Hey guys,
An Orlando sophomore is making national headlines because he was cut from his high school’s baseball team. Anthony Burruto is a double amputee; he uses two prosthetics as his legs, something he claims has had no effect on his arm. In the recent months, Anthony has made the cover of ESPN magazine and not because of his condition… Anthony as a 16 year old has been clocked as having an 80mph fastball. Major league scouts have already been interested in him wondering if he can continue to develop as a pitcher… the issue of his legs seemed to be a non-issue to scouts.
However Anthony was cut from both the varsity and junior-varsity teams at Dr. Phillips High School. People in Anthony’s community are outraged, as is Anthony’s mother and Anthony himself. This event raises an interesting question.
The coach of Dr. Phillips High School baseball team can cut anyone he wants if he feels that the player’s ability does not warrant a spot on the team. Anthony’s condition has caused the coach of the team to feel that Anthony would be a liability on the field; most specifically that he could not effectively field his position. According to Anthony that has never been a problem.
Did the coach do anything wrong? I don’t know. Anthony should not automatically make the team simply because of his condition (according to Anthony himself he feels he has no disability and wants to be treated the same as everyone else), but at the same time, he should not be cut simply because of it either. If he is good enough, if he had a good try-out, and is better than the other players he should be on the team… but if he can’t field his position, or is not one of the best players, then he should be cut.
Anthony says he loves baseball and just wants to have a fair shot… did he get one? What if he is just not good enough? If he wants to be treated like everyone else… why is the national news involved in a story about a high school kid being cut from a baseball team?
You can’t have it both ways… you can’t claim you want to be treated the same as everyone else, then when it suits you bring all this attention to yourself…
What do you think?
P.S. Anthony should also remember that sometimes coaches are wrong… very wrong. Two examples: Michael Jordan was cut from his JV high school basketball team, and pitcher Jim Abbott was cut from his high school’s baseball team because he had only one hand… when he threw a no-hitter in 1993 while pitching for the Yankees, he mailed a video of the game to the coach that cut him.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/disabled-pitcher-anthony-burruto-cut-high-school-baseball/story?id=12891530&page=1
I think somebody should not be cut from a sports team just because of a physical disability. Clearly Anthony Burruto is able to overcome his disability if he is able to through an 80mph fastball at 16 years old. I think Anthony has a right to be angry, because not many people his age have an arm like that. In fact, a lot of people older than him don't have an arm like that either. To me it doesn't seem like he was given a fair chance. How can a coach overlook a kid who throws an 80mph fastball, even if he has a disability?
ReplyDeleteIn order to truly be fair and represent the district that your highschool is placed in, those who try out for sports teams should make the cut based on skill and dedication above all things.If a person is diabled and is not skilled then they deserve to be cut. In Anthony Burruto's case his 80mph pitch is something that any highschool coach would love to have on his team.
ReplyDeleteKathleen Gamez (short and sweet)
Well, coaches have been, are, and most likely will be wrong. Being as we may not know all of the story, it's hard to judge. If the coach believed that Burruto could not play at the varsity or junior varsity level (which I personally do not believe if the kid has an 80mph fastball), then the coach is in the right, or at least is justified, and he is going the way of Michael Jordan's coach. However. If the coach was simply uncomfortable with the idea of a double prosthetic on the team and cut him for that reason, it was wrong. But this certainly could have been handled without dragging the rest of the country into it.
ReplyDeleteWhen Michael Jordan was cut from his basketball team nobody cared. It made no news and life went on as normal. However, it just turned out that he was one of the most talented basketball players to ever grace the NBA. In Anthony Burruto's case he is as talented baseball player who just happens to have two prosthetic legs. So if he is as talented as they say he is then being cut from his high school baseball team will not make a difference in his professional career.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am not supporting the coach. Cutting a talented player just because of a disability is WRONG. If he plays well and can be an asset to the team I see no reason to cut him. However, if the media has made a spectacle out of nothing I also think that is wrong. If Anthony wants to be treated like everyone else he needs to step out of the spot light and continue to pursue his goals, whether he is playing baseball in high school or not.
Jessica Montecalvo
I completely disagree with Anthony's coach's decision to cut him from the baseball team. What should it matter that he has two prosthetic legs? The condition of his legs does not effect the rest of his body; he's still an outstanding and talented pitcher! Why shouldn't he be given the same chance that every other guy in his school has to play for the team? I think that it's a good thing that this topic has been brought to the national level because maybe something can be justly done about the situation if enough people contribute their thoughts and opinions to it.
ReplyDeleteI think that Anthony should not have been cut from the baseball team due to his disability. If he can throw a 80mph fastball and major league scouts are interested in him then it must mean that he can play. If Anthony and his family want him to play and think that he can without his disability getting in the way then the coach should have given him a fair chance like everyone else.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think that we know enough about this to tell if he does deserve to be cut. For people with any type of disability, I believe that they should be treated just as every one else. Maybe he's terrible and deserves to be cut. Or maybe he is really good and is being discriminated against. Either way, I believe that he should be cut or play under the same circumstances as all the others who tried out.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tad bit ridiculous. It had no effect on the child and the coach cut him from the team? Wouldn't that be discrimination in some sort of way. I'm sure the student can run to some extent, nonetheless he is probably better than any of the other students on the team.
ReplyDeleteif he isnt good enough to make it on the team he shouldnt be on it... i ask is he just using this disability as an excuse? or is his family just angery?
ReplyDeleteIf the boy was cut strictly because of his disability, then the coach was absolutely wrong. If the boy just didn't meet the standards of the coach or team, then this is understandable. I think it's hard to know exactly why the coach cut him. Even if he did cut him because of his disability, the coach could easily tell the public that he didn't like the way the boy played, or there was somebody better for the position.
ReplyDeleteI think that Anthony should be proud of himself for being able to throw a ball that fast. If Anthony can only throw a ball fast, then maybe she should not make the team. However, if he is being discriminated against due to his disability, that is completely immoral. A player should be considered for their physical ability, attitude, sportsmanship, and desire to learn. Anthony has already been through so much and to discriminate against him is horrible. The coach should feel like a horrible person and give a formal explanation for his actions for clarification.
ReplyDeleteCutting a baseball player due to a disablitiy that he is clearly able to out shine by throwing an 80 mph fast ball, is down right WRONG. I think the demeaning of a players condition should be set aside when determining whether or not they are capable if they have proven otherwise. I agree that Anthony can not expect to be treated like any normal athlete when he's receiving an enormous amount of hype from the media. However, it also makes sense that he's getting a chance to voice his opinion to make the world realize that he is just one of the many teenagers suffering from using prosthetics. One could see this as a chance to gain equal rights between posthetic users and what they are capable of. I think all the factors by physical appearance.
ReplyDeleteThere have been players before with disabilities (Jim Abbott). If the fact that he has no legs doesn't affect his ability to move, he should be allowed to play. But that still doesn't mean that the coach cut him for that reason. We live in America and you can't judge based on one side of the story. Just because you can throw fast doesn't mean you're good. I agree completely with what Mr. X had to say. You can't have it both ways. People get cut from teams all the time but they don't get ESPN on the phone to bash the coach. It's his team and he calls the shots.
ReplyDelete-Brandon