HS pitcher cut because he cant field bunts

[zenryan]

link to story

 

 

Cutting amputee pitcher Anthony Burruto shows no heart at Dr. Phillips High

 

 

Labels are all about perception.

 

Some people may look at Anthony Burruto as a disabled teenager without legs.

 

Anthony Burruto looks in the mirror and sees a resilient teenager. He is strong. He is able. He is a baseball player.

 

He has been playing the game since he was 8 years old, using prosthetic legs. His parents Vinny and Diane saw no need to coddle him because of his circumstances. Doctors amputated both of Anthony's lower legs as a baby because he was born without a shinbone in his left leg and without a fibula in his right leg.

 

His dad, a big New York Yankees fan, put a uniform on him since he was a baby. He's been wearing one since, and was hopeful of playing for the varsity team at Dr. Phillips High School this season.

 

That leads to the crosshairs in perception.

 

Anthony, a sophomore, was cut on the second day tryouts. Coach Mike Bradley's main concern was that Anthony can't field bunts, and that teams would take advantage of his inability to jump off the mound quickly.

 

But that's never been an issue before. The kid can play. Little League, fall team at Dr. Phillips, up through the natural progressions. He's been on the cover of ESPN the Magazine. He can throw a fastball around 80 mph. He's got a wicked curve.

 

And besides, how cheesy would it be for any team to try to take advantage of a kid battling out there like Anthony? Would a coach be so obsessed with winning that he would order every player to bunt?

 

In cutting Anthony, Bradley whiffed on the big picture: Despite whatever limitations you want to place on him, Anthony is the consummate teammate. If somebody is slacking off, all Bradley needed to do was point at Anthony and say, "What's your problem?"

 

Bradley botched a call that was so simple to make. You don't cut Anthony. He's a keeper.

 

"He's not looking at him like he's an athlete," Diane said. "He was looking at him like he's a disabled person."

 

Diane did what any loving mom would do: She vented to friends at first. And they all reacted the same way: Incredulous anger.

 

Tom Winters, whose own son Nate is playing against all odds at Winter Park High School after losing his left leg at mid-thigh in a boating accident, cried when Diane told him about what happened.

 

Dennis Rasmussen, who pitched in the majors 12 seasons and is a family friend, couldn't believe it either.

 

"This decision was wrong," he told me a few days ago. "You took away the hopes and dreams that Anthony's been hanging onto. He crushed a young man with no apparent reason."

 

Quickly, they all started rallying around Anthony, writing letters and e-mails and sending them to Diane so she could deliver them to athletic director John Magrino.

 

And then suddenly, the Burruto family had a bigger problem on their hands. Vinny had a heart attack while at a friend's house on Feb. 1. He needed emergency quintuple-bypass surgery at ORMC.

 

After her husband was stable, Diane finally got around to rounding up all the e-mails and letters. Anthony hand-delivered them to Magrino on Monday. They have yet to hear back from anybody.

 

"He was given the same opportunity as everyone else," Dr. Phillips principal Gene Trochinski said Wednesday. "Unfortunately he wasn't only one who did not make the team. There were 23 others who tried out and didn't make it. … At this level you try to win ballgames."

 

Anthony isn't looking for any sympathetic do-overs. He doesn't want to play for Bradley, who offered Anthony a position as a team manager keeping stats and such, which sounds one-step-up from a mascot.

 

"I want to earn my position on the team," Anthony said. "I want him to say I'm good enough to play."

 

Anthony Burruto is a baseball player. The labels suit him perfectly.

 

 

 

 

 

Very weak to cut him because he's a liability on bunts. The kid throws around 80 and is only a 10th grader. That is pretty good and there are ways to protect the kid out there.

 

1. Put him on JV. You cant tell me he isnt good enough to play for the JV team.

 

2. If you want him on varsity then only play him in games when youre up big or down big. Coaches and players arent going to be dicks and try to take advantage of a kid out there by bunting their way back into a game.

Edited February 10, 2011 by zenryan

[Milkman delivers]

Hold on a second. They didn't say he can't go out for Junior Varsity. They said he didn't make the cuts for the Varsity team as a sophomore. And the way that article was written? C'mon, it couldn't come off more as an inflammatory piece of garbage.

 

And besides, how cheesy would it be for any team to try to take advantage of a kid battling out there like Anthony? Would a coach be so obsessed with winning that he would order every player to bunt?

 

And this is another piece of s*** from a bad article. Who's saying that another coach would bunt every single time? You know what would happen if another team bunted in a situation where it was necessary? That team would be thrown under the bus for being "cowards" for making the correct baseball move.

[zenryan]

Hold on a second. They didn't say he can't go out for Junior Varsity. They said he didn't make the cuts for the Varsity team as a sophomore. And the way that article was written? C'mon, it couldn't come off more as an inflammatory piece of garbage.

 

 

 

And this is another piece of s*** from a bad article. Who's saying that another coach would bunt every single time? You know what would happen if another team bunted in a situation where it was necessary? That team would be thrown under the bus for being "cowards" for making the correct baseball move.

 

 

 

 

 

I dont know how tryouts are done in other places but when I went to school there, there was one tryout. Kids who played for the team before didnt tryout but new kids did. Then you were either placed on varsity or JV.

 

 

And for your second point, that is why you put the kid in certain situations. I wouldnt put him in if it was 4-3 in the late innings. But if it was 7-0 in the last inning, why not let him finish it off. And the head coach is the one implying teams would bunt every time in order to take advantage of the kid. The head coach was searching for an out and found one in cutting this kid.

Edited February 10, 2011 by zenryan

[clyons]

I'm not sure how I feel about this, partly because we don't have all the facts with respect to his overall talent in comparison to the kids he was competing against. I don't think it’s that outrageous if he was cut because he was clearly not one of the team's best pitchers overall. The article seems to suggest that wasn't the case, and that his "stuff" is sufficiently good enough to cover for his defensive lapses. If so, I certainly don't think that the mere possibility of a hypothetical "bunt a thon" should have caused him to be cut, because that's not likely to happen.

 

Ultimately, its probably not fair to anyone if he was kept or cut purely because of his disability, but if I were the coach, I'd certainly lean towards keeping him over others in even a slightly close case. Certainly at least on the JV squad, as was suggested.

 

[clyons]

FWIW, I also think "Dr. Phillips" is the same H.S. that AJ went to, and, if I'm not mistaken, at least one other major leaguer. I believe they have a very high caliber, nationally ranked program that obviously plays to win. I think that also is relevant. Their roster spots are undoubtedly highly contested and not often given out for "feel good" reasons.

Edited February 10, 2011 by PlaySumFnJurny

[zenryan]

FWIW, I also think "Dr. Phillips" is the same H.S. that AJ went to, and, if I'm not mistaken, at least one other major leaguer. I believe they have a very high caliber, nationally ranked program that obviously plays to win. I think that also is relevant. Their roster spots are undoubtedly highly contested and not often given out for "feel good" reasons.

 

 

 

Johnny Damon, Dan Miceli and Brian Barber played there and played in the majors at some point. I played there a few years after they came thru.

 

But since the beginning of the 2000s, there has been a boom in new high schools being built in the area and the program has been average at best. There have been some losing seasons and some winning seasons but nothing more than a handful of games above .500.

 

They may get a kid or two to go to college for baseball but there isnt an absurd amount of talent anymore.

[southsider2k5]

Hold on a second. They didn't say he can't go out for Junior Varsity. They said he didn't make the cuts for the Varsity team as a sophomore. And the way that article was written? C'mon, it couldn't come off more as an inflammatory piece of garbage.

 

 

 

And this is another piece of s*** from a bad article. Who's saying that another coach would bunt every single time? You know what would happen if another team bunted in a situation where it was necessary? That team would be thrown under the bus for being "cowards" for making the correct baseball move.

 

Which would be crap. You have to be able to play the game the way that it was meant to be played.

[lord chas]

i really hope he wasnt cut for the wrong reasons. we dont know all the kids talent level but if there were 23 other kids cut it wasnt like he was singled out

[Milkman delivers]

Which would be crap. You have to be able to play the game the way that it was meant to be played.

 

That's what I was saying.

[kev211]

Can't really pass judgement on this until you know if the kid had the talent to deserve to be on the team(from the article is sounds like it). It be unfair to the other kids if he got on just because he had no legs.

[Rowand44]

I dont know how tryouts are done in other places but when I went to school there, there was one tryout. Kids who played for the team before didnt tryout but new kids did. Then you were either placed on varsity or JV.

 

 

And for your second point, that is why you put the kid in certain situations. I wouldnt put him in if it was 4-3 in the late innings. But if it was 7-0 in the last inning, why not let him finish it off. And the head coach is the one implying teams would bunt every time in order to take advantage of the kid. The head coach was searching for an out and found one in cutting this kid.

I'd say it's decently important to be able to move around the mound a bit. I obviously don't know if the coach was looking for a way to get rid of him but he certainly shouldn't just keep him on the team because he's disabled and from the sounds of it that's what this article is implying.

[MexSoxFan#1]

Call me an a-hole but if I'm the coach and I know the pitcher can't field his position, I'll take advantage of it...isn't that smart ball?Exploit the opponent's weakness...

[LittleHurt05]

I kept reading his name as Anthony Burrito...

[StrangeSox]

Call me an a-hole but if I'm the coach and I know the pitcher can't field his position, I'll take advantage of it...isn't that smart ball?Exploit the opponent's weakness...

 

I guess it would depend on the level of competitiveness you're playing at.

[Iwritecode]

Call me an a-hole but if I'm the coach and I know the pitcher can't field his position, I'll take advantage of it...isn't that smart ball?Exploit the opponent's weakness...

 

I think at this level there's a fine line between teaching the kids how to play the game and building up their skills and playing simply to win.

[Milkman delivers]

I'm glad that a lot of people seem to agree with me. I thought I would get jumped on for that.

[bigruss]

So hard to gauge the talent level of that team and whether if he got cut because of talent or disability.

 

I personally saw kids get cut that were more talented than others because of coach favors, so it's not a new thing in HS sports where politics are just ridiculous. I know this is a bit different but when you have humans making tough decisions like filling the roster of a HS baseball team of course they won't be perfect and some people will be hurt by the decision.

[zenryan]

Call me an a-hole but if I'm the coach and I know the pitcher can't field his position, I'll take advantage of it...isn't that smart ball?Exploit the opponent's weakness...

 

 

 

Depends, if the score is 3-2 or 3-1 in the last inning? No, you arent an a-hole.

 

 

If youre winning or losing 9-0 in the last inning? Yes, you are an a-hole.

Edited February 11, 2011 by zenryan

[MexSoxFan#1]

Depends, if the score is 3-2 or 3-1 in the last inning? No, you arent an a-hole.

 

 

If youre winning or losing 9-0 in the last inning? Yes, you are an a-hole.

 

No, I'd be the Bill Bellichick of HS baseball...

Edited February 12, 2011 by MexSoxFan#1

[NorthSideSox72]

I'm glad that a lot of people seem to agree with me. I thought I would get jumped on for that.

I pretty much agree. Its a tough line though... in Little League, he should be allowed to play. College or pro ball, obviously there is no room for pity spots on rosters - if indeed he can't field his position.

 

High school is kind of in between. I mean, if you can find a way to work him onto JV (if there even is a JV team at that school), you do that, give him a shot to prove he can field the position. But if its shown he really can't, then sorry, try again next year. Maybe when he's a senior, add him to the roster for one game and let him pitch once, so that he gets to know how it feels.

 

I feel bad for the kid, and I think its fantastic he's making that effort. But as he said, in his OWN WORDS, he wants to be there because he earned it (which he still could). Give him that chance, but don't just give him a roster spot because you feel badly about him. That sends the wrong message to him and his teammates.