[NCASAUmp]

This is just another incident in a long string of escalating tempers on "the ol' ball field." It's truly pathetic that some thug like Sanders would sucker punch a guy in the back of the head over a game.

A game.

I forget if I mentioned this, but a couple of weeks ago, we had a similar incident between teammates in the men's MP league. Except in this case, one player jabbed the knob of a bat against his teammate's head. The recipient of the jab ended up just fine, and decided not to press charges. Both players involved were known for being hot-heads, and the coach of the team told the league director, "kick 'em both out."

What is with these people? What the hell goes through their heads that makes them say, "I'm pissed, so I'm going to whack this guy in the head?"

I commend Yazwinski for backing the umps in this story, and I commend the quote from Sweetheimer.

My deepest condolences to all those who mourn the victim.

I hope the assailant rots.

If we should take anything from this story, it should be that we should do what we can to nip it in the bud. There is a fine line between "cutting up" with the other team and "cutting down" on the other team. If the line is crossed, don't do anyone any favors by not warning/ejecting a player who crosses the line. I'm not saying the umpires didn't do their jobs by any means, because you never know when someone decides to flip out. I'm only speaking in a forward-looking sense.