By:Laura Lane
The parents are unhappy with a plan developed by last year's Merrick-North Merrick Little League Board of Directors that rearranges certain divisions so the most skilled players are in the Major League, while those who are less proficient play in the Minors.
Previously, children played in the Minors until they reached age 12, when they were automatically moved up to the Majors.
Now, less-skilled 12-year-olds will remain in the Minors, where the emphasis is on honing one's skills. They'll play in the 11-year-old division. Meanwhile, the best 10- and 11-year-olds will play with the older boys in the Majors, where the emphasis in on competing to win.
The plan has certain parents concerned about the safety of the younger children, who will now be playing -- in the Minors or in the Majors -- with boys who are older and probably bigger than they are. The parents worry that the younger players may be injured unintentionally by the older, physically stronger boys.
Bernard Floody, the parent of a 10-year-old who has played in the Merrick-North Merrick League for years, said, Now the kids' safety will be at stake. A 12-year-old may hit a ball to a 10-year-old and hit him in the face. I think even if my kid was asked [to move up to the Majors], I-d keep my son down with his age level.
The Little League handbook states local leagues are responsible for keeping their players safe. And the leagues also have the discretion to split their divisions any way they see fit. The handbook states that the Major League can include children ages 9 to 12.
Corey Wright, Little League's assistant east regional director, said, If a league wants their major division to be comprised of the best kids, they can do that." But Wright noted that children in a division should be relatively the same size and strength. A 10-year-old, he said, should be strong enough to play in the Majors to ensure that he doesn't get hurt. So, skill shouldn't be the only factor considered when creating the divisions. He also noted that most leagues don't have 12-year-olds "play down" among younger boys.
Merrick-North Merrick Little League officials say the change will benefit the children. One, they said, it will increase the league's "overall skill level." And because the players will be among boys at their skill level, they are more likely to play their desired positions, rather than those that are merely available.
Still, some parents remain unconvinced. Ed Metzger, a former Merrick-North Merrick team manager, said, Last year, they wanted my son, who was 9, to play with the 12-year-olds in the Majors. I wouldn-t let him because of how much bigger those kids were.
Wright also said that a 12-year-old who is assigned to the Minors and wants to pitch won't be allowed to do so. It's a Little League rule. The concern is that a 12-year-old pitcher would overpower -- and potentially hurt -- a younger batter.
These are the kids that will suffer, Metzger said. They were pretty good ballplayers, but there-s no room for this kid; he-s not in the top 25, so now this 12-year-old pitcher has to play down and play in the Minors. And he can-t pitch to the younger kids.
Mitch Zyman, president of Merrick-North Merrick's Board of Directors, said most 12-year-old pitchers move up to the Majors. In fact, he said, he doesn't know of any 12-year-old pitcher who wasn't assigned to the Majors this year.
Howard Kass, the board vice president, said the biggest benefit of assigning children to divisions by skill level is that they'll play the positions they want to. This is better for the kids, Kass said, adding, "We realigned the league because of parents' egos and their feelings that get deflated if their kid isn-t put where they think they should be. And kids enjoy playing with kids with the same skill level.
Kass said some 12-year-olds probably opted not to try out for the Major League because they preferred to play in the Minors with boys at their skill level. Some parents, however, said they believed the children didn't go out for Majors because they feared they would be sent back to the Minors and would have felt embarrassed.
Like Merrick-North Merrick, the Central Nassau Little League, which is next door in Salisbury, has Minor and Major leagues. But players are grouped by age, not skill.
Bob Carr, Central Nassau president, said, We create teams in an effort to make them as well balanced as possible, with good, middle and lesser skilled kids on a team. Everyone gains that way. The good kids have to learn how to make room for the less-skilled kids, and the less-skilled learn how to get better from the skilled kids. Everyone brings different strengths to the team and carries them into adult life.
In response, Zyman said, "I would not say a 12-year-old should be a role model for another 12-year-old; a parent should be. Little League wants kids who are equal ability-wise to play with each other. One of the values of the Little League mandate is learning about winning and losing. And my thing is to teach kids baseball -- the skills, sportsmanship, being a good loser and being a good winner.
