This child really has no right to burden his little league team like he does

My boy played today in the first game of the season. He certainly has plenty to work on this year: the mechanics of his batting (hilarious to watch if it were someone else's kid,) his ball handling (easy popups seem magnetically attracted to him, probably because his opponents have learned he can't catch them,) and his hustle (the coach describes his running style as sort of "slithering" motion.)

But before we get started on those skills, we need to work on his emotional game.

Today, the boy charged the mound three times, threatened the catcher with the bat, and sparked a brawl with the first baseman that emptied both dugouts.

He gets it from his mother, who conducts her life according to the creed, "strike first, strike low, strike hard." It's worked for her, as it's just the kind of advantage an eager young lawyer needs while scratching out her perch on the the jagged, male-dominated cliffs of Johnson, Faegre, Hinton & Associates.

But I don't think the creed serves the boy well at all. Not while he's playing outfield for the 9-year-old squad of the Englewood Alpacas. He's become a lightening rod on the field, attracting blows both during and after games like a dusty rug. And not just from opponents. Much of his sharp spirit has been directed at his teammates and even his coaches, who have dubbed him the "Angry Nazi" -- and I doubt the nickname's just a colorful handle in the style of "Maverick" or "Iceman."

The foul behavior on-field is causing problems in the stands as well. Parents react with horrified shock when he throws his tiny fists at their childrens' faces. I desperately want to tell them the boy's arms are much too weak to hurt their children badly, but I never do. Instead, I pretend he's not mine and feign horrified shock as well.

Unfortunately, I fear the problem won't be easy to solve, mostly because of his mother. She encourages him from the stands. Quietly, at first, but with each passing inning, more aggressively until by the end she's screaming foul racial slurs and throwing beer bottles at the umpire, the opposing team's batters and the visiting team's fans. She's been allowed to stay because little league fans are a meek, tolerant lot, and I suspect they've come to appreciate the intimidating effect she has on the other team. That only encourages her, I'm afraid.

What I really need is time alone with the boy to counter her negative influence and help him work through his athletic shortcomings. The boy needs to understand that he shouldn't feel threatened by what other players say because he is just a poor ball player. He'll never, ever be any good. It's frustrating for me, as a father, because he should know that already. I've told him.