Devil Rays prospect throws bat at plate umpire

[WhatWuzThatBlue]

Originally Posted by J.Rutledge
Please let us not compare sports to other occupations. No one goes around yelling at authority figures because a situation does not go their way in real life. Also sports is about the only place where it is acceptable for people to yell at anyone and call them all kinds of names or heckle them because they are with another company (team) or by customers (fans). Also no one said it was acceptable to throw a bat at someone.

I guess Jeff doesn't have a relative in law enforcement.

Like any seasoned umpire, authority figures with badges have seen their share of abuse. I shouldn't have to explain that law enforcement officers get taunted, touched and ridiculed daily. They are taught to use discretion and ignore taunts and unacceptable behavior. Turn on the television and you will see rapid response units being pelted with stones, urine, feces and other unmentionables. They absorb all types of insults. While you may not believe it, sworn law enforcers actually have less rights than you and I.

For what it's worth, I can't recall the last time a Naperville police officer shot someone in the back, so drop the boy from the hood routine. You find ways to hijack every thread. Congratulations on proving your teachers wrong.

[lawump]

Originally Posted by WhatWuzThatBlue

sworn law enforcers actually have less rights than you and I.

WWTB,

I agree with everything you said about law enforcement officers...and having relatives who are law enforcement officers...I have great respect for them.

However, as a lawyer who works in the area of constitutional law, I have to disagree with the portion of your post that I quoted above.

As citizens, law enforcement officers have the same constitutional rights as any other non-law enforcement officer.

Now, if you are suggesting that, as agents of the state (or municipality or federal government), they are specifically prohibited, under the Constitution, from violating certain explicit and implicit Constitutional rights of other citizens, (while at the same time truly private individuals are not so prohibited), then you are correct.

However, limiting the power of the state (and its agents), in my opinion, fosters individual liberty. And that's a good thing.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by WhatWuzThatBlue

[Color=Red] For what it's worth, I can't recall the last time a Naperville police officer shot someone in the back, so drop the boy from the hood routine. You find ways to hijack every thread. Congratulations on proving your teachers wrong.

Naperville? Who said anything about Naperville? I guess your teacher did not show you any other place on a map or you have never been outside of Illinois your entire life. One of the examples I gave took place in Glen Ellyn yesterday. I would not consider Glen Ellyn a poor community or a racially diverse area. I guess you have to be from the “hood” to be shot in the back. Or in the Glen Ellyn case, shot in the face will do.

One of my parents was a Lab Technician in a major city and metropolitan area and worked in the coroner's office and would do autopsies in many death cases in that area (ever watch CSI). It was an epidemic of police officers shooting people in the back (they happen to be of certain races). It was always funny how you would watch the news and turn to my parent and you would hear the real story.

Peace

[lawump]

Most posters know my position on the strike (as a former MiLB ump...I'm decidedly pro-AMLU)

However,

(1) it appears to me that this "replacement" handled this situation well. Assuming he didn't say anything unprofessional to bait him (which I doubt he did) I say he handled it very well. In fact, he kept his composure a lot better than I would have. Seriously, I would have had to have been restrained by my partner(s)...which I admit would not have been the right thing to do.

(2) this is an assualt and if it happened to me I'd get the cops involved...maybe even file a civil suit, although the damages suffered appear to be minimal. But such a suit may make future players think twice.

(3) I respect Mr. Hubler, although I haven't talked to him since I left "the game" many moons ago...but I think from a PR point of view, that was a dumb statement to make.

(4) Mr. Young deserves a long, long suspension.

My two (or four) cents.

[Durham]

I haven't said much about the strike and I will stay out of that debate, but this freaking guy needs to and is being dealt with. As an umpire I was trained to not care, think twice, or offer my opinion of what the fine/suspension should be so I don't care about the details. I just hope, as an umpire, that they are so sever that no one ever does something like that again, at any level. I can just see some high school/juco/adult ball/summer ball/DI/DII/DIII kid doing that **** if this guy seems like he gets off in the end.