Ohio team schedules 2 quick games to get ejected player back for state

[Rich]

I don't have time to format this properly now, but I'm amazed that the OHSAA even allows this nonsense. What's worse is the reaction of the coach who condoned what the player did.

I'll format it later when I get time (unless another moderator can do it for me).

--Rich



Bending rules to the extreme?

Badin's Nick Browning will play in the state tournament after all

HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL

Tom Archdeacon

The coach has tempered some of his more critical comments from the other day, but he didn't go back on one defiant promise.
Hamilton Badin High School was in the process of fighting back from a 6-1 deficit to Johnstown Northridge in the Division III baseball regional championship late Friday night when star center fielder Nick Browning was involved in a disputed play that still is stirring controversy.
Browning led off the top of the eighth inning getting hit by a pitch. He stole second and then, of his own volition, tried to steal third but was called out by longtime Dayton umpire Jeff Klepacz in what was a split-second slide-and-tag play.
The emotion of the moment prompted Browning to pop up, flip his helmet and, according to Klepacz, yell "Bulls--! That was bulls--!"
Klepacz promptly ejected the Badin senior and that's when the real dispute began.
Folks from Badin - especially head coach Brion Treadway - quickly realized if Browning was thrown out, he would be forced - per Ohio High School Athletic Association rules - to serve an immediate two-game suspension.
And if Badin came back to win this regional title game (which it did, 9-6), the team would go to the state tournament, but Browning would not be permitted to play in Thursday's semifinal or in the title game.
That spurred Treadway's on-field argument. He claimed Browning's outburst wasn't directed at Klepacz, but the veteran umpire disagreed.
"Look, I umpire Dragons games and guys on those teams swear all the time, but it's not directed at me," Klepacz said Tuesday. "If a guy there says the same thing but doesn't try to show up the umpires that's fine.
"But in high school we are specifically told by the OHSAA that if someone cusses, gets out of line or is unsportsmanlike, they're done. So I had a job to do and I did it. Period."
Treadway said he tried to no avail to engage Klepacz in discussion: "I felt it was a heat of the moment deal for Nick and the umpire. I wish the ump would have said, 'One more word and you're gone.' Or said, 'Coach, if you don't take him out, I'm gonna throw him out.' But (Klepacz) really wouldn't go into anything with me. There was no human interaction."
Klepacz said he tried "to be professional" about it, even when he claims "some of the Badin parents came down along the third-base line and started cussing at me and calling me names."
After the game, Tread-way offered some pointed criticisms of Klepacz.
"For that umpire to take away the opportunity of a senior leader to play in the state Final Four just really disturbs me," he told our reporter, Rick Cassano. "Quite honestly, I don't know how that guy goes to sleep at night with the way he acted."
Later, he referred to Klepacz's actions as "an unfortunate power trip of an umpire."
Klepacz thought the personal attack was out of bounds and off base: "I'm not some schlepp pushing a broom all day and then coming to a game not knowing what I'm doing. I do have credentials to be out there."
That he does.
He has umpired for 30 years, done Division I college games - including NCAA tournament play-in games - for 20 of them, worked nearly three dozen Dragons games and three Ohio high school state title games.
Before that he was a three-time All-City player at Wilbur Wright High School, played college ball at Sinclair Community College and the University of Dayton, minor league ball and is in the Dayton Baseball Hall of Fame.
Treadway was a great prep star, as well, and played college ball. Tuesday, when pressed about his postgame comments, he softened his public stance about Klepacz:
"Emotions were running hot for all of us. I wish I hadn't said anything. I've got the utmost respect for that umpire and all of them. I think they have a difficult job to do. I certainly didn't want to paint him in a bad light."
His mea culpa, though, came after he had followed through on another pointed promise after Friday's game.
He said because Browning was such a good kid - "he's the kind of kid I'd want my daughters to grow up and date, he's just outstanding" - and because he means so much to the team, he would schedule two quick games before the state tournament and sit his star for them.
That way he could play Browning at state.
And that's what Badin did the past two days.
On Monday the Rams played a quickly-arranged, five-inning affair with Roger Bacon, a team that already had lost 20 of 26 games, had ended its season 11 days earlier and was only able to field nine players. The game went five innings, Bacon got one hit and Badin, resting many regulars, won 10-0.
Tuesday at noon, Badin played fellow GCL powerhouse Cincinnati Moeller - headed to state in the DI competition - and lost 11-1 in five innings.
Although Treadway had told Cassano that playing two quick games like this was "not what we wanted to do," he had a different take late Tuesday:
"We were going to try to play a game to stay fresh. We wanted to get some at-bats and get some pitching. This would have happened regardless of the other issue. If you look back, we played between all our tournament games. We either had a scrimmage or a real game. But we were out of scrimmages. All we had left were two games we could add and so we did that.
"We weren't trying to circumvent the rules, but fortunately it also helped us get Nick back. And he deserves to play. I had never heard him cuss before this in the four years I had him. He's a good kid. A leader of our team. The kid worked so hard and the possibility of him missing out on the wonderful experience of going to state just really had left me shaken.
"Now it's worked out and I think Nick has learned a lot from this."
But once again the coach and the ump were of a different mind.
"What lesson does this send to all the kids there?" Klepacz said. "Is it that it's OK to bend the rules? Is it that you can get away with anything? What did they learn from this?"

[DRJ1960]

Probably a good thing I'm not in charge in Ohio... Wonder where the Principal is during all this?

[SE Minnestoa Re]

An unbelievable act to conteract what we attempt to teach during athletic contests. If I am the AD or principal, I am looking for a new baseball coach for the state tournament.

[Manny A]

Wow. I don't even know where to begin.

The coach is a rat, plain and simple. Not only did he berate the umpire in the press, he boldface lied about his motivations to schedule two quick games. "We weren't trying to circumvent the rules..." Are you kidding me?

The umpire has no business airing his opinions and qualifications in the press either. And who cares that he played and umpired baseball and is a Hall of Fame member? What's that got to do with anything? He should have walked away from the reporter with a No Comment.

If this kid is allowed to play in the state tournament, it speaks highly of OHSAA's lack of stones. Two unsanctioned five-inning scrimmages? That's all it takes? And who scheduled umpires to do those games? What association would aid and abet this rat's tactic?

This article pisses me off at so many levels. Unfriggingbelievable.

[Altor]

Originally Posted by Rich

After the game, Tread-way offered some pointed criticisms of Klepacz.
"For that umpire to take away the opportunity of a senior leader to play in the state Final Four just really disturbs me," he told our reporter, Rick Cassano. "Quite honestly, I don't know how that guy goes to sleep at night with the way he acted."
Later, he referred to Klepacz's actions as "an unfortunate power trip of an umpire."

This guy is something else.

The sad thing is that all three of the schools involved are Catholic schools. I say this out of respect for my Catholic brothers and sisters, not with an anti-Catholic bias. I simply expect better of them. They simply were not teaching these young men how to be morally-upstanding citizens in all this.

[Altor]

Originally Posted by Manny A

If this kid is allowed to play in the state tournament, it speaks highly of OHSAA's lack of stones. Two unsanctioned five-inning scrimmages? That's all it takes? And who scheduled umpires to do those games? What association would aid and abet this rat's tactic?

He did play (the State tournaments were last weekend). Badin lost in the semis.

They weren't scrimmages. They counted as full contests for both schools. I believe they only went 5 innings because of the mercy rule.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Altor

This guy is something else.

The sad thing is that all three of the schools involved are Catholic schools. I say this out of respect for my Catholic brothers and sisters, not with an anti-Catholic bias. I simply expect better of them. They simply were not teaching these young men how to be morally-upstanding citizens in all this.

Our football crew ejected a player 9 years ago for a dead-ball spear where both players ended up injured.

The coach of the ejected player was more concerned with yelling at me and used some of these same lines.

"He works so hard in the weight room."

"He's a senior - how can you do that to him?"

The coach ended up drawing an USC flag and our crew hasn't worked that conference since. We've been offered dates there, but our schedule just doesn't have any openings right now.

[robbie]

If the ump really said this:

"I'm not some schlepp pushing a broom all day and then coming to a game not knowing what I'm doing. I do have credentials to be out there."

Then he truly is a schlepp - (to be kind.)

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by robbie

If the ump really said this:

"I'm not some schlepp pushing a broom all day and then coming to a game not knowing what I'm doing. I do have credentials to be out there."

Then he truly is a schlepp - (to be kind.)

I think that's easy to say when we're on the outside looking in. In the heat of the moment he defended himself to the press. Most men would attempt to stand up for themselves. He was accused (in the press) of going on a power trip, which is incredibly demeaning. The coach, the player, the team, the school, the conference, and the OHSAA all owe this official an apology and should be ashamed of themselves.


Tim.

[David B]

Horrible example - the state should be ashamed of themselves ... and we wonder why these kids act like they do ...

Thanks
David

[robbie]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I think that's easy to say when we're on the outside looking in. In the heat of the moment he defended himself to the press. Most men would attempt to stand up for themselves. He was accused (in the press) of going on a power trip, which is incredibly demeaning. The coach, the player, the team, the school, the conference, and the OHSAA all owe this official an apology and should be ashamed of themselves.


Tim.

So in the interest of defending himself he can make an ignorant and degrading comment amout janitors or whatever hard working individual he was insulting????????????

[jdmara]

First of all I agree with all the comments above. I'm really speechless in regards to the comments by the umpire and coach. I would hope that the umpire truly didn't say those things and the newspaper took liberties they shouldn't have (has happened to myself and others unfortunately in this area).

In your individual states, are teams allowed to play contests after the tournaments have started? It's my understanding (and I could be wrong) that in Iowa the last eligible playing date is before the tournament starts so this would not be an issue (unless they play two quick dates before the tourney starts assuming the last game of the season a player would get ejected).

-Josh

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by robbie

So in the interest of defending himself he can make an ignorant and degrading comment amout janitors or whatever hard working individual he was insulting????????????

I don't believe for a second that his comments were degrading to any janitors. This new wave PC bull$it sickens me.


Tim.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I don't believe for a second that his comments were degrading to any janitors. This new wave PC bull$it sickens me.


Tim.

I agree. While poorly worded, it seems his comments were more in line with clarifying that this isn't his first rodeo. It is, however, a good example of why we shouldn't comment to the media in the heat of accusations.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by Adam

I agree. While poorly worded, it seems his comments were more in line with clarifying that this isn't his first rodeo. It is, however, a good example of why we shouldn't comment to the media in the heat of accusations.

I believe that had he mentioned this wasn't his first rodeo there would have been a large outcry from rookie cowboys proclaiming how offensive his comments were.......


Tim.