When I was younger, I was so good at soccer, baseball, basketball and football that teams feared playing me. It wasn’t so much a fear of death, but a fear of getting embarrassed. Well, my athletic prowess has been surpassed, because there’s a nine year old out there that’s so good at baseball other teams are refusing to play.

The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

“He’s never hurt any one,” Vidro said. “He’s on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?”

How can you punish him for being too good? Listen, Vidro, when the kid’s got a fastball with more hop on it than Jamie Moyer or Tom Glavine, I gotta agree with the wussies in this one.