Another umpire assaulted

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by greymule

It is also against the law to bring a weapon onto school property

. . . which has had made schools prime targets for people intent on committing mayhem.

Yes, we are familiar with school shootings here:

Santana HS - 10 miles away
Granite Hills HS - 5 miles away (good thing there was an armed police officer on campus!)
Cleveland Elementary - 10 miles away (Brenda "I don't like Mondays" Spencer)

Columbine who?

[Huskerblue]

Published Monday July 21, 2008
Breaking News: Gretna bans dad from ballfields
BY CHELSEA KEENEY
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER

The Gretna parent accused of assaulting a baseball umpire has been banned from Gretna baseball fields for two years, and two Gretna baseball coaches have been banned from coaching during the 2009 season.

Jeffrey G. Johnson, 39, is banned from games played on Gretna Youth Softball and Baseball Association fields, said Mark Peterson, the association's president.

"The GYSBA does not condone the actions of the parent," the association said in a statement. "GYSBA is a strong proponent of teaching youth proper sports etiquette and has a zero tolerance policy regarding unsportsmanlike conduct. The parent's action is inexcusable."

On July 12, Johnson was ticketed on suspicion of third-degree assault after he was accused of knocking 59-year-old umpire Charles Andersen to the ground. Johnson's son's Gretna team had just lost a state tournament game to a team from Ashland, Neb., by a score of 6-3. The incident took place at a field near 192nd Street and West Dodge Road.

If convicted, Johnson faces up to six months in jail. A call this morning to his home requesting comment was not returned.

Andersen said that when Gretna's last batter - Johnson's son - was at the plate, the batter jumped out of the batter's box and questioned the ball-strike count. Andersen said he yelled back at the boy and told him to get back in the batter's box because the youth did not call time out. The player swung at the next pitch and missed, then popped out on the last one.

A confrontation followed immediately after the last play, Andersen said.

A parent of a Ralston player waiting for the next game on the field said the two Gretna coaches "sandwiched" Andersen between them and screamed at him.

Johnson, the parent said, then came out of the stands onto the playing field and shoved Andersen, sending him through the air. Andersen landed hard on the ground.

On the Monday after the game, Andersen said he still had a headache, stiff neck and sore body.

Today, Andersen said he still was dealing with the aftereffects.

The head coach, Quinn Coldiron, could not be reached today for comment. The assistant, Jeff Staashelm, said he had no comment.

The statement on the Gretna baseball group's Web site placed some of the blame for the incident on Andersen.

"We believe the umpire unnecessarily escalated the tensions before, during and after the game and did not help the coaches diffuse the high level of emotion shown during the game," the statement said.

In response, Denny Jones, chief of Metro Umpires, said, "This blame game thing is absolute nonsense. You didn't find an umpire lift a finger or touch anybody violently. And that's the long and short of it."

When informed of the penalties against the parent and two coaches, Andersen said he "applauded" the banning of the coaches, but said other coaches should be reviewed for their own poor sportsmanship.

"It's very interesting that the Gretna program realizes the part the two coaches took in this," Andersen said. "Are they going to address the other situations with other Gretna coaches? Are they going to clean house and straighten up their program?"

Peterson said the organization would implement additional umpire and coach training to "avoid anything in the future like that."

Jones said the Gretna association had worked with Metro Umpires for 15 years without any trouble and did not want Gretna to get a bad rap for the incident.

"They are all good folks in Gretna," Jones said. "Kind, nice people."

Andersen said he has heard of similar parent and coach violence against umpires across the Omaha metropolitan area and said he thinks it should be more widely addressed.

"What's your responsibility (as a parent or coach) at a ball field?" Andersen said. "To be positive."

[Emperor Ump]

Originally Posted by Huskerblue

The statement on the Gretna baseball group's Web site placed some of the blame for the incident on Andersen.

"We believe the umpire unnecessarily escalated the tensions before, during and after the game and did not help the coaches diffuse the high level of emotion shown during the game," the statement said.

In response, Denny Jones, chief of Metro Umpires, said, "This blame game thing is absolute nonsense. You didn't find an umpire lift a finger or touch anybody violently. And that's the long and short of it."

...

Peterson said the organization would implement additional umpire and coach training to "avoid anything in the future like that."

Jones said the Gretna association had worked with Metro Umpires for 15 years without any trouble and did not want Gretna to get a bad rap for the incident.

"They are all good folks in Gretna," Jones said. "Kind, nice people."

I hope Metro Umpires ends their relationship with Gretna. If they don't I hope any umpire assigned to work there would turn back the game. This is insane that Gretna even trys to put any blame on the umpires.

[bluezebra]

Originally Posted by kcg NC2Ablu

ok and I know some people work 12's 1 man .... but if he had a partner... where was the partner?

Besides all of that... What on earth could make someone get that angry in omaha.... its baseball ... I love the sport .... I love to work the games....but holy cow a game could NEVER make me THAT mad... no one is worth going to jail

"... but if he had a partner..."

Did you not read this?
Andersen said that some of the players, coaches and fans from the Gretna team had acted disrespectfully toward him and his fellow umpire during the game, and officials were able to handle the problems without ejecting anyone from the game.

Bob

[etn_ump]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

He didn't point it, he just pulled it out of his bag.

And since when do they jail people for handguns in Texas? I lived there 10 years and knew few people who weren't packing 24/7. Friggin' gun capital of the United States.

Wrong.

Tennessee is the patron state of shootin' stuff!

And, I'm damn proud to be a Tennesseean!

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by etn_ump

Wrong.

Tennessee is the patron state of shootin' stuff!

And, I'm damn proud to be a Tennesseean!

I stand corrected. Texas is pretty high up there though.

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Dang it Mr. Umpire, you read my mind!

I had the same thought.

[RPatrino]

At least we don't do Tae Kwon Do...

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/bei...urn=oly,102963