Holy moly, it never ends. The few bad apples are at it again.
When a multicounty sports association like the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League (GHVBL), which comprises teams from Westchester, Rockland, Dutchess, Putnam and parts of western Connecticut, puts out a league-wide edict to nearly 1,000 teams (8U to 18U) to cease and desist all existing nonsense, you know we’ve crapped out yet another milestone for all to be proud of.
The mischief runs from typical baseball chirping and run-of-the-mill nonsense, to recent nitwit antics that allegedly led to umpires being escorted to their cars. It’s a current point of assertion that directed GHVBL chief David Zaslaw to lay down the law in a Saturday morning joint release from the GHVBL and Elite Baseball Umpires Association (EBUA) to one and all.
The final straw dropped late last week when an umpire reported some unnerving issues. We won’t point any fingers at a particular town this summer, but you know who you are.
“Unfortunately, 2023 has produced some alarming trends that while common in youth sports – have been uncommon in the GHVBL – and we intend to take immediate action to reverse this trend,” Zaslaw’s dictum declared.
These bullet points followed:
Here’s one additional bullet point from yours truly: Snap out of it as a society or witness the decay of town- and club-sponsored competition and sportsmanship, because the great people running these sports associations can only take so much B.S. before they realize the end will never justify the means if people can’t act civil in public settings and competitions.
“It’s getting worse over time,” GHVBL 9ers Manager and John Jay CR Baseball Coach Teddy Lawrence admitted. “The game we were at the other night was an embarrassment. You’ve got kids and parents swearing at umpires, following them off the field, totally out of control.”
Lawrence played pro ball, picked by the Detroit Tigers out of Mahopac High in the mid-1980s. He’s seen the decline in sportsmanship. He’s seen helicopter parents run amok. Like most of us, he’s appalled by what he sees from time to time.
The league issued this urgent alert:
The GHVBL and EBUA are in lockstep in our passionate view that our Code of Conduct is not just a piece of paper – it is the RULE of the league, and if you, your players or your parents do not agree to the message you are encouraged to make other arrangements for your hosting league – we have reached the end of our rope. Here is our (GHVBL/EBUA) joint plan moving forward.
Beginning today, prior to each game, coaches and umpires will discuss the following:
Umpires will utilize their judgment and the rules above may be accelerated depending on the situation – be warned – there is VERY LITTLE PATIENCE FOR DISRESPECT OF OUR UMPIRES.
“For most of you, this is a simple reminder that the GHVBL is not immune to the troubling behavior in youth travel sports – but make no mistake – we will not tolerate it,” Zaslaw, a patient man, but one clearly at the end of his rope, concluded.
So I ask, y’all, what have we become? To which depths shall we dive before we hit rock bottom? This is gonna suck to admit, but it appears a bottomless pit, with no end in sight. There are terrific men and women within this GHVBL and other organizations breaking their stones to make summer leagues happen for the good of our kids, and yet, we’ve got some hammerheads treating it like a summer fling we’ll never see again.
It’s tough enough for school districts to keep things in check with paid security members on staff, so imagine what it’s like when Uncle Louie is keeping players and parents in line on a town-owned facility while his brother manages the club in a setting where we rely on self-policing #RecipeForDisaster.
Parents have to stop living vicariously through their children. We see a hint of promise from our first born to our last, and we’re all in on that scholarship dream, whether it’s sensible or not, since less than 10 percent are actually offered.
We need to hold our kids accountable and stop making excuses for the kind of heinous behavior we’re hearing about in all youth sports, not just the GHVBL.
I recently heard a player whine about the conditions of an otherwise pristine baseball field – that had sucked up to eight inches of rain the days before – because he cut his elbow on the slide going into second base. What he should have thought while he was getting his Band-Aid was maybe next time I slide, I don’t drop my elbow at such an extreme angle where I might strip a layer or two of skin, or how about #Sh!+Happens! Let me pipe down and play!
Ya see, everyone’s blaming everyone else these days, instead of holding one another to account. Well, Direct Rays is YOUR accounts receivable, and I’m here to beg the coaches, athletes, their parents – and even their grandparents (trust me, I know one) – to toe the line and respect each other like we swore we would back in 2020 when the COVID pandemic deprived us of social gatherings and sports altogether.
If I had a dollar for every time someone said, “Please, Lord, let us get back to normal, so the kids can play again and I’ll never argue a call,” I’d be pretty well off by now. But some of us went right back to being our old pissy self, chirping disrespect from dugouts, cussing umpires on and off the field and making it all about you because you dropped a grand for your kid to play summer ball, which entitles you to aggressively shout down umpires and ignore proper social cues.
One day, this baseball eutopia of the GHVBL will be gone, and we’ll have to wait a long time before the next willing sap comes along to soak this crap up.
“Said simply, I want the GHVBL to be a part of the solution in youth travel sports, not part of the problem, so we are facing it head on,” Zaslaw stated Sunday after the league played 140 Saturday games without incident. “The EBUA is a great partner in our league, President Tom Kienzle and I are steadfast in the support of our umpires – we will remove any/all participants that don’t share this respect for our men and women that officiate our games. Make no mistake, the number of incidents is a very small percentage of the participants and the vast majority of coaches, players, and spectators are model citizens. This note was intended to reach those that approach and go over the line. Unfortunately, the few that break our code of conduct are the ones we highlight – but if that helps remind all of us to keep our poise and professionalism between the lines, then we are ok with it.”
Makes a ton of sense to me! But I’m not the problem.
The GHVBL Code of Conduct is available at https://resources.ghvbl.com/forms/GHVBL-Code-of-Conduct.pdf
By: Ray Gallagher, Examiner Sports Editor @Directrays
July 17, 2023
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*PHOTO*
TIM COURT PHOTO
Not that this was one of those moments but the GHVBL took necessary steps last week to curtail some of the behavior issues plaguing youth sports, including the overall treatment of umpires and poor sportsmanship.
David Zaslaw and company really came through when we needed folks to come through for us.
Zaslaw’s Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League summer season ran its course last Sunday, providing thousands of kids from 8 to 18 the opportunity of a lifetime on ball fields all across the Hudson Valley, New York City and Western Connecticut. From quarantine in March to masks throughout the summer, the youth of the region desperately needed the chance to get on the field this summer, and while COVID-19 restricted the way the games were contested, Zaslaw never lost the faith.
So on behalf of the players, parents and grandparents from across the region, here’s my shout-out to Zaslaw: We couldn’t have done it without you, pal. Thank God we did because being cooped up in quarantine all summer would have spelled doom for thousands of young ball players, who, instead, made the most of what could have been a lost summer.
“As a new team in the league, we couldn’t have been happier or more fortunate to be playing in the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League,” said Paul Cotter, coach of the Mahopac 11U Wolves. “We feel like they did a great job keeping the players and families safe while enjoying the great game of baseball. It was a great thrill for the kids.”
Believe it or not, from the first games of the season – as Connecticut opened recreation in late June – to last Sunday, the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League facilitated well over 3,300 games in Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, Orange, Fairfield and surrounding areas for more than 400 teams.
“Initially, it was very challenging as many towns and school districts were hesitant to open their fields to our kids,” Zaslaw said, “but with a safe and responsible plan to keep kids, coaches, umpires and spectators safe, several towns opened their fields.”
Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League saved the day for kids from Somers to Red Hook and all points between. And the kids played baseball. A lot of baseball.
“We are so happy to be a small part of giving kids, coaches and parents a positive outlet for recreation this summer,” Zaslaw said. “We felt like we wanted to have a full summer season, so we played deeper into the summer than ever and shortened the playoff tournament to make sure the kids were able to play as many games as they wanted to.”
It was an endeavor like no other, a round-the-clock attempt to keep the flow going. Luckily, we’ve had a fairly dry summer, so postponements were few and far between. Still, it’s not easy getting more than 400 teams, coaches and umpires on the same page.
“Make no mistake, it was a round-the-clock effort,” Zaslaw said, “but with great people like Tom Kienzle, Earl Berry, Gary Colorusso and Janet Kienzle managing our fantastic fleet of umpires, and Jen Zaslaw working behind the scenes on the game schedules, results and standings, we managed to pull it together, culminating in an epic playoff tournament.”
Epic, indeed: 340 teams ripped through six days with almost 50 playoff brackets ending last Sunday.
“We have never done anything quite like it,” Zaslaw said. “We are both proud and lucky to have such great coaches and organizations that participate in the GHVBL. They make sportsmanship a priority and know that this is all about the kids.”
With hopeful guidance finally coming from King Andrew Cuomo this week regarding the resumption of varsity, junior varsity and modified sports taking place this fall under the leadership of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, the GHVBL will maintain similar standards in an effort to keep kids on the field this fall.
“We are back at it next week as we prepare for a full fall season,” Zaslaw said. “Baseball is one of the only games in town, and we will continue to work hard to give the kids a program they can be proud to be a part of.”
So, again, on behalf of the players, coaches and parents, thank you, Mr. Zaslaw. You and your team have saved the day by providing a much-needed form of regularity and exercise for our youngsters.
“Hats off to Greater Hudson Valley for successfully pulling off a very much-needed summer travel baseball season,” Putnam Valley 11U Coach Frank Weller said. “Their ability to pull together and implement such a compressive safety plan allowed kids to get back on the fields and have a small sense of normalcy during a time that’s been anything but normal!”
Don’t just take it from me. Somers 12U Coach Greg Fitts concurred, adding, “I can’t say enough about what the sport of baseball and the GHVBL has done for our boys and families this summer. During this pandemic, by getting this league up and running in a safe manner, we were able to provide our boys with a sense of normalcy. Coaching and watching these boys come to the field to work, play and compete has meant more to them, their parents and their grandparents than anyone could’ve ever realized.”
Now, if we can just get them back in their classrooms.
By: Ray Gallagher
August 25, 2020
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