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New York Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Parents have mixed reactions to Little League's move to suspend NJ boy from state final for bat flipping
Parents had mixed reactions Wednesday to the Little League's move to suspend a New Jersey boy from a state final game for triumphantly flipping his bat into the air — with some calling it too strict and others playing hardball. 'It's stupid. I think it's overkill. It's too much, especially for kids,'Josh Baker, 28, said of the decision while visiting the Major League Baseball shop on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan. 'Just give the kid a warning, [say] 'Hey don't throw the bat,' said Baker, a Sports Information Director for College Athletics in Michigan. Advertisement 4 Haddonfield Little League suspending Marco Rocco, 12, after triumphantly flipping his bat into the air, has stirred some controversy. X / @Spicoli_____ 'Don't make the kid sit out again because he's happy that he hit a home run,' he said. 'He's playing for one of the biggest moments in childhood baseball.' Advertisement Baker was weighing in on how Haddonfield Little League player Marco Rocco, 12, was barred from playing in the championship game because he joyfully flipped his bat in the air to celebrate a home run Thursday. Rocco and his team had been playing Harrison Little League when the move prompted the umpire to eject him from the game and suspend him from the next one due to 'horseplay.' Mark Pulver, 53, a Little League coach from California — who was visiting New York City for a tournament — said the league was right to come out swinging. 4 The league suspended Rocco from playing in the championship game after he flipped his bat in the air after hitting a home run against Harrison Little League. Facebook/Liz Rocco Advertisement 'As a parent who has coached a little league for 13 years, I believe the rules need to be adhered to regardless of the game,' he said. 'But I also appreciate the specialness of a home run, especially in a playoff game and the excitement that comes with that.' Ultimately, he said, the boy deserved to be sidelined because he potentially put other people in danger. 4 Rocco was ejected from the game after flipping his bat, and his one-game suspension was due to 'horseplay.' X / @Spicoli_____ Advertisement 'It's sad to say but..I don't think the suspension should be changed,' he said. Other baseball buffs urged Little League to 'give him a break.' 'Can you imagine how he feels? As far as he's concerned, this is the highlight of his life!' said Rafael Pabon, 46, martial artist from West New York, New Jersey who was also shopping at the MLB store. 4 Some parents called the punishment harsh, while one Little League coach, Mark Pulver, 53, said the league made the right call. Facebook/Liz Rocco 'Who knows, he could be playing for the Mets or the Yankees one day. He could become a star player in the major league. Don't be so heartless.' Rocco's dad, Joe Rocco, filed an emergency temporary restraining order Tuesday in the Gloucester County Chancery Division in a bid to have the suspension from the New Jersey Little League State Tournament final overturned. A judge delayed the ruling until Thursday at 1:30 pm, just hours before the championship game is scheduled to start.
New York Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Parent of rival NJ team backs little leaguer suspended for bat flipping: ‘These umpires aren't very good'
Even the enemy is going to bat for this little leaguer! A parent at a rival New Jersey team is backing the Little League player who was suspended from a state finals game for joyfully flipping his bat — saying the 'horseplay' rule is unclear and most players don't even know it exists. 'These umpires aren't very good. It doesn't warrant a game suspicion,' said Chris Heenan, whose son plays for a team in the Harrison Township Little League organization, whose 12-year-old squad gave up the home run that led to Haddonfield Little League player Marco Rocco's now-infamous bat-flipping celebration. 4 The bat flip got Rocco ejected along with a one-game suspension. X / @Spicoli_____ 4 Rocco's father, Joe, filed court papers to have the suspension overturned. X / @Spicoli_____ Rocco, 12, was facing off against Harrison Thursday when he tossed his bat in the air to celebrate hitting a home run, which made the game an 8-0 blowout and prompted the umpire to eject him from the game. The move also earned him a one-game suspension and barred him from competing in the New Jersey Little League State Tournament final this coming Thursday — outraging his dad, Joe Rocco, who filed court papers Tuesday to have the suspension overturned. But even Heenan — whose son plays for a rival Harrison team in the 11-year-old division — called the punishment off base. 'I don't believe it is common knowledge in Little League that you aren't supposed to flip a bat,' he said. 4 Joe and Marco Rocco are pictured in an undated Facebook photo. Facebook/Liz Rocco He also said the 'no horseplay' rule reportedly cited by the umpire of the game in question is overly vague. 'You can call almost anything 'horseplay,'' he said. 'If there's no rule specifically against bat flipping in the handbook, how would you know?' The elder Rocco insists the league sends kids mixed messages by posting videos of celebratory bat flipping on its social media accounts — and Heenan agreed. 4 If the suspension stands, Rocco would be barred from playing in the Little League state finals. Facebook/Liz Rocco While Heenan acknowledged that tossing a bat in the air could be dangerous, he said the league should stay consistent with its messaging. 'If that's what they're promoting on social media, and that's what kids are seeing, that's what they're gonna do,' he said. 'It sucks,' he added. 'You live and you learn.' On Tuesday, Rocco filed an emergency temporary restraining order in the Gloucester County Chancery Division court in an attempt to have his son's suspension overturned. He'll learn in a hearing Wednesday afternoon whether his kid can play in the big game, Rocco told The Post. Little League International didn't immediately return a request for comment from The Post Wednesday.
New York Post
7 days ago
- Sport
- New York Post
Dad calls out ‘hypocritical' New Jersey Little League over son's bat flip suspension — and here are the videos that back him
Hypocrisy: That's the theme around a New Jersey Little Leaguer's controversial suspension for flipping his bat after a home run. Suspended Haddonfield Little League star Marco Rocco's father, Joe, called out Little League's decision-makers for suddenly being anti-bat flipping after his 12-year-old son's celebration landed him a suspension ahead of the New Jersey Little League State Tournament final beginning Thursday. 'They're hypocritical,' Joe told The Post. 'They post bat flipping on their own Twitter account.' 8 Marco Rocco after hitting his home run that led to his bat-flip suspension. X / @Spicoli_____ 8 Haddonfield Little League Baseball player Marco Rocco flipping his bat. X / @Spicoli_____ Joe certainly has a point. Little League posts plenty of highlights on X throughout its tournaments — and that includes bat flips like the one that earned his son a one-game ban. 8 Marco Rocco. Facebook/Liz Rocco In 2022, Nicaragua's Luis Garcia hit a massive homer to left field during the Little League World Series and proceeded to flip his bat just about as exultantly as Marco did last week. Garcia was not ejected during the incredibly exciting moment for him and his team, and ESPN's announcers went berserk and praised the over-the-top celebration. Little League even posted the highlight to X. Former MLB star and Little League World Series legend Todd Frazier was one of those announcers who celebrated the excited reaction. 'The bat flip to go with it!' Frazier, who famously led Toms Rivers to the 1998 championship, excitedly said. 'That is one of the highest bat flips I have ever seen!' Frazier was not only blown away by the home run but also the replays of the bat flip and Garcia's other celebrations, stating: 'There we go!' 8 Luis Garcia bat flips. LLWS Productions/YouTube 8 Luis Garcia's bat flip was met with praise from announcers and Little League's X account — different from Marco Rocco's current situation. LLWS Productions In a compilation of Little League World Series bat flips that runs more than than eight minutes, various broadcasters never once express disapproval of the flipping and, like Frazier, many hailed the celebrations and got a laugh out of them. Many of the bat flips included in the video uploaded by the unaffiliated 'LLWS Productions' account can be found on Little League's official X account as well. 8 A bat flip posted by Little League's official X account. LittleLeague/X 'The worst part of it is Little League openly promotes bat flipping,' Joe told the Post. 'Kids see bat flipping as celebration.' But while kids see it as a celebration, Little League classified it as 'horseplay' in Marco's case, which is against Little League rules. 8 Joe Rocco and Marco Rocco. Facebook/Liz Rocco Not only does he have a problem with Little League being 'hypocritical,' Joe believes things need to be more clear-cut. 'You have to either say, you can do it, or you can't,' he told The Post. Haddonfield is among the final four teams in New Jersey's 12U division and the teams are set for a double-elimination bracket starting Thursday, with the winner moving on to the Metro Region Tournament. The Rocco family filed an emergency temporary restraining order in the Gloucester County Chancery Division in an attempt to have the suspension overturned, reported Tuesday. 8 Marco Rocco holds a trophy. Facebook/Liz Rocco Joe previously told he expected a hearing Wednesday.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Little League Bat-Flip Suspension Sparks New Jersey Dad's Lawsuit
The father of a boy suspended from participating in Thursday's New Jersey Little League State Tournament because he flipped his bat after hitting a home run has sued Little League Baseball. The suit filed Tuesday in a New Jersey superior court seeks a restraining order that would allow his son to play in the 12-and-under game. Represented by attorneys Brian A. Berkley and Michael Fitzgerald of Fox Rothschild, Joseph Rocco says his son, Marco, was feeling a 'rush of excitement, pride and joy' when he homered last Wednesday in the 2025 Little League Baseball Tournament Section 4 New Jersey Championship. Rocco acknowledged Marco, who plays for the Haddonfield Little League 12U All-Star district team, did a 'bat flip' before he began his home run trot around the bases. More from Riverside Faces Sex-Abuse Trial as Judge Denies Summary Judgment Rare Honus Wagner Card Hits Auction, Early Bids Pass $3.2 Million Riverside's Defense Rebuked in Youth Basketball Sex Abuse Case Rocco's case will face hurdles, as judges are usually reluctant to Monday morning quarterback umpires' judgment calls. Sports associations are also typically accorded broad deference in how they apply their own rules, especially when safety is a factor. Whether a bat flip is an appropriate gesture for a baseball player, let alone a child in Little League, has long sparked debates in baseball. Some regard it as showy and distasteful, including to the pitcher who gave up the homer, while others see it more—as Rocco put it—'a brief moment of celebration to admire an athletic accomplishment that some would call the most difficult task in all of sports.' It seems the home plate umpire was in the former group. Rocco says the umpire intended to call Marco out and void the home run, but after conferring with other umpires and allegedly a tournament director and regional headquarters in Connecticut (but not, Rocco claims, the Tournament Committee in Williamsport), the home run was deemed to count. But the good news quickly turned bad for Marco: He was ejected from the game, which under the rules renders him ineligible for Thursday's state tournament. Rocco says the umpires neither explained the decision nor gave warning 'prior to this more egregious and arbitrary decision.' Sportico has obtained Rocco's complaint and an accompanying brief for showing cause. They raise a breach of contract claim on the theory that Rocco paid dues for Marco to play Little League, and now his son can't play. Negligence is also alleged, with Little League portrayed as breaching a duty of care to Marco by suspending him 'without warning, justification, explanation, or reasoning.' There's also a claim for promissory estoppel, which refers to Rocco detrimentally relying on the promise that his son could play Little League if Rocco paid dues. Rocco asserts there are many examples of Little League players performing bat flips without being tossed from their games and that there is no specific rule outlawing the practice. In fact, Rocco claims, Marco performed two bat flips in recent games and wasn't warned by the umpires, let alone thrown out of the game. The brief also repeatedly mentions that in recent years, Little League social media platforms have, in a positive light, shown players flipping bats. Major League Baseball itself launched a marketing campaign in 2019 titled, 'Let the Kids Play,' featuring star players celebrating with bat flips and more in an attempt to distance itself from the game's staid emotional reputation while catering to a younger generation of fans. But not all bat flips are equal—which could become a key point in Rocco v. Little League. The brief references what it says were communications between Rocco's attorneys and Little League 'in an effort to settle this matter' without a lawsuit. As the brief tells it, Little League says Marco's bat flip was 'extreme' and not only 'far exceeded a celebratory bat flip that players on occasion indulge in' but 'actually endangered the safety of the catcher, the plate umpire and [Marco's] own team, and was a clear violation of the standards of sportsmanship and safety required by [Little League's] rules.' The response also allegedly referenced rules prohibiting 'horse play' and 'intentional throwing of equipment' that could endanger others. Rocco disputes this depiction of his son's bat flip. He says the flip 'was nowhere near the umpire or catcher' and that Marco's 'teammates did not enter the field until the bat was on the ground.' Rocco insists an injunction is warranted since his son would suffer irreparable harm—meaning a harm that can't be remedied by money. Marco, the brief argues, 'will suffer substantial, immediate and irreparable harm in the absence of injunctive relief.' To that end, Rocco asserts, Marco 'will not be able to participate in game one of the New Jersey Little League State Tournament. This game will never occur again and [Marco] will never have the opportunity to play in this game ever again.' The brief also contends that 'Little League will not be injured whatsoever if [Marco] is allowed to participate in this game.' When Little League responds to the court filing, it will disagree that Marco playing would cause the association no injury. Little League has an interest in applying its rules and not having judges second-guess game decisions. Little League will argue those decisions are non-reviewable. This is not a new topic in sports law. Judges have generally steered clear of reversing or altering officiating calls, because once they do so, other athletes, teams and parents could feel incentivized to sue. In 2014, Oklahoma District Court Judge Bernard Jones presided over a lawsuit, Independent School District No. 1-89 v. Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association, involving a clearly bad call in a high school playoff football game—the referee negated a touchdown due to misunderstanding a rule, and the team that had been wronged lost by one point. Jones sympathized with the defeated team but said judges 'ought not to meddle' in games. The judge also stressed that athletic associations have the right to interpret their own rules without judicial interference. Referee interpretations are upheld unless they are arbitrary and capricious—an extremely deferential standard of review. A similar outcome occurred last year in New Jersey. A referee's bad call on a game-winning 3-pointer in the Group 2 boys basketball semifinal between Manasquan High School and Camden High School led to a challenge that came up short. The reason: The call, even if wrong, was final, conclusive and unrevivable. But sometimes legal challenges involving youth athletes prevail in New Jersey. Earlier this year, a New Jersey judge ruled that St. John Vianney wrestler Anthony Knox Jr. could compete for a state championship after he faced a New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) suspension for violating the organization's sportsmanship policy. During a tournament, Knox had left the bench area and allegedly partook in an altercation in the stands. A judge reasoned Knox had been denied due process. Knox's case is different from the one involving Marco Rocco, including because the NJSIAA is a state actor, meaning it is a public entity and can be sued on constitutional grounds. Still, Knox's win might provide hope to Joseph Rocco and his son. Rocco insists his case is a winner. What happened to Marco, as the elder Rocco sees it, wasn't about a called strike or ball, whether a line drive stayed fair or veered foul or some other judgment call. It was instead about process and reflects a wrong that the law ought to remedy. Whether a judge agrees remains to be seen. A judge might regard what happened as a reasonable umpire decision about safety and appropriate behavior in a youth sports event and not one that warrants a court's time and attention. Said another way, not all harms are legal ones. Expect a swift decision with the game set for Thursday. Best of College Athletes as Employees: Answering 25 Key Questions
