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By Dave Consolazio, August 28, 2008 11:15 am

This story is just too awesome.

If you haven’t read my last post yet, scroll down a bit (or click here) and read that first.

9-year-old pitching sensation Jericho Scott, who had not given up a hit in his five games pitched this season (yes, five no-hitters), was told he could no longer pitch, and the league was moving to disband his team.

But Scott will not take this lying down. He is going to fight this the American way – by suing the Connecticut based little league.

The lawyers have already begun making their cases.

“It’s not fair to any of them,” Scott’s lawyer John Williams said. “They’re being punished for being good.”

Peter Noble, the little league’s lawyer, states that “there are a lot of beginners. This is not a high-powered league. This is a developmental league whose main purpose is to promote the sport.”

The league is definitely wrong in their actions here, but for the kid’s sake, it would actually make more sense to find him a more competitive league then a co-ed recreational league. He shouldn’t be punished for dominating this one, but surely there is some sort of travel team or age group that is more suitable for this kid’s talents? Is it really helping him develop into a better pitcher to be pitching in a league that hasn’t achieved a hit off of him in five games?

But whatever. That isn’t the point. The point is that this story was awesome in the first place because it highlighted how ridiculous this country is these days, with kids being sheltered from losing at every turn. They of course proceed to prove this ridiculousness once again, with a 9-year-old SUING a baseball league because he can’t play. Had you even heard of a lawsuit when you were 9 years old?

Come to think of it, unlike in my previous article, I don’t really have a point to make. If you want the truth, I’m just kind of amused by the whole thing, and thought I’d share my amusement with all of you.

(http://vegasdavesdime.podbean.com/2008/08/28/blog-jericho-scott-part-deux/)

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By Dave Consolazio, August 26, 2008 6:10 pm

I remember when my father and I used to play sports against each other out in the backyard. He’d beat the crap out of me. A grown man against a seven year old, what would you expect? I always asked why he didn’t go easy on me and he would respond that when I could beat him for real with my actual skill, wouldn’t it be that much more rewarding?

Eventually I did get around to beating him. And he was right. It felt pretty damn good.

When I was around eight or nine my best friend Sam and I joined a roller hockey league. Ten teams. Top four teams made the playoffs. With my excellent-for-an-eight-year-old goaltending skills, and Sam’s outstanding scoring ability, we went undefeated. Cruised through the playoffs, took the league championship, went to the all-star game, and our team won that game, too.

At 11 years old, I was “lucky” enough to be eligible for two separate softball leagues at my after school daycare; the 9 – 11 league as well as the 11 – 13 league. Both teams went 0 -15. Nothing beats suiting up for 30 straight blowout losses at that age.

“Dave, why are you telling us your boring life story?” That is a great question, and I can assure you I do have a point.

If you haven’t read the story of the nine year old that was banned from pitching because he was too good, you can check it out here. Basically, this 9-year-old kid Jericho Scott is throwing 40 mph heat (accurately, mind you, he hasn’t hit a single batter) and is just straight up dominating this league. One team even went as far as to pack up their bags and leave, forfeiting the game, when they saw that this kid was pitching. That is an awesome message to send to kids; “When up against an obstacle that seems impossible to overcome, run away.”

If you feel like you’ve heard this story somewhere before, you definitely heard similar here. Remember the story of the young girl that was banned for being too good?

I remember playing AYSO soccer as a goalie and crying because there was this little kid that was so dominant over everyone else that he dribbled right through everyone and scored 14 goals on me in one game. I was relatively good, too. Nobody banned that kid.

My girlfriend coaches a basketball team of 9, 10, and 11 year olds. She was telling me about her team one day and I asked her how many of the 10 teams make it to the playoffs?

All 10.

Everyone makes the playoffs. Every kid is a winner. Every team gets trophies no matter how they do.

When I went 0 – 15 (twice), there were no trophies. There were no playoffs. We were just losers.

What is it about teaching these kids that they will lose sometimes that is so scary to parents today? I’m not saying that leagues with young children should be focused 100% on winning and losing. I am completely behind teaching fair play and good sportsmanship above all else. And yes, win or lose, the important thing is that you have fun. But you know what? Winning is more fun then losing. It always is and it always will be. You strive to win, and when you do it is great; but you also have to learn how to lose, how to shake it off and learn from defeat.

Every now and then you’ll face a Jericho Scott who is simply better then you are at this sport. You will meet people that are bigger and stronger then you are, faster then you are, more athletic then you are. The answer isn’t to forfeit the game. The answer isn’t to ban the kid for being so good. The answer is to give it your best and lose with a little dignity.

And how is it fair to the kid you are banning? You are essentially punishing a kid for being exceptional at something. Perhaps we should find all of our talented youth and stop them from doing what they are doing. Incredible pianist? Take the piano away. Don’t want anyone rising above ordinary!

It is totally okay to teach kids that winning and losing isn’t everything. It isn’t at all okay to teach them that it isn’t SOMETHING, because it most certainly is.

(http://vegasdavesdime.podbean.com/2008/08/26/blog-why-arent-kids-allowed-to-win-and-lose-anymore)

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By Dave Consolazio, August 18, 2008 7:00 pm

I understand that when the Olympics are literally on the other side of the planet, I’m not going to be able to see everything live. I’m going to have to (begrudgingly) watch some things on tape delay. I understand that I am at NBC’s disposal, and that instead of showing me something live on TV, I have to wait until prime time to watch the sports they deem prime time, and even later for the sports that actually were happening while I was watching recorded replay.

I won’t even rip on NBC… there is no right or perfect way to cover the Olympics, there really isn’t. There will be scheduling conflicts. There will be certain sports you don’t have room for that you have to make judgment calls on. So be it.

Here’s the thing. “If I haven’t seen it, it’s new to me.” If there is no station on my television set that shows me women’s gymnastics before 11pm, then that is the first time I can watch it on TV and that is as close to live as I can get. Now I understand I could go on NBC.com and watch things live, but lets just say I’m old fashioned and like to watch things on TV.

Is it THAT hard for internet sites that are used extremely regularly by people that are not looking for Olympic spoilers (aol.com, yahoo.com to name a few) to understand that maybe I don’t want to know what happened in an event that HASN’T BEEN SHOWN ON TELEVISION IN MY COUNTRY YET? Is it that hard to say CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED instead of “______ HAPPENED!”?

I’ve taken journalism classes, I know how to write a headline. I know that you are supposed to draw people in. But honestly, if someone is interested in the Olympics and wants up-to-the-minute news, they will click. Is it really that hard to wait until it comes on TV to say PHELPS WINS 6TH GOLD?

The worst of course are the flat out spoilers (such as PHELPS WINS RECORD 8TH) before I had any chance at all to see it, but the picture spoilers are perhaps more frustrating.

(Picture of Nastia Liukin smiling) Find out who won the women’s gold here!

Really? The only way that I am spared the spoiler is if I don’t know what Nastia Liukin looks like? Thats fair.

It is just annoying me. I’m not the kind of person that tapes a game so I can watch it when I get home after I’ve already seen the final score. Isn’t the beauty of sports not knowing what will happen or how it will happen?

It seems the only way to avoid spoilers is to completely isolate yourself away from the computer and from all of your friends and family and do absolutely nothing but watch NBC’s coverage 24/7.

And that is just ridiculous. I mean I can do without my friends and family for a few weeks, but I’ll be damned if I let you take away my computer!

(http://vegasdavesdime.podbean.com/2008/08/18/blog-olympic-spoilers/)

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By Dave Consolazio, August 17, 2008 6:00 pm

Most of my subscribers on youtube have come from my college football picks, but my series on Handicapping Horses is arguably my most popular work on youtube.

I had originally intended to make the series 8-10 videos long, but football season and then my eventual employment at SBR distracted me from finishing.

At five videos, the series does still stand alone and teach a lot about the basics of handicapping horses. At some point I will likely finish the series, at which point I will update this page.

Part 1: How Odds Work

Part 2: How to Bet the Races

Part 3: Beyer Speeds

Part 4: Trainers and Jockeys

Part 5: Race Styles and Pace

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By Dave Consolazio, August 14, 2008 12:40 pm

With the unveiling of my horse racing videos and the right-around-the-corner featuring of my NFL newsletter and college football video picks, I’ve decided that http://davesdime.com will no longer be a home for only podcasts. It will be a Vegadaveshmorgasboard of multimedia, complete with video, podcast, and writing. I certainly hope you aren’t sick of me yet; I’m getting a little sick of myself.

I’ve decided to do this for a few reasons. One, versatility… might as well mix things up to keep things fresh. Sometimes you can hear my opinion, sometimes you can read it, other times you can see it. Seems fun to me. Secondly, there are some topics that I feel are better suited for writing and others that I feel are better suited for podcasting. I try and write with a little bit of personality (isn’t this just oozing with it?), and sometimes I believe my points will be better expressed in writing. Does this make any sense? Who knows.

Quite frankly, I’m just too bored of the whole Brett Favre “Saga” to write, record, and edit a show for him. Why should I commit to going through all this effort for him when he wouldn’t even commit to coming back over the offseason?

Here are few of my personal favorite lines (paraphrased for simplicity) from this whole debacle…

“I felt like they were pressuring me to make a decision before draft day and free agency.” – Those jerks! How dare they say ‘Hey Brett, you don’t have to rush your decision, but the sooner you could let us know the better so we know how to prepare for the next few weeks.’ How dare they want to know so they can decide whether they should be drafting and signing free agents towards rebuilding for the future or attempting to win it all this year! How dare they put the team first! This is Brett Favre’s world; we’re just living in it.

“They have said they want to move on, so release me and let me move on.” – Um, not quite the same thing Brett. You consistently told upper management through text, phone, and in person that you had slight doubts, but you wanted to stay retired and you would not commit to coming back. After sticking to this for months, when the team has prepared for the year without you, you come back in the picture and demand to be played or released. They moved on because you forced them to, not because they chose to. Therefore, why should you get the luxury of just choosing to move on?

“The Packers should have went and got Randy Moss and should have interviewed other coaches for the head coaching job.” – Great. The team that you spend your last season with makes it a magical one, including an improbable run to becoming a powerhouse in the NFC. This is how you repay them, by throwing them under the bus. Classy. Favre put the Packers in a no-win situation. Release him, and he likely signs with the Bears or Vikings and plays against the Packers twice, once at Lambeau; a PR disaster. Trade him, and you just traded away the face of the franchise and the fanbase’s hero. Start him, and you basically solidify the truth in Green Bay that no one else matters but him.

I can’t believe that tarnishing all those great years in Green Bay and estranging yourself from the organization and the fans is worth it for one more season.

On the flip side, stupid trade for the Jets.

Kellen Clemens was drafted 49th overall in 2006 to be the Quarterback of the future for this team. He has paid his dues, and it is his turn to start the season as the Jets QB and see what he can do with it. This year the Jets have no real chance of going all the way; the Colts, Patriots, and Chargers are all a league better then the Jets, and the Steelers, Browns, Jaguars, and Titans all project to do better too. This should be a re-building year for the Jets – they should have started Clemens all year to see what he was made of. If he was the guy, great, build a team around him. If not, go get someone in the next draft or over the offseason.

Adding Favre does not make the Jets a contender. All it does is make them take a giant step backwards as to knowing who the QB that will lead them when they ARE a contender in a few years will be.

Even if Favre has an excellent season and miraculously gets the Jets into the playoffs, where they are bounced by superior teams immediately, I’ll still say this was a bad trade. This was Clemens’ team to run this year.

Lastly, in the aftermath of all this, the Dolphins are the big winners, adding Chad Pennington who the Jets released to make room for Favre. Pennington may leave a lot to be desired when it comes to arm strength, but he can run the West Coast Offense as good as anyone, and also runs an excellent play action fake, which should come in handy with Ronnie Brown leading the way in Miami. Pennington is a vast improvement over Josh McCown.

So congrats New York, not only did you set yourself back, you made a hated division rival stronger in the process.

(http://vegasdavesdime.podbean.com/2008/08/14/blog-the-brett-favre-trade/)