Babe Ruth coach KOs umpire

[Kevin Finnerty]

We all have moments of utter lunacy that we need to handle in order to do this marvelous job.

But when a human animal playing a coach attacks one of us--and I include any sports official--it is a crime of a greater scope than a simple assault on an everyday citizen. An assault on an officer is treated that way, so should this. Good grief! Sucker-punching an umpire?!?!? He was knocked cold.

That guy is an example of the sickness in the minds of so many baseball parents in America today. They think that a game or a tournament played at age 12 or 13 carries some significance, and they lose their souls to it. I have never really accepted how these people could have been led to believe that these games mean so very much to their sons' magnificent ascent to the big leagues.

We never tell our sons that they won't make the big leagues, or we'll derail their young lives. A lofty goal is good, because it still leaves you at a higher place if you even try. That's why so many adults actually believe it is possible. These parents have virtually no idea what it takes for a player to make it to the big leagues, and if they did, they wouldn't believe their son had the chance, and they wouldn't behave as uproariously as we all know they can.

I will follow this one to see if this animal gets nailed to the wall, or if they bury it.

Let's all lend our thoughts to that umpire. Getting knocked cold like that can cause life-altering injuries. I hope he's one of the lucky ones and has no lasting effects. He has the support of thousands and thousands of umpires that he doesn't even know about.