|
Sunday, August 14. 5:30pm. A coed softball game begins and I am the lone umpire. A play at the plate whereby someone other than the catcher is standing right on the plate. The runner comes in, elbows up. and collides with him. Then the ball comes flying by. I'm in a position between the mound and home plate on the third base side.
I miss the first half of the collision. My head turns a step after, when the ball goes that way. The guy standing on the plate then charges and shoves the runner. I initially call him safe but change that to out because of the collision.
I eject the person standing on the plate for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The right center fielder is now between second and the mound and he's yapping. I point at him and tell him to return to his position. I didn't even have time to realize that it was the third out. It is frozed at two on my clicker.
The right center fielder turns to go out and tells me he's going to kill me. I didn't believe I heard him and asked him to repeat that. He then tells me he's going to beat the sh... out of me. I eject him from the game. He then charges and punches me on my neck below the back of my ear.
I called the game immediately.
His teammates pulled him back after that shot and just walked away.
Deep contusion. Totally unnecessary.
I have now determined that either the league doesn't want to give me the contact information for this guy or that the league doesn't have the information. I am pressing assault charges against this individual.
I'm wondering how often this happens.... Before this I felt safe as an umpire, a team of one.
Vocal abuse is rampant. I believe, as an umpire, we hear 100% and must ignore 50% of that which we hear. I don't know if it would be any different had I ignored this person but that animosity seemed so profound at the time. I know I'm pursuing this charge because it is a crime against my being. I think umpires are generally respected. I don't think i was attacked by a vicious ball player. I think i was attacked by a vicious person playing ball. He's now banned from the league. Strange thing tho is that the league denies knowing who he is....
It's part business. Mostly fun. When it's criminal it doesn't make sense.
Thanks for listening
George
|