Youth Umpire Gets Broken Jaw
H O L L Y W O O D, Fla., July 13 -- Charges filed against a coach who brokean umpire’s jaw during a youth baseball game come as parents andplayers around the country hurl more abuse at game officials andeach other.
The coach was charged on Wednesday with aggravated battery for allegedly punching the umpire during a dispute over a call lastmonth. Last week a Massachusetts father died after fighting with another father at a youth hockey game.
The charges against Orlando Lago, 36, an assistant baseball coach with the Hollywood Police Athletic League, stemmed from aJune 19 fight over a disputed call by umpire Tom Dziedzinski. The teams in the league are made up of top high school players.
Lago threw the punch after Dziedzinski drew his hand back to signal that he was ejecting him, police said. According to police,Lago thought the umpire was going to punch him.
Dziedzinski’s jaw is still wired shut as a result of his injuries.
‘Feels Terrible’Lago’s lawyer said his client didn’t provoke the confrontation. “He feels terrible,” Steve Burk said.
Lago was released from jail on $5,000 bond on Wednesday. Ifconvicted, he faces up to nearly four years in jail.
Officials blame shifting attitudes on and off the field.
In the Massachusetts fight, Michael Costin was beaten unconscious in front of young hockey players, including his own sons, after arguing withThomas Junta, who was charged with manslaughter. Junta’s lawyer said he was acting in self-defense.
Typical cases range from name-calling and shoving to officials’vehicles being run off the road by irate parents, according to theNational Association of Sports Officials. Even the verbal abuse hasgotten worse, spokesman Bob Still said.
“We’ve always had ‘four-eyes,’” Still said. “The tenor of thetype of abuse we’re receiving nowadays has become much morepersonal, much more physical, and highly violent.”
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