Zero Tolerance Policy

[greymule]

The "somebody with brains" caveat obviously doesn't work.

True. Common sense and brains are not synonymous. We need more of the former.

[Texas Aggie]

While in college, a buddy of mine loved to show up at my games and leather lung me the whole game (hoops). Once, he brought a couple of friends, and they started in on me during warm-ups. They were sitting around some partisons who, of course, egged them on when I made calls against their team, but these folks couldn't quite figure out why these guys were arguing ALL calls -- not just the ones that went against them.

Finally, one guy sitting there tapped my friend on the shoulder and said, "who exactly are you rooting for?" My friend responded, "nobody. That's my best friend out there officiating." To which the fan replied, "boy, I'm sure he feels the same way about you."

We laughed hard about that at dinner that night. They bought.

[KentuckyBlue]

Just today (4/4) saw FUBLUE's summation of Kentucky law. I'm researching to be sure, but I don't think heckling falls under the Kentucky statute. Our legislature is great at overlooking $900 million budget deficits while they wrangle with small potatoes, so a few years ago they turned their brilliant minds to the pressing social problem of assaults on officials. (Not that assault can't be a serious problem for we blues, but it doesn't show up on the grand scale of Medicaid or taxes or everything legislators should be doing.)

Anyway, I'll research and report back, but I BELIEVE the Kentucky law says that an ASSAULT on an official is a misdemeanor, and if more than five participate the offense is a felony. I don't think the law is restrictive enough to cover heckling (which of course can constitute assault). I haven't heard of any arrests or prosecutions under that statute. I observed at the time that, in effect, the legislature had conferred "human being" status on sports officials, since assault and battery is already a crime when perpetrated on others. But hey, I'm grateful for any shield I can reach for, though it's doubtful a legal citation would put off five drunken out-of-state tournament yahoos who want to open up five cans of whup@ss on me. More later ... -- Ky Blue

[greymule]

When I played, there was a torrent of heckling throughout the game. (It was rough, but everyone seemed to know the limits.) We figured that was just tradition, and if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen. I never saw an attack on or even a threat to an official, though. Fans used to try to outdo each other with clever insults to the umpire, usually involving seeing-eye dogs, getaway cars, missing a good game, using his one good eye, and so on.

In later years, I saw many more players take the heckling personally, with fist fights over things that my generation would have ignored. I've seen a LL umpire walk away from the plate and down the RF line to lecture the fans and warn that any more comments would terminate the game. (In that case, the complaints had actually been brief and quite subdued. And the call they moaned about was indeed horrible.) Now at many parks detailed signs are posted prohibiting use of tobacco or liquor, use of profanity, arguing with officials, etc., with the relevant statute cited.

In the youth leagues here in NJ, I've seen coaches tossed and fans ejected for very minor things ("Call 'em both ways, Blue!) and watched the police arrive to remove a single loudmouth. But I have also seen behavior worse than any I ever saw in the "old days" (drunken father cursing out the ten-year-old who's playing right field instead of his more-deserving son). That guy they didn't throw out.