04/19/24
April 14, 2005
With One Swing of the Bat: A dispute between two Pony League baseball players in California ended Tuesday with one teen striking the other in the head with an aluminum bat, killing him almost instantly. The attacker was reportedly being teased by victim Jeremy Rourke over losing a game. "The other kid was apparently a very competitive kid who plays very hard. What you call a gamer," said one parent.
"is [a] quiet, a cute boy. His parents are nice. I've never known him to be a troublemaker," Add killer to the list. Several bat strikes to the victim's legs then one to the head...I don't know, I'm not willing to concede that the kid wasn't a little monster.
posted by chris2sy at 04:07 PM on April 14, 2005
This happens too frequently. We tolerate violence as a reasonable response to conflict far too much. Well, perhaps I'm generalizing, but this stuff really upsets me.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 04:19 PM on April 14, 2005
It's called razzing.
posted by holden at 05:10 PM on April 14, 2005
Let's just hope that for once, a video game, TV show, Movie, unhappy childhood, temporary insanity, or some other lame excuse will not be given in regards to where this kid would have aquired this propensity for violence. Please God, let somebody say just one time, I fucked up on my own accord, I was completely wrong, and I deserve whatever punishment I get.
posted by mayerkyl at 06:23 PM on April 14, 2005
Sounds like some of the basic facts of the case have yet to be established...
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:05 PM on April 14, 2005
Anyone else find it disquieting to discuss this with a stack of ads selling bats staring at you?
posted by wfrazerjr at 10:29 PM on April 14, 2005
Given the frequency with which people say "He was such a nice guy" about a person who has just killed another, when are we going to stop saying that?
posted by billsaysthis at 11:30 PM on April 14, 2005
I'm sure this is computer games fault or maybe even a MLB players fault either way this makes me sick. I bet this kid was a little nut who should go to jail and the whole bats being sold to you, yeah that does kinda freak me out....
posted by bballcoachreid at 11:38 PM on April 14, 2005
I blame the Ramones.
posted by JJ at 04:23 AM on April 15, 2005
The article makes it seem as if the murderer was just a normal child until the day he killed another kid. I find it difficult to believe that his first aggressive act was murder. Obviously he took little league way too seriously. And, why do people call things like this a mistake? How is beating someone to death a mistake? It wasn't just a misunderstanding or an error. It is a crime, an offense, an assault, a battery -- a lot of things, but not a mistake.
posted by bperk at 07:21 AM on April 15, 2005
"Twenty-twenty-twenty-one hours to go-o-o. I wanna bat kids in tha head."
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:44 AM on April 15, 2005
I mean 24 hours to go. Can't believe I baked on the lyrics.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 07:49 AM on April 15, 2005
I mean 24 hours to go. Can't believe I baked on the lyrics. I think I know why... :)
posted by grum@work at 08:25 AM on April 15, 2005
What about the parents? I'll bet there was somebody's parent up there saying " The next time that kid does that to you"........... Sometimes the parents make their kids so competitive they take away the fun of the game. Yes, it's supposed to be fun....
posted by volfire at 08:45 AM on April 15, 2005
This whole incident never would have came about had the poor deceased sap showed some class and dignity (teasing and mocking opposing player). In saying that the other kid is ultimately at fault for overreacting. The parents are starting to turn some of these kids into animals with no respect for the game,and opposing players. I think the parents need to educate the kids on respect and class. If that would have been expressed he kid would still be here.
posted by rockhard10 at 01:21 PM on April 15, 2005
This whole incident never would have came about had the poor deceased sap showed some class and dignity (teasing and mocking opposing player). As I said, some facts are in dispute. This is one version; there are others. I'm sure it'll come out in the trial.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:37 PM on April 15, 2005
So now it's the other kids fault, for taunting the opposing team? We're already making excuses for the kid WHO ACTUALLY KILLED SOMEONE!!!! Is this really limited to a baseball field or would it come out at his job? If you can't take the heat stay out of the kitchen. There are worse things in life than getting razzed.
posted by volfire at 09:09 AM on April 16, 2005
I haven't read anything in RH10's post that's exculpatory for the bat-wielding kid. Volfire, do you know of any Little Leagues that mandate psychological testing for its players? So it's nice to say that "take the heat," but sometimes, the wrong people get into the kitchen -- or the high school, the post office, or Pony League. Keeping that in mind, erring on the side of caution means teaching your children some class and respect, silly as that might seem. There's nothing wrong with telling a joke, but most people older than 7-years-old know where your fart jokes are going to be best appreciated. You can't control the psycho with the bat, but you can control yourself. That said, I'm trying to find the middle ground between wanting to put this guy under the jail and the other pole of just putting him in anger management. If it's closer to the latter, I wish the family would just leave the country permanently. In cases like that, I kinda wish that's how they resolve these situations when some of these hellions go off the chain. Slight punishment in an actual detention center -- but not so long that it ruins your life -- then you and your folks have to go somewhere kinda shitty for another 10 years before you return. (I know there might be some LA denizens on this board who are thinking, "Isn't Palmdale bad enough?" To which I say, "good point." Okay, I've just violated my own tenets.)
posted by jackhererra at 10:50 AM on April 16, 2005
O.K. point taken. I don't think I verbalized my point correctly. In either of the two cases, there was a point of parental involvment, or lack there of. I have three sons involved in baseball, and have also personally witnessed parents exerting pressure on their kids at a pony league age. Nine times out of ten its the asshole who won't help or does'nt like the way the coach( who is giving free time) does the job. This was a bigger problem that was not adressed.
posted by volfire at 02:46 PM on April 16, 2005
According to today's paper, under CA law the killer cannot be tried as an adult and at most faces 10 years in a Youth Authority facility. Bad but not forever.
posted by billsaysthis at 03:38 PM on April 16, 2005
"What you call a
gamerlifer"