Upset U.S. dad pulls gun on son's football coach

[proud2BlibKansan]

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - The father of a young football player pulled a gun on his son's coach because he didn't think the boy was getting enough playing time, Philadelphia police said on Monday.

Wayne Derkotch, 40, was charged with aggravated assault after getting in a fight with the coach over the amount of time the boy was getting on the field at a game for 6- and 7-year-olds on Sunday morning, said police spokesman Officer Raul Malveiro.

"There was a physical altercation about what child should play or not play and then he pulled the gun," Malveiro said.

There were no injuries and Derkotch fled before being arrested after a complaint was made by the coach, whose name was not released, Malveiro said.

more . . .
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061023/ts_nm/crime_football_dc

Yep, more guns. That's the ticket. :sarcasm:

[Orrex]

1. If only the coach had been packing

He'll know better than to venture outside unarmed the next time.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. yep great role model for 7 year olds

Solve your problems with guns, kids!

[peacebaby3]

38. Oh, yes. Then someone would be injured, probably dead! That would

be much better!

[Orrex]

45. Uh...

Would a :sarcasm: tag have helped clarify my meaning for you?

[peacebaby3]

53. Yep. I've seen too many peole that truly have that opinion. Some on this

board.

[Orrex]

54. Fair enough

But if you're going to walk around with that attitude, you'd better arm yourself! :evilgrin:

:hi:

[peacebaby3]

55. LMAO!!! I gotta give it to you on that reply! Good one! I think we'll get

along just fine! :hi:

[Toots]

46. Not just the coach but all the players as well

7 year olds know how to pull a trigger so why not arm them as well? :shrug: I fail to see any difference between a seven year old with a gun and Bush* as pResident...

[Kingshakabobo]

47. Clearly, the only way to keep the peace............

.....is to equip ALL the participants with suicide belts triggered by their opponents. Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) is the only way to go when dealing with irrational parents, coaches and athletes.

[Kber]

3. I'm sending this to my son's football coaches.

We parents might grumble about play time, but I don't think any of us would consider pulling out a deadly weapon. They don't know how good they got it! (Actually, I like our coaches quite a bit. They are dads first, if you know what I mean.)

[soothsayer]

18. LOL! I bet your kid gets more play after you do that (they'll see it

as a threat)

[Kber]

35. Hehe

more like he'd never play again. We've noticed a strong inverse relationship between the volume of parental complaints and play time (for all kids, not just ours).

Oh well - part of the game, I guess.

[Kingshakabobo]

24. Nothing wrong with a warning shot or maybe a good winging.....

.....to keep your son's coach honest. LOL

[The Backlash Cometh]

4. Hey, it only gets worse.

I'm talking about the playing time. Unbelieveable how coaches get so bloated with their own self-importance. How they dispense playing time reflects, either a sadistic desire to punish those they don't like, or an attempt to extort money. The parents call my daughter's coach asshole coach or psycho coach. Can't take this shit seriously or you'll be pulled down to the coach's level.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. My dad was a coach for 40+ years

I could fill a book with stories of crazy parents. His life was threatened one time (that I know of).

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. Not all coaches are created equal.

Unfortunately, just about every coach we've ever come across on my daughter's soccer team was more than willing to take money to improve playing time. However, it is a competitive team so the coach became very selective each year at tryouts as he recruted better talent, and dropped the nudgy parents.

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. You need to remember that a lot of youth coaches are volunteers

and you get what you pay for.

[The Backlash Cometh]

23. No such thing as a volunteer, these days.

They all find clever ways to compensate for their time. There was only one professional coach who was the exception. And, of course, whenever my hubby coached, we usually pay for tournament fees and other items that our players can't afford. And we always included our share of the cost for everything. Never expected any compensation. Just like in the old days when community service really meant community service.

[ComerPerro]

28. oh, the "everyone sucks but me" defense. Your hubby was obviously corrupt

because you said so yourself...

"There is not such thing as a volunteer"

"They all find ways to compensate for their time"


"Oh, except for my hubby, the only honest person in America. But all the other coaches are slime"

[The Backlash Cometh]

32. Well, he threatened to hold my allowance if iI didn't say that.

LOL!

Disclaimer: My experiences are strictly mine alone.

However, me and another parent are already talking about writing a book about our experiences. Our kids are in a very competitive sport, so perhaps, the coaches we've experienced are the kinds that do it for other reasons, than the kinds that do it strictly for recreation.

[ComerPerro]

27. nice broad generalization, there. So its the coach's fault

that's sorta like blaming a rape victim for wearing "sexy" clothes, or a victim of a mugging for "looking rich", or a victim of a car-jacking for having a nice car...


:eyes:

[The Backlash Cometh]

34. Testy group. What I said was, not all coaches are created equal.

There were some good souls who did it for the right reasons, there were others that did it for the wrong reasons. However, at a very competitive level, you get to meet some pretty scary people.

In our household, the older the child is, the more they're allowed to make the decision on which team they want to play on. Sometimes they base that decision on the girls on the team, and not the coach. And, unfortunately, when it gets extremely competitive, they learn that those friendships are tenuous when you're competing against your friends for time and position, and it gets pretty stressful when the coach sends mixed messages on what he wants.

[phylny]

40. Oh, no kidding.

We have it here at the high school level. Two of our daughters are playing varsity soccer right now, and the playing time goes to girls with LESS skill, LESS enthusiasm, and LESS experience. It's not just me being their parent, other parents comment on it regarding our daughters as well. One of the girls text messages the assistant coach, another goes to her house for breakfast, many of them hug her on the sidelines and suck up. My oldest, a senior, is never a suck up. She has more goals and assists with half the playing time than girls who play the same position. The other one, a freshman, runs circles around some of the other starters.

I keep telling the older one, "Less than a month left, and next fall you'll be playing in college" (she has an offer). The younger one plays on a travel team that could kick this high school team's butt any day of the week, and she starts in center midfield, and plays 80 of the 90 minutes in the game. "Less than a month, and you're back with your travel team and things will be better."

Cannot WAIT for it to end. Thank goodness we're moving next summer.

Sorry for the rant.

[Horse with no Name]

44. At one point in time

I thought our area was unique in this aspect.
Girls softball is HUGE here. They start playing when they are in kindergarten. There are summer leagues and fall leagues and now there are traveling leagues.
Some of these parents hire professional pitching coaches at the rate of $200 a day for these kids when they are in 2nd and 3rd grade to give them that extra edge.
And it is all about the draft. Whose team are you going to be on. Are you going to state? Are you an all-star?
My daughter was a pretty consistent player. Hit the ball 9 out of 10 times at bat, could field pretty decent, and had a natural pitching arm.
She was also left handed, so when some of these girls tired out, they would put my lefty in to finish the job. Consistently she did well but didn't pitch nearly as fast as some of the coached girls.
However, she wasn't a star player. Never griped when she didn't get playing time but always smiled and jumped in wherever she was needed. She was always highly drafted because of this.
As she got a little older, the competition got way too intense for us.
My daughter saw more and more of the bench. More and more of the pettiness, favoritism and bickering. She decided that she didn't want to do it anymore.
Many of these girls DID go on to play collegiate softball, however, all but one or two played past the first year. They had simply burned out.
When I finally had time to sit back and evaluate the situation, I think that living in an economically depressed area, parents looked for ways to send their kids to school. The smart ones could get academic scholarships, but the average ones could not. I think this was just a way for their kids to go to college. So many parents in our area perceive threats to their kids entire future when they sit on the bench.

[Horse with no Name]

42. I think it was last year

We had a coach at a high school that had an apparently over-inflated ego.
He was let go from one high school because he gave his own son undeserved play time over some of the players that were better. The school district let him go.
He ended up at another school district where he promptly replaced the star quarterback (who was looking to get a scholarship his senior year for college) with his own son, who was substandard at best. Put the kid who was a good player on the bench for his own gain.
Anyway, the father of the benched player attempted to talk to the coach and the coach wouldn't have a discussion about it--it was his team, his decision. My way or the highway. The coach threatened to throw the player off of the team.
The situation escalated, partly because the coach would not entertain discussion and closed the doors of communication.
Now, you don't mess with Texas football, and THAT is an understatement.
The parent ended up shooting the coach. Came very close to killing him.
But as of the last I heard, the Coach did recover.
Not advocating that this is the right thing to do, but when you mix guns in with hardheads, rarely does anything good ever come of that.

[Deja Q]

5. What the hell is wrong with people?

"I don't like that me 7 year old's team got called out so I'm going to whip out my small pistol and aim it at the coach."

DUMB.

Playing to win is one thing, but what happened to perspective? It's a CHILDRENS' GAME. (so is Wall Street, but you don't see those weirdoes whip out their revolvers... :crazy: )

[The2ndWheel]

16. They already have the money

Some "earn" it using children to make clothing. Chidren do get to play in the Wall Street game, you're correct.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. American values. Sports and guns.

[Beelzebud]

21. American Values - Violence.

If it wasn't a gun, it would have been a knife or closed fist.

It's not about the gun, it's about how our society sees violence as a way to solve problems.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. I couldn't agree more.

The ironic thing is that history shows us that it never is.

[MikeNearMcChord]

7. Bryant Gumble did a show about sports parents on his

HBO show "Real Sports", and like the incident where little league umpires are attacked or hockey dads who kill others, they have one common thread, the parents are deluded enough to think their kids will end up in the pros even though the odds are astronomical. One other fact, most kids quit sports by the age of 13, and one reason is because of sports dads and moms.

[WI_DEM]

9. you hear about these quick tempered parents with kids in sports

and you have to wonder "What the hell are they thinking"--it's only a game. People take sports more seriously than voting. Don't they understand too the embarrassment and shame they'll cause their children by their actions. Obviously not.

[donsu]

10. parents should not be allowed at practice or the games

in my opinion.

the sports are for the kids, not the parents.

[no_hypocrisy]

12. This situation illustrates the parents who livesvicariously

through their children and sports.

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. At games?

Who would go if parents are not allowed?

[donsu]

51. nobody - way back parents didn't go to school sport games

they might carpool and drop the kids off and then go back and pick them up.

in high school, kids would go and watch but it was rare for parents to go.

the parent thing started about the time my kids were in school - late 60's early 70'

[BoneDaddy]

17. so the overwhelming amount of good parents

should be punished because of a couple of assholes?

My father coached my football and baseball teams when I was younger and it was wonderful to have him there. I understand your point, but that is a message that should be sent through the association with heavy consequences for those who do act irresponsibly so it doesn't punish the loving responsible parents who just want to support their kids.

AS far as idiots like this guy, he should not be allowed to coach anymore under any circumstances. Not to mention he should spend some time in jail.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

20. I don't agree with that, though there are some crazy parents

Some of my favorite moments are watching my son play baseball, or watching my daughter in tennis or surf competitions.

I have no illusions that either of them will be professional athletes, but they both love sports and they love that we participate with them and watch them and cheer them on. They would be very sad if we weren't there to watch them succeed or to encourage them when they struggle.

There's a sign up at our ballfields that says "Coaches Coach. Parents Cheer." That to me is the biggest issue.

There are those handful of parents who are just certain that their kids are going to be pro baseball players or whatever -- these people are just a little unhinged, in my opinion, and are probably robbing their kids of all of the joy of playing team sports.

The answer, in my opinion, is to have some league people singling out those over-bearing parents and barring them from the games. They do that in our league, and it works. It's a minority of the parents doing this, not the majority.

[ComerPerro]

29. sarcasm, right? right?

[donsu]

52. no

nt

[JVS]

41. If that rule existed, then there would be more molester coaches

[FormerDittoHead]

15. This has nothing to do with guns.

The parent could have equally come to within a hair's breath of killing him using salty language.

:sarcasm:

[jody]

19. Derkotch was charged with aggravated assault, courts will decide the case.

The gun didn't cause the assault, a person did.

[MadAsHellNewYorker]

22. and I thought smokers were the delusional ones?

:eyes:

[Ian David]

25. You know, it's unfair to blame the coaches or the soccer dads

We had the same kind of problem in our Dungeons and Dragons club.

I once saw a father draw a crossbow on our Dungeon Master, just because he thought his kid was being unfairly singled-out to make saving-throws vs fire, even though he knew that Drow Elves take a substantial penalty.

It's terrible, I tell you!

That poor Dungeon Master still can't go anywhere near a Ren-Faire.

But remember: If crossbows are outlawed, then only the Chaotic Evil will have crossbows.

[ComerPerro]

30. very good point

[BoneDaddy]

37. True nuff

Fireball...fireball....lightning bolt...polymorph.

[dougkeenan]

31. "City of Brotherly Love"

:sarcasm:

[Blue_Tires]

33. lol....couldn't resist:

The Dude: Walter, ya know, it's Smokey, so his toe slipped over the line a little, big deal. It's just a game, man.

Walter Sobchak: Dude, this is a league game, this determines who enters the next round robin. Am I wrong? Am I wrong?

Smokey: Yeah, but I wasn't over. Gimme the marker Dude, I'm marking it 8.

Walter Sobchak: Smokey, my friend, you are entering a world of pain.

The Dude: Walter...

Walter Sobchak: You mark that frame an 8, and you're entering a world of pain.

Smokey: I'm not...

Walter Sobchak: A world of pain.

Smokey: Dude, he's your partner...

Walter Sobchak: Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? Mark it zero!

The Dude: They're calling the cops, put the piece away.

Walter Sobchak: Mark it zero!


The Dude: Walter...

Walter Sobchak: You think I'm fucking around here? Mark it zero!

Smokey: All right, it's fucking zero. Are you happy, you crazy fuck?

Walter Sobchak: ...It's a league game, Smokey.

[yella_dawg]

36. In 1951 my uncle spent a week in jail

for punching a guy at a little league game. The week was spent waiting for the doctors to decide if the charge would be assault or murder.

Uncle Bill never drank another drop and went on to be a pillar in the community. The point is, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Oh yeah. No gun involved, yet the guy spent a week on the edge of death. Focus on the problem, not the symptoms.

[shadowknows69]

39. Ok, anyone else think its time we back off the whole

sports culture thing. People wreck their own cities when their team wins for fucks sake.

[raccoon]

43. That bastard (the father) obviously has a few screws loose.

THose who are saying, well he could've threatened the coach with a knife or his fists, let me just ask:

If YOU had been the coach, and you could choose what that bastard threatened YOU with, which of those three would YOU choose?

And whadduya know, this didn't happen in a Southern state.

[Stuckinthebush]

48. Wow. If only parents were as passionate about academics

Well...let me qualify that statement. I don't encourage parents to pull a gun on a teacher because his child brought home a "B" in Math.

I find it fascinating that parents get so emotional over sports, but the same parents may be less enthusiastic about academic achievement. Years ago, my old roommate in college was the head of the math department at a high school in South Carolina. He gave a star football player every chance to succeed in his class, yet the player didn't care. Evidently, this football player new that his status would allow him to take a slack attitude toward classes.

Well, my friend failed the player which made him ineligible to play per system rules. The result? Property damage, angry calls from fans, and death threats.

My friend's last act as a teacher was to give the boy a "C" before turning in his resignation. He was a gifted teacher who had helped many students understand math better, and find an appreciation for the field. He left teaching for good out of disgust.

That was 20 years ago.

[Horse with no Name]

49. We have an acquaintance who plays college football

at a major university. He set records as a freshman and was a very promising player.
However, he sat out his senior year and was red-shirted so he could play again this year as a 5th year senior.
We were told it was because of an injury.
However, I have recently become acquainted with another one of the players that this guy played with. His wife is a nurse who I work with occasionally.
We were talking about the 5th year guy, and she said "yeah, it's too bad he failed his senior year and wasn't able to play".
However, the story I heard was that he was injured.
So, repeating this story to another alumni of this university, and he said that the guy most certainly did NOT fail.
He shared that this particular university has an entire team of academics that do the athletes homework and take their tests for them so there isn't any way for them to fail.
I don't know if this is the truth or not, however, it wouldn't surprise me.

[Stuckinthebush]

50. I teach at a large southeastern university

And I can tell you that star atheletes don't fail.