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

My boy played today in the first game of the season.  He has plenty of work ahead of him this year:

• Batting mechanics (I'd laugh if it were someone else's kid.)
• Basic ball handling (easy popups are magnetically attracted to him, probably because his opponents have learned he can't catch them,) 
• His hustle (coach described his sprinting gait as a "slithering" motion.) 

But before we start 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 to scratch out her perch on the the jagged, semen-soaked cliffs at Holland & Hart International. 

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 like a dusty rug -- both during and after games. And not just from opponents. Much of his sharp spirit has been directed at his teammates and even the coaches. They've dubbed him "The Himmler of Right Field" -- 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 their children to the ground, spits on them, kicks them and throws his tiny fists at their faces. I desperately want to tell them that the boy's arms are much too weak to seriously hurt their children, but I never do. Instead, I pretend he's not mine and feign horrified shock alongside. 

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 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 only because little league fans are a meek, tolerant lot, and I also suspect they've come to appreciate the intimidating effect she has on the opposing 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. 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 several times.