Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Big League Injuries Plague Little Leaguers

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Aug 8, 2009 6:55 PM CDT
Email

(Newser) – Alden Manning pitched his heart out last season, hurling fastballs until his arm was so sore he needed Tommy John surgery. Problem is, Alden was only 14—and he's not alone. More teenage pitchers are suffering from serious arm injuries as the best of them are asked to pitch more innings, on multiple teams, year-round. And parents dreaming of multi-million-dollar contracts aren't holding them back, Ron Berler writes in the New York Times Magazine.

Alarmed by the trend, a surgeon and an engineer presented some ugly injury statistics to US amateur baseball leagues in 2002. Little League International took an interest and instituted pitch count maximums. But the restrictions were soon loosened, to the point where one pitcher threw 288 pitches over 10 days last summer. "We wouldn’t do that," says the Los Angeles Dodgers head trainer. "A manager or coach or trainer would lose his job if he did that."

Lake Charles, La. pitcher Trey Quinn, left, sits in the outfield grass with his father, coach Dave Quinn, right, after losing 7-5 to Waipahu, Hi., Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008.
Lake Charles, La. pitcher Trey Quinn, left, sits in the outfield grass with his father, coach Dave Quinn, right, after losing 7-5 to Waipahu, Hi., Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Matamoros, Mexico, pitcher Sergio Rodriguez reacts to allowing a run to score on a third-inning wild pitch against Waipahu, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008.
Matamoros, Mexico, pitcher Sergio Rodriguez reacts to allowing a run to score on a third-inning wild pitch against Waipahu, Hawaii, Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Dharan, Saudi Arabia pitcher Chris Beyers throws in a baseball game during pool play at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008.
Dharan, Saudi Arabia pitcher Chris Beyers throws in a baseball game during pool play at the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa., Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2008.   (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Lancaster Recreation Little League pitcher Craig Bouder, Jr., pitches during their game against Seattle Central Little League in South Williamsport, Pa., May 23, 2009.
Lancaster Recreation Little League pitcher Craig Bouder, Jr., pitches during their game against Seattle Central Little League in South Williamsport, Pa., May 23, 2009.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Showing 2 of 2 comments
brawne
Aug 9, 2009 12:23 PM CDT
Yeah, this really must stop. I was the first generation of parents whose children were playing soccer at four, T-ball at five and Little League from then on. I keep saying that birth certificates are only important to Little League. Those people are wicked. My older son was pitching from seven and traveling and oh, my God. Had no idea that he was being destroyed, not until the day as a sophomore he was pitching first string varsity and when the bone in his upper arm snapped you could hear it like a cannon shot. We sacrificed our children in the eighties so that parents would stop doing this.
riffran
Aug 9, 2009 6:50 AM CDT
"when the bone in his upper arm snapped you could hear it like a cannon shot".... HOLY SHIT!....sorry to hear bout that really.......I hope the end outcome was a good one....My daughter is in competitive cheer and gymnastics and I worry about that kind of thing happening all the time....but she loves it, and is happy doing it....so whatta you do?

 
Tommy John Surgery • pitcher • Little League World Series • Little League • sports injuries

More Newser Stories

Hawaii Wins Little League Title

Curt Schilling: A Very Human Superman

Georgia Rules Little League
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne