most of all…have FUN!

Youth sports and fitness is something that needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, there are too many coaches (and parents) that are injuring today’s youth and treating them as mini-adults because they don’t understand the developmental process or how to teach children effectively. I’m looking forward to being a positive influence for today’s youth and helping them develop properly while making youth fitness fun!

As I write this, I’m watching the closing ceremonies of the Olympics. I love the Olympics, and I’m saddened that the games are over. It’s hard to believe that the past 17 days have gone by so quickly.

I’ve stayed up late each night trying to watch as many different games of the Olympics as possible. I went online and tried to catch up on things that I missed or to see the competitions that weren’t shown on television such as Olympic weightlifting, some of the other track events and wrestling.

During the 2008 Olympics, we witnessed some incredible feats including Michael Phelps winning eight Olympic gold medals while setting seven new world records and one Olympic record and surpassing Mark Spitz’s previous mark.

We saw Dara Torres, at 41 years of age, win a silver medal beating competitors as much as 25 years younger and missing the gold medal by one one-hundredth of a second. It was a bittersweet finish for Dara who proved that age doesn’t matter and that you can be competitive at any age and win medals. Don’t be surprised to see her in the 2012 Olympic games in London at age 45. Dara has also inspired thousands of people in their 30s, 40s and beyond to get back in the pool or begin strength training at the gym.

Jamaican Usain “Lightning” Bolt broke three world records and won gold medals in the 100m and 200m individual races and 4x100m relay. At 21 years of age (22 the day after breaking records and winning gold), he showed how gifted he is and how easily he was able to break these records with very little experience. He will improve tremendously in the next four years and will be something to watch in 2012.

American Bryan Clay won gold in the decathlon bringing the medal back to the United States while be dubbed the “world’s greatest athlete.” I wrote about Bryan Clay in a previous blog, and I’m happy to see that his faith and hard work paid off.

Another athlete I wrote about, Kerron Clement, also won a few medals during the 2008 Olympics. I was happy to see that his faith in God and the blessings bestowed upon him help carried him through the Olympics and onto the medal podium. Kerron was very excited to win silver in one of his races and was so happy to be at the Olympics.

There are many more athletes that inspired me and thousands of others including American gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, women’s gold medal discus thrower Stephanie Brown Trafton, 10,000m bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan, the men’s volleyball gold-medal team, the Lopez family and so many more!

There were also moments of sorrow during the Olympics including near misses for a medal, the men’s and women’s 4x100m relay teams’ disqualification after dropping the batons, Lola Jones seventh-placed finish after stumbling over the ninth hurdle in the 10om hurdles among other tearful events.

Overall, the 2008 Beijing Olympics were an incredible show of athletic ability, talent, hard work and so much more from the beginning of the opening ceremonies through the last night of the closing ceremonies and the extinguishing of the Olympic torch in Beijing and the look ahead to London in 2012.

I’m sad to see that the games are now over, and we’ll have to wait four more years to witness so many memorable moments and incredible stories of all the unsung heroes that exemplify what the Olympics are truly about. However, I’ll forever remember the 2008 Beijing Olympic games and will look forward to the games in London in 2012.

Emmanuel Moody, a 6-foot, 210-pound running back from Coppell, Texas, transferred from the University of Southern California to the University of Florida last year. Moving from the hustle and bustle of city life in Los Angeles to Gainesville has given Emmanuel more time to himself.

He spends that time praying and practicing his faith as a devout Christian who one day wants to become a minister. Emmanuel even prays during practice. When he was asked what the difference is this year compared to his freshman season at Southern Cal in 2006, he didn’t mention football plays.

“This season my focus is more on God,” Emmanuel said. “If I’m not spiritually right, then I won’t play football to the best of my ability. He’s the one who gives me strength. He’s the one that gives me comfort. Sometimes at practice I’ll look to Him and start praying. That’s the difference beween this season and all the other seasons is that He’s really captured my heart. The Holy Spirit is the one that guides me.”

Emmanuel is a great role model and exemplifies what being a Christian is truly about. And he has his priorities in order (God comes first and he lives the life of a Christian).

“My mind isn’t always on football. It’s on other things, like God. He definitely comes first. Football just falls into place,” Emmanuel said.

Now that’s the type of athlete that we should be able to look up to as a role model. Emmanuel doesn’t take anything for granted and knows that God has blessed him with his abilities. In return for his faith in God and living the life of a devout Christian, God will in turn bless him in many ways.

We need more courageous and faithful Christians like Emmanuel Moody (and Tim Tebow) to step forward and spread the faith and encourage others to put God first and give thanks to Him and all that He does for us.

Emmanuel also has the advantage of being in the spotlight because he is a member of the Florida Gators football team. He has the chance to witness to so many others including other members of the football team, the coaches and staff and thousands of fans and supporters.

If that isn’t a blessing, then I don’t know what is!