Texas man facing assault charge, jail after ump shoved in youth game
An Abilene youth baseball coach now faces up to a year in jail over knocking down an umpire, and that was only the first of two Texas baseball assaults this young season.
I’m not sure whether we are more rage-prone and belligerent because of politics. Or because of COVID. Or because of the Oscars.
But please: Dial it back.
Baseball is not a combat sport.
We’ve had two participants attacked in 11 days. And it’s only April.
Before a Weatherford College pitcher lunged at a base runner and body-slammed him rounding the bases after a home run April 20, we already had seen viral video from The Colony on April 9, when a youth select-team coach appeared to shove an umpire hard to the ground, flat on his back.
A warrant has now been issued for the coach’s arrest, according to The Colony police.
Police said they will ask Denton County prosecutors to file a Class A misdemeanor assault case involving bodily injury, punishable by up to a year in jail and/or a $4,000 fine.
KTAB/KRBC/Telemundo in Abilene identified the coach as Robbie Johnson of the Texas Phenoms. He has now been banned from the regional 24 Sports leagues that play at The Colony Five Star Complex and other fields, according to news reports.
In that Abilene interview, Johnson said he takes responsibility and that the shove was “totally wrong.”
He said umpire Sam Phelps had shouted at the coach, his wife and players, and waved his hands in Johnson’s face.
However, the video just shows Phelps holding his hand up to Johnson’s face after ejecting him. Johnson had protested a close call on a play at the plate.
“By no means necessary do I condone pushing an official,” Johnson said in the interview.
A spokesman for The Colony police said Johnson was expected to turn himself in over the weekend.
Phelps, the umpire, lay hurt on the ground for several minutes before he was transported to a hospital.
In an interview with KDFW/Channel 4, he said, “Honestly, I didn’t expect what was coming.”
Phelps said Johnson argued after he was ejected: “I held up my hand and said, ‘We’re not doing this, coach, and then he held up his hand to mock me. ... Bam! He just shoved me right in the face and then my neck snapped back and I fell backwards.”
Then came the Weatherford incident.
Weatherford Coyotes pitcher Owen Woodward of Breckenridge, a former football linebacker at 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds, came flying off the mound at North Central Texas College batter Josh Phillips after a home run.
According to Weatherford College, Woodward is off the team and Phillips was suspended two games by the league for taunting.
Look, taunting is one thing. A body slam is another.
All I can say is, everybody is really touchy right now.
If you feel like picking a fight, dial it back.
If you’re mad at somebody, dial it back.
If you think somebody is your enemy, dial it back.
If you feel like you need to retaliate over taunting or teasing, dial it back.
We can sit and watch viral videos all day. But what we’re really watching is the current meanness and hair-trigger tempers in America.
Dial it back before somebody gets hurt.
You can’t take that back.
This story was originally published April 22, 2022 at 12:04 PM.
