A week or so ago South High was eliminated from the playoffs due to a rule violation. (Sorry - I don't have the link). Their pitcher had pitched too many innings in the previous week's playoff activity.

What bugged me most was seeing the South coach was letting these kids throw 130-150 pitches, multiple times, and pitch on 2 days rest after throwing a complete game. It has been a few years since I had a kid in HS ball, but this is BS. Because the coaches will not police themselves, there must be a rule change to limit pitch count and not just innings.

I don't know how many other coaches let their kids throw this much, but it is BS. The coach cares more about wins than a kids health. Sad for the kids, but the whole fiasco is the coaches fault.

IMO.

Excellant point... Also, my thoughts were now that the coach was selfish in trying to push for another win, they students - many of them seniors, are now going to miss a memorable opportunity to participate in the playoffs. It seems to me that many coaches and parents are missing the point and looking for their own glory instead of just letting the kids be kids and enjoy the sport.

It is not about playing the "game" anymore. It is about winning at all costs. How Sad

After 31 years of umpireing Little League baseball. I`ve seen the coaches do a lot of things that shouldn`t have been done.
12 year olds pitching to many curve balls for one thing. That in it self will cause a kid to hurt his forarm muscle.
The coaches are to blame is this case of South not playing in the playoffs. I think the amount of pitches should be counted by an offical in the scoreing booth. After X amount of pitches the pitcher has to come out of the game. JMO.

Yes its all about the win and not the kids.

I am going to reply and try to keep my emotions as a PROUD SHHS alum in check. First off, I believe this is the article that Snoopy is referring too.

http://www.herald-mail.com/?cmd=displaysto...amp;format=html

Read it, and read it well. I trust in Coach Tesla's explanation as the truth, and not just someone trying to cover their butts.

I attended South for all four years of my High School education, and while I did not participate in any sports under Coach Stottlemyer or Coach Tesla, I had them both as teachers and believe them to be both fine upstanding teachers and coaches. While I do agree that High School pitchers should have a limited pitch count that is where my agreement with this thread ends. To label Coach Stottlemyer as someone cares more about wins than the player’s health, or to say he was selfish and just pushing for another win is way off base and could not be any further from the truth. He makes one unfortunate mistake and you, and sports writer Dan Kaufman want to throw him to the wolves! Who among any of us have never made a mistake? I assure you no one feels more sick about what happened than Coach Stottlemyer, hell he was taken to the hospital when he found out what had happened. He loves the kids who play for him and gives his heart and soul to them, year in and year out. He always has and as long as he is a coach, he always will. Perhaps you should all take into account Coach Stottlemyer’s 40+ year history and the kids he has helped and what he has given to the community before putting this man down for one unfortunate mistake. Had this not taken place, I, along with many others believe that the Rebels would have won the State Championship game and there would be a thread praising them on their trophy, who would have been concerned then? I doubt anyone.

To Coach Stottlemyer and the Rebel baseball team, carry your heads high, be proud of what you accomplished this year, and go get 'em next year!!!!

Sorry, I disagree. In Kauffman's article the coach stated that he knew how many pitches the kids were throwing and when asked about it on different occasions by Kauffman he showed no real concern -- the coach made comments to justify it like (going from memory here) "it was a cool day" or "he can pitch on 2 days rest". That is BS. Multiple times his players pitched over 130 pitches in a game.

IMO if this coach truly cared more about the players' arms instead of wins he would not have high school kids throwing more pitches than college, minor leagues, or major league coaches allow their players to pitch.

My guess is that you will have a very hard time trying to find even one college or pro pitcher who throws more pitches in a game this year than this HS coach allowed his kids to throw. I would also guess you can't find one sports medicine expert who would defend HS kids throwing this many pitches in a game.

Agree to disagree then, and here is the other article you were referring to..

http://www.herald-mail.com/sports/blogs/kauffman/?p=76

If you want to turn this into a thread about pitch count, fine, as I said before I agree. But after looking at the numbers from Dan’s column, it’s not fair to single out Coach Stottlemyer when he isn’t the only Coach that has pitchers with ‘high’ pitch counts, I guess in your opinion there are a lot of heartless go for the win Coaches around then. If this is such a concern, someone would have pulled him from coaching long ago. If the high pitch counts are really the concern, I’m sorry, the PARENTS can step in at any time, after all, that is their job is to look out for the welfare of their children. Put a limit on pitchers sure, but to say that this is all about wins and not about his concern for the players is still absurd, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more caring coach with 40+ years experience.

The coach is responsible for teaching and enforcing rules for the safe play of the game. Many parents are not baseball experts and would not know what pitch counts are safe. Sometimes a parent may not be able to attend a game. Many parents have to rely on the supposed expertise of the coaches and the coach’s supposed concern for the health and welfare of the players. After all, as a parent, from the stands, you might not see your kid come off the football field with signs of a concussion, or rubbing a sore elbow, but you ought to be able to trust that the coach who does see it will do what is safest for the player.

If other coaches are guilty of the same thing shame on them. I’d like to see Kauffman do a report on player and pitch count for all WC teams – it would be interesting.

I’d also like to see the SH coach himself speak on this subject and defend his actions – tell us, all-caring coach, why exactly it is okay to let your pitchers throw so many pitchers. Defend your actions. So far, the silence from that coach is deafening. I wonder why?

Believe me when I say I'm not trying to pick a fight, but do you have it in for Coach Stottlemyer, or are you bringing all this up just because it was him and the Rebels that were in the headlines? The only reason I ask is so I can get a perspective of what your opinions are based on.

I do not know the coach -- nothing about him except what I read in the paper and here. I have no kids in HS and none have been in HS since about 6 years ago. I have no personal issue with him -- just coaches in general who put winning over kids. If any other coach is proven to have done the same thing I will come down on them just as hard. This coach cost his team a chance at a championship and could have cost certain players much more. If he would do this with the pitch count, I wonder what else he would do to "push the envelope" with a kid's health to win that we have not heard of?

Every shoplifter caught says this is my first time and I got caught. Rarely though is that the case.

Good morning, getting caught up here. As I've said I see your points and tend to agree about a pitch count limit, not just because of Coach Stottlemyer, but youth pitching in general. See the other pitchers listed in Dan's column. Like I said we'll just have to agree to disagree when it come to Coach's character though. I've had him as a teacher, and along with a few other students, served as the field crew for all home games our Senior year under his direction. I challenge anyone to find a more caring and compassionate person when it comes to his players and students. Like you said though Snoop, I guess our discussion is pretty much done until Coach Stottlemyer releases a statement or letter to the editor of some sort.

I played 4 yrs of varsity baseball at SouthHigh under Coach Ebersole. Coach Stottlemeyer was an assistant at the time. He was also my football & wrestling coach Coach Stottlemeyer is a good guy but he is not of baseball manager material so I'm not at all surprised this happened at all. More than likely South High would have won another state championship but the mgr totally screwed this one up. Abusing a kids arm the way he did, hooking his wagon to an arm of a 17 yr old, no matter how good the kid is, IS WRONG.
IMO, sometimes when a championship is in site, some people will do whatever it is necessary to win and that's what happened in this case and unfortunately the victim in all this are the kids. Coach T can spin it however he wants but the coach messed up BIG TIME

Thanks for the reply CMD, you have a better knowledge of Coach from a players standpoint than I do. I respect your position, and have no problem admitting I'm wrong when proven so. IMO though, one man can't be responsible for all coaching aspects, he does have assistants that each do their part, correct? I understand he is the head coach, sure, but to lay the blame on one person, to me just isn't fair. That is unless of course, he is indeed running a one man coaching show. Again, if Coach would release a statement of letter to the editor, it would be helpful.

Yes it would, as would a more in-depth investigation into the pitch counts from other county pitchers from the HM. But the HM writer was probably told to back off.

I understand what your saying SC but were gonna have to agree to disagree. One man is responsible for what happens on his team and that man is the head coach.The assistant coaches should absorb some of this responsiblitliy,TRUE, however the head coach is ultimately responsible for what happens under him. From my playing days, you want to know who kept track of the pitch counts? 1 of the players on the bench. At the end of the game the report was given to the head coach, now what he did with it from there is anyones guess. When I played the head coach would take that report and make every attempt to align his pitching staff for the upcoming games, never overusing an arm, NO MATTER HOW DOMINANT that arm was. He would go to battle with whomever was up in the rotation.
Obviously in this case the HC pinned his hopes to 1 or 2 arms hoping to win a state championship regardless of what was at stake.

Thanks CMD, agree to disagree, like you said. Again I've said from the start I agree with the limit on a pitch count, but until that rule is in place, and ENFORCED, (let's face it, if a pitcher wants to pitch bad enough, those numbers can be doctored) this discussion gets us nowhere. And just playing devils advocate here, does anyone know the depth of the Rebel's pitching squad this year? Was Coach forced to go on only a few arms? Again, for everyone’s' sake we need to hear from Coach to put some of this to rest.