Crazier Coach Story: Pop Warner Bounty System or the $50,000 Youth Baseball Team of Revenge?
Here are two delightfully twisted stories from the world of youth sports. We’ll start in Long Island where a father felt his son was slighted and took action. From the New York Post:
Angered after his own son failed to flourish on the Long Island Infernos traveling baseball team for 10- and 11-year-olds, Robert Sanfilippo used his own money to create and fund the Long Island Vengeance to even the score against his boy’s former squad, a law-enforcement source said.
He named the team the Vengeance! This is both the saddest and most badass act of parenting ever. This man already sounds wonderful.
Obsessed with vanquishing the Infernos, Sanfilippo aggressively recruited players in newspaper ads and appealed to kids cut from other teams, sources said.
“No one could understand why this guy was spending so much money on 10-year-olds,” said another coach. “It was all about revenge.”
This is straight up super villain shit.
While other Long Island teams had modest equipment, Sanfilippo spent like a Suffolk County Steinbrenner. The Vengeance sported top of the line helmets with airbrushed skull and crossbones insignias that cost upwards of $300 each for a team of roughly 20 kids. The squad also provided each player with two uniforms and baseball bags worth hundreds of dollars.
Unfortunately, Sanfilippo took it a bit too far when he started sending threatening messages to the coach of the Infernos. Probably something along the lines of, “My 10 and 11-year-olds are going to kick your 10 and 11-year-olds’ asses at baseball!” How can this not be the plot of Taken 3?
Now let’s travel across the country and look another youth sport. From the OC Register:
Four months before the world heard about the New Orleans Saints’ bounty scandal, two Pop Warner football coaches in Tustin began offering cash to their 10- and 11-year-old players for making big hits and knocking opponents out of games, according to an assistant coach, a parent, interviews with players and signed statements by two players.
Where do you think Gregg Williams got the idea!?
During an Oct. 27 film session at Crawford’s house, Crawford explained how the winners of the cash would be determined, three players said. Crawford told the team that they could all vote, and the player with the most votes would get money. Crawford told them the most money could be won if the opponents’ best player had to leave the game, they said.
I actually had to wander into the street when I read that part, so let me repeat it for you – 10 and 11-year-old football study film.
The players said they were caught up in the competitive spirit and didn’t consider whether it was right or wrong to accept money for great hits or even hurting an opposing player. One player said: “I was so excited, I didn’t think that much about it.”
Because they are children. Who study game tape. Related: There is game tape of 10 and 11-year-olds playing football and I assume one of the coaches had to edit this tape for film study. That person is the saddest person.
The craziest person is obviously Sanfilippo. Shelling out that kind of money on youth baseball is insane. Besides, his kid is probably a doofus. You have to just face the facts at some point. However, he gets points for spending all that money on kids. The California football coaches are sleazy if they really offered bounties, but they also lose points because they were so damn cheap. A concussed preteen is worth way more than $50. I bet Sanfilippo would pay low four-figures for some quality head trauma. And that’s why he wins the Craziest Coach Award.

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29 Responses to “Crazier Coach Story: Pop Warner Bounty System or the $50,000 Youth Baseball Team of Revenge?”
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September 24th, 2012 at 2:34 PM
infernos is a great mascot name
and, as expected from me….
ban tackle football for kids under 12
steve james, the guy who helped make Hoop Dreams, has a film out called Head Games, about concussions in sports. he’ll be on The Score 670AM a little later. you can find it steaming on itunes or online
/no, i am not a score employee
September 24th, 2012 at 2:35 PM
streaming
September 24th, 2012 at 2:35 PM
Lets just ban football and baseball for kids under 16.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:36 PM
that’s two stupid ideas vladdy. i paid for one
September 24th, 2012 at 2:39 PM
yardwork?
September 24th, 2012 at 2:41 PM
Aren’t like 300% of American teenagers diabetes riddled fat asses?
September 24th, 2012 at 2:41 PM
Jesus now the Saints aren’t even getting credit for the bounty program?
- Breesus
September 24th, 2012 at 2:41 PM
I usually support Team CRM but not using an image of Zoltek – preferably eating the PB&J sandwich out of his helmet – leaves this post wanting
September 24th, 2012 at 2:41 PM
Well did the Vengeance vanquish the Infernos?
September 24th, 2012 at 2:41 PM
So two of my buddies lived the TBL commenter dream last weekend. Met Craig James. Had drinks with him in a bar. Even got an email from him a couple days later.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:43 PM
Soliciting money still?
September 24th, 2012 at 2:43 PM
I blame TV, Apple, video games, shitty parenting and the state.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:43 PM
So two of my buddies lived the TBL commenter dream last weekend. Met Craig James. Had drinks with him in a bar. Even got an email from him a couple days later.
Are any of the 3,394 comments about him true? I’d like to think at least a third of them are.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:45 PM
Nah, it was just a general nice to meet you guys the other night sort of thing. They said he was pretty cool actually. I know that’s gonna be a dream killer for a lot of people.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:45 PM
I have confirmed that his screensaver is in fact the Rodney King beating.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:48 PM
So two of my buddies lived the TBL commenter dream last weekend. Met Craig James. Had drinks with him in a bar. Even got an email from him a couple days later.
So, your buddies are now, almost certainly, abettors to the murder of multiple dead hookers?
September 24th, 2012 at 2:49 PM
Washington State lost to Colorado on Saturday. Pirate has been disappointing thus far. Jeff Tuel Heisman dark horse, my ass.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:49 PM
I bet those hookers got some thank you cards after their first solicitation too.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:50 PM
Aren’t like 300% of American teenagers diabetes riddled fat asses?
Aren’t 600% of Canadian teenagers alcoholics?
September 24th, 2012 at 2:52 PM
Gas sniffers in the North, at least our teenagers can buy beer you crazy Iranian bastards.
September 24th, 2012 at 2:53 PM
I blame TV, Apple, video games, shitty parenting and the state.
you forgot fishing and playing guitar
September 24th, 2012 at 2:55 PM
Gas sniffers in the North, at least our teenagers can buy beer you crazy Iranian bastards.
Ours can too with the proper* ID.
/fuck MADD
*fake
September 24th, 2012 at 3:00 PM
That dad is awesome
September 24th, 2012 at 3:03 PM
You also forgot Miley Cyrus and McDonalds.
September 24th, 2012 at 3:18 PM
Awesome. A senile Liam Neeson tracks down the coach of his grandkid’s Little League and exacts his revenge.
I say we’re only a few years away from his over exposure that would cause this to be pitched.
September 24th, 2012 at 3:28 PM
Tuel as a heisman dark horse was one of the dumber things ever written on this site. Like I said at the time, he isn’t even the best terrible QB on that team and you should probably pick a player on a team that will win more than 4 games.
September 24th, 2012 at 3:54 PM
doofusses live all over this once great country. time to move to denmark.
September 24th, 2012 at 4:03 PM
Sounds Sanduskian.
“Where’s little Johnny?”
“At coach’s house. Watching film.”
“At 1am,???”
September 24th, 2012 at 5:08 PM
Saw this on morning show- that baseball coach is psycho- he sent threatening pictures stalking the rival coaches family. But they also show the team emblem… that’s not homemade.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/york-father-robert-sanfilippo-allegedly-stalked-rival-baseball-17308510