[Geek]

First, the link below describes the second day of the trial.

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/05013/441442.stm

Second, I wanted to provide a little insight into the incident. I live about 20 miles from the incident, but ref games for each school a couple of times a year. The schools boundaries border, and many of the students from one school know students in the other school.

Incidentally, I worked a game with Mr. Bell 3 days before the incident happened. I do not know him well, but we had worked 3 or 4 games together over the previous 3 years. He has a very mild mannered personality, and is a very good official.

I have a friend (basketball official / baseball umpire) who attended the game as a spectator. His son played for the team that started the fight on the floor. He lives very close (maybe 1 mile) to the defendant (Mr. Dukovich). My friend met the defendant 7 years ago through baseball, as their sons played on the same Little League team, and they were both coaches.

Soon after the incident last year, my friend and I were having a beer after a game. I knew he had attended the game, so I asked him. “What happened”? He said a player on his son’s team was fouled hard. The foul was called and he said it was the correct call (i.e. should not have been called intentional or flagrant). Shortly thereafter, the ball went out on the end line, his son’s teammate unprovokingly attacked Mr. Dukovich’s son. The fight was quickly broken up, and was dealt with correctly. Mr. Bell was the trail official, and had nothing to do with calling the foul, nor was he involved with breaking up the fight, but was close to where the fans were seated in the bleachers.

Mrs. Dukovich, and other fans, came on the floor. She went after Mr. Bell, probably because he was the closest official, and verbally abused Mr. Bell to the extent that game security, which were actual police officers, physically removed her from the gym. After that, Mr. Dukovich picked up Mr. Bell and slammed him.

My friend said the following: The family is not white trash. They have two sons that are attending Ivy League schools. The son that was attacked on the floor is going to attend Harvard and is an excellent baseball player. I have known Mr. Dukovich for a long time, and have never seen him get irate. But that day he lost it, what he did was wrong, and he must pay for what he did.

Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to illuminate what I know. It is sad that a high school basketball game can end up devastating two families.