Long story short...My DH has been the president of our small town's youth sports organization. This is the first year he isn't the baseball president also. The baseball current president has had some issues and DH is in charge of everything. He is trying to handle things diplomatically and carefully. (The main issue involves the baseball president and a coach going toe to toe on the diamond and yelling.) He is holding a meeting Thurs. to discuss this issue.

Well, last night a woman whose son wasn't playing this year showed up to the diamonds. She insisted her son play on the team of the coach involved in the issue. (You can't EVER pick your child's team.) We had been practicing for over a month and this is the second week of games. She had a "petition" to keep this coach on the diamonds. (Remember, DH is having a "meeting" Thurs. to decide what to do.) This woman is CRAZY. Really, she is know to act VERY bizzarely. (In fact, I barely know her, but she called me once for child rearing advice.) She is also upset that the baseball president chose not to have her serve in a position for this season (because she is CRAZY!)

Anyways, it seems she also had a 7 page letter raging against DH and the baseball president. She claims to have spoken to a lawyer and she is suing them indivually (but not the organization). Her main issue is "discrimination". She said DH told her that her 6th grade 13 year old was too old to play. He is....BUT DH has always allowed 6th graders who are past the age cut off to play, but they can not pitch. She never even tried to sign him up. I can't imagine a competent attorney really told her she had a claim, but it seems we need to contact a lawyer just in case. We really have enought to worry about and no money right now. UGH!

It must be a bad letter. DH wouldn't even let me see it. It's probably for the best. It would eat me up. DH certainly isn't perfect, but as he has had this postion he has really tried to be fair and always act in the best interest of all the kids. He spends hundreds of hours working for the kids in our community (sometimes at the expense of himself and even our family). He isn't always quiet, but he does try to do what's right. I am sure there is nothing to the complaint, but we have to find out. (In one part she mentioend that DH called her for a friend's phone number. This woman had looked at our home last year and we wanted to let her know the price was lower when we tried to sell it on our own. WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH SPORTS AND YOUR KID?) Like I said...she is odd.

Any legal advice? LOL..I know Dh is going to try to call someone, but he is working 4 AM - 4 PM today and tomorrow. I hate worrying, UGH! I told him, no good deed goes unpunished. Sigh....

I have been a soccer league president for the past three years and have run into quite a few "nut jobs" in that time. First and foremost, did the woman register her child by a set date...or did she miss the cut-off? If she missed the established registration date she has no case or argument...PERIOD

Second, she cannot sue your husband or the league president individually, she would have to try and sue the league as a whole (unless it was a case of for instance your husband stricking her or her child) and still she would also have to sue the league because your husband is acting on behalf of the league.

Regardless of the fact that past precident has allowed some 6th graders to play in a diminshed capacity, she did not come through with her part of signing him up. Your league has no responsibility to her or her child.

The fact that your husband is having what I assume to be a disciplinary meeting between the league president and a coach is of non issue.

I would take this issue to the board and let them draft a nice fact finding letter to address this woman's complaints and invite her to a special meeting in which she can address the board personally. Once she states her case, then she can be told that "discrimination" was not the case, but that her failure to register her child is. PERIOD!!

Your league should have insurance coverage that protects it's volunteers as well.

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#3 Gone To Race In A Better Place...

Thanks Chrystal. In fact, she still hasn't registered him at all. (just shoved him out on the field.) He played last night and he is not on the insurance list for the league. (DH didn't know about any of this until it was over.) That could have been a mess.

It's funny that she came out of the wood work over this other issue. She is the woman who was so upset one year because DH yelled at our DS to put in his mouthguard. (umm..it's a rule and it's dangerous.) Now she is defending a man who was yelling and suggesting a fight with another adult in front of chiildren.

She seems to have the issues muddled. Dh needs to get his board together about this separately from the other meeting. I didn't think she could sue them outside of the orgainzation, but it is scary when someone threatens your family's finanaces. UGH!

Thanks again! I hope DH got a phone call into an attorney.

oh don't you just love little league? These parents act like they do everything... keep us updated!

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

Don't waste your money on a lawyer, for heaven's sake. This entire brouhaha will come to nothing but squawks and feather flapping. Worry about important stuff.

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Lyn Clarke

Oh Crap!! Him playing in the game creates an issue. In soccer it would break down like this, the child is not registered, has no insurance and would be considered an illegal player. If any parent or coach from either team notified our state soccer association we would be fined big time.

Your league President needs to draft a letter ASAP, notifying the parent that due to a miscommunication it has come to his attention that her child is not a registered player with your league and therefore will under no circumstances be allowed to play in any league event this season. He will also need to cc this letter to the other board members and the state association.

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#3 Gone To Race In A Better Place...

You can't allow a non-registered player play the game. It is a risk--and a big one! If that child were hurt by a ball, or were running to the base only to slide into someone's mitt and get injured...the league is unprotected since the child injured is uninsured!

No, NO, NO!!!

If she didn't register him, (as previously stated) she has NO case! period!!

don't waste your money on an attorney--you don't need one.

Take it to the league board.

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SPJRNTGADL!

I agree with the above posters. You don't need a lawyer, based on what you have stated above. Don't sweat it, but, I know it will still bother you.

I am so glad this crap is behind us. We had a somewhat similar situation when DS was 6 or 7, I forget. It was T-Ball, for goodness sake. Long story short, the guy(and I use that term very loosely) they appointed to be the AllStars coach at the end of the season, got deployed, and figued he could just appoint his wife to the position. Well, when the sports head person got wind of this, he said, nope, goes to Mr. &^% (my DH). Well, this wife pulled her son off the team, pulled the funding her aunt gave for uniforms, would switch the practice times-telling parents there was NOT a practice, when there was, the list goes on, and on. The outcome for this nut job was that we traveled the state with these boys, and had a BLAST. Her son missed out, and people thought she was, well, what she was, if you KWIM???

Moral of the story, remember, you're doing it for the kids. There's no place for the BS among the grown-ups.

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Doing the right thing isn't always the same as doing the easy thing.