Geauga dad sues baseball coach after son hit by pitch

[Larvell Blanks]

http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/07/16/news/doc4c4065b4e770b399176165.txt

Tom Connick, who also is an attorney, filed a lawsuit this week in Lake County Common Pleas Court claiming Scott Barber, an assistant coach for the Titans, committed assault and battery against his son during the game at Haven’s Baseball Complex in Jefferson Township.

According to the suit, Barber ordered his pitcher on the mound to “throw at” Connick’s son, which resulted in the boy “severely” breaking his left hand.

“Immediately after (Michael) fell to the ground, and while writhing in pain, defendant Barber again yelled from the dugout, ‘Good!,’ thus confirming and ratifying his order to ‘throw at’ and intentionally and recklessly … hit the plaintiff,” Tom Connick stated in the suit.

Here's the best part...

Michael’s father, who said he and his wife did not attend the June 24 game, stressed that his family is not suing for the money.

“Anything he gets will go toward his medical bills, then a college fund through probate court,” Connick said. “I’m a lawyer, but I’m also Michael’s father. I don’t want people thinking I’m some scumbag attorney.”

I'm sure the second hand knowledge he received will hold up well in court

Connick and his wife, Corrina, are seeking more than $25,000 in damages, lost wages and attorney’s fees.

Lost wages?!? Christ when I was 13 I had a paper route, my wages were $25/week.

Attorney fees? Is he gonna give himself a family discount or will he gouge the numbers to get that settlement up there?

[FUDU]

I'm guessing the lost wages part is for the mom & dad, for all the time they might have had to spend off of work due to kid's injury and lawsuit etc...

Either way, what a world we live in. I understand the anger that might come with such a stunt, after all this isn't pro baseball (no need for intentional beaning), but there has to be another way to handle this. I dare say a fist fight between the dads would be better than this.

[Larvell Blanks]

From reading the article, the called beaning is heresay. The father doesn't know for sure as he nor his wife were even there. He's relying on other spectators opinions on what happened.

If the kid is going to lay down a bunt, as a suicide squeeze was called, he's gonna be more open to being hit by a pitch than if he stood in the box normally. Also this was the second squeeze called in the sequence so if the pitcher is aware the play is gonna happen and the batter is squared to bunt, sure he's gonna throw inside. Unless someone produces video/audio of the opposing coach saying any of this, it's gonna be hard to prove it actually happened as layed out.

I'm sure this guy is looking out for the best interest of his son but does he not believe that this kid will face ridicule from teammates and opponents going forward?

[Erie Warrior]

You square to bunt, the ball is coming high and tight. Turn away from the ball, take it in the back, take your base.

The ball is thrown inside because it's hard to bunt it there, not to hit the kid. Sometimes they get hit. Unlucky break, sure, assault and battery, no.

Hell, if the kid squared completely around, it's lucky he didn't get hit in the nuts. They gotta learn at some point how the game is played.

[Ziner]

Hope his kid doesn't play football. The other team's entire defense will have to take out a retainer

[Fire Marshall Bill]

The hand is part of the bat.

Hold the bat.

Get hit in the hand. They call it strike '2'

Tuff fucking shit for you

....you panty waist little prissy

END.

OF.

FUCKING.

STORY.

Now go find a hole to crawl into and die scumbag lawyer

In the meantime....500 lawyers at the bottom of Lake Erie = A good start

PS My son had his arm broken in practice @ age 12 from a pitch by Chad Hermanson, a former #1 draft pick of the Pirates

He wore his cast like a badge of honor for 4 weeks and finished the season playing CF

[leadpipe]

This is just one of a thousand examples of how adults have fucked up youth sports.

Been very close to youth sports for about 15 years now, and it gets worse and worse.

An ENORMOUS amount of total assholes involved.

[mattvan1]

The bases were loaded.

Michael Connick, a 13-year-old player on the Chardon Blizzard traveling team, was given the signal for a suicide squeeze against the North Coast Titans.

When the Munson Township boy got a pitch that was high and inside, he pulled back his attempt at a bunt.

So if the bases were loaded and the suicide squeeze was on, why did the kid take the first pitch? Was the runner out at home?

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Foul ball!

[Fire Marshall Bill]

...and there's a reason they call it a 'suicide squeeze'

...and if this guy isn't a lawyer this never happens

...and if his kid wasn't a coward like his dad, he woulda taken one for the team someplace else on his precious little bod and got a game winning RBI

...and and...

In Vegas LL this kid would be an outcast and never make another team thanks to dad

[bucknutz94]

the continued pussification of America.

[noles1]

This is just one of a thousand examples of how adults have fucked up youth sports.

Been very close to youth sports for about 15 years now, and it gets worse and worse.

An ENORMOUS amount of total assholes involved.

Same here and agree 100%.

I'm not getting into the circumstances but I can see how a parent could go this route if they truly thought there was motive/intent. Who knows in this situation but I have to be honest, all youth sports is too much anymore. The parents, some of the coaches, the umpires, all the adults in touch with it need to take a few steps back and re-evaluate.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

...and there's a reason they call it a 'suicide squeeze'

...and if this guy isn't a lawyer this never happens

...and if his kid wasn't a coward like his dad, he woulda taken one for the team someplace else on his precious little bod and got a game winning RBI

...and and...

In Vegas LL this kid would be an outcast and never make another team thanks to dad

Yes, it's called a suicide squeeze because the batter should expect to be killed or injured while executing it. You're brilliant.

[leadpipe]

This is just one of a thousand examples of how adults have fucked up youth sports.

Been very close to youth sports for about 15 years now, and it gets worse and worse.

An ENORMOUS amount of total assholes involved.

Same here and agree 100%.

I'm not getting into the circumstances but I can see how a parent could go this route if they truly thought there was motive/intent. Who knows in this situation but I have to be honest, all youth sports is too much anymore. The parents, some of the coaches, the umpires, all the adults in touch with it need to take a few steps back and re-evaluate.

The jerk-off that coaches the Yankees in the Bad News Bears. That ain't fiction.

[dmiles]

We had a dad who played his kid at 10 up in LL Majors (I did too FWIW) and his kid took one off the noggin' this year, and he basically had to be restrained claiming the other manager told the kid to throw at his player (happened to be his son).

I told the guy, that he's going to have to freakin' grow up and realize getting hit is part of this game. It's damn hard to convince a 12 year old kid to hit someone in the head. Then the guy compounded the issue by forcing a board meeting to vote on the matter. We had to interview the kid who threw the pitch, the parents etc. They were freaking outraged, and the whole thing tore the league apart this year and the end result is we are not still playing for the Williamsport tournament at this point. (When in fact I think we should be). The parent "he who had to be restrained" himself, forced some bogus board investigation which made for some very hard feelings and caused my best player to forgo all-stars (kid hit 23 home runs this year) screwing up our depth completely. In the end nothing came of it but a bunch of pissed off people, and come to find his kid wasn't even hurt on the pitch. Put the helmet back on jogged to 1B, and sat there watching the fireworks.

Like Pipe though the stories I could tell. It's really kind of put me off, and as I questioned on some other thread, I am not as gung-ho on pushing the kids into trying to play college sports at this point.

[motherscratcher]

Just to play devil's advocate:

IF the coach told the pitcher to hit the kid (and I have read nothing to convince me that he did), then isn't that worthly of some kind of consequence to the coach?

I'm reading a lot of "the kid's a pussy" type stuff here, but he's just a kid. If he got beaned on purpose and was hurt, especially if the coach called for the beaning, that's fucking terrible. It really is. It is absolutely the wrong thing to do. The coach should know better, and he should be held accountable.

I wouldn't want my kid to play for or against any type of adult who thinks it's OK to pull that type of shit with little leaguers.

We are all just assuming, for some reason, that the kid is some sort of pussy and the dad is some sort of reactionary (like the chief of police in Malibu). What if he's not? We don't know these people. If we had kids in that league we might be saying "Yeah, that coach is a complete A-Hole and I totally believe he would order a beaning".

Why are we all assuming otherwise?

[leadpipe]

Just to play devil's advocate:

IF the coach told the pitcher to hit the kid (and I have read nothing to convince me that he did), then isn't that worthly of some kind of consequence to the coach?

I'm reading a lot of "the kid's a pussy" type stuff here, but he's just a kid. If he got beaned on purpose and was hurt, especially if the coach called for the beaning, that's fucking terrible. It really is. It is absolutely the wrong thing to do. The coach should know better, and he should be held accountable.

I wouldn't want my kid to play for or against any type of adult who thinks it's OK to pull that type of shit with little leaguers.

We are all just assuming, for some reason, that the kid is some sort of pussy and the dad is some sort of reactionary (like the chief of police in Malibu). What if he's not? We don't know these people. If we had kids in that league we might be saying "Yeah, that coach is a complete A-Hole and I totally believe he would order a beaning".

Why are we all assuming otherwise?

Speaking from experience, I'd say there's a real good chance that each bench and stands had their share of jerk-offs.

Wouldn't suprise me in the least if what was said by the other coach as described in the suit were accurate.

Wouldn't be suprised if the suit was frivolous, for a number of disgraceful reasons.

Seen both sides more than I care to remember, and that's what's sad about all of this.

[smalls1129]

The way I heard the story on the radio was that the kid was squaring for a squeeze play. If that's the case I don't care if the coach basically did tell him to throw at him; that is the fundamental play for a squeeze, high and tight.

[motherscratcher]

The way I heard the story on the radio was that the kid was squaring for a squeeze play. If that's the case I don't care if the coach basically did tell him to throw at him; that is the fundamental play for a squeeze, high and tight.

There's a difference between the coach of 13 year olds telling the pitcher:

1) "If he squares to bunt, try to throw it high and inside because that will make it harder for hi to get it down"........and then the pitcher accidentally hits the batter.

or

2) "If he squares to bunt, put it in his ear because fuck that kid. He needs to be taught a lesson.".........and then the pitcher intentionally throws at the batter, breaking his arm.

[Fire Marshall Bill]

No doubt in my mind the batter was being encouraged by his coach to crowd the plate in this case and "force' the pitcher to throw one away from the plate.

When the kid gets hit, the other coach says "good". All the rest is just game time garbage said in the heat of battle.

In fact, I'd find it easy to believe that the coach of the team at bat is the instigator. You can't isolate this from the rest of the game and no one knows what happened from the opening pitch all the way up to this play.

In any event,

Ball hits hand holding bat and goes fair, its a fair ball and the runner should have scored.

Ball hits hand holding bat and ball rolls foul, its a strike. Runner back to 3rd and its either stike 1 or 2 or the batter is out bunting foul on strike 3

Either case, bad 'break' for the kid having his hand broken and having to live with his sleezeball dad at the same time.

The end.

...and to the numbnut who said I was wrong about the batter's responsibility to get bat on ball in this instance and put himself in harm's way by, tempting/playing chicken, with the pitcher, yir absolutely incorrect

[Gradysmanldy]

This is just one of a thousand examples of how adults have fucked up youth sports.

Been very close to youth sports for about 15 years now, and it gets worse and worse.

An ENORMOUS amount of total assholes involved.

Sucks 10x worse because it's not like kids can play outside anymore. All kids HAVE is organized sports, the sand lot is dead.

[WarAdmiral]

I always thought hitting batters was a part of the game. I coach, and I have my pitchers hit batters, instead of intentionally walking them. There is less that can go wrong. It is a dead ball, when the batter is hit. It is smart baseball.

I think, I have coached my last season. I'll just teach my kids how to play, and get away from being a poor influence on other children.

[GodHatesClevelandSport]

I always thought hitting batters was a part of the game. I coach, and I have my pitchers hit batters, instead of intentionally walking them. There is less that can go wrong. It is a dead ball, when the batter is hit. It is smart baseball.

I think, I have coached my last season. I'll just teach my kids how to play, and get away from being a poor influence on other children.

It's asinine.

In the majors, people are ejected for intentionally throwing at batters. If you are telling your kid pitchers to intentionally hit batters, you are part of the problem.

[WarAdmiral]

I always thought hitting batters was a part of the game. I coach, and I have my pitchers hit batters, instead of intentionally walking them. There is less that can go wrong. It is a dead ball, when the batter is hit. It is smart baseball.

I think, I have coached my last season. I'll just teach my kids how to play, and get away from being a poor influence on other children.

It's asinine.

In the majors, people are ejected for intentionally throwing at batters. If you are telling your kid pitchers to intentionally hit batters, you are part of the problem.

Hence, I am through with coaching. Pitchers are given a warning if suspected of throwing at a batter. After the warning, they can be ejected. It is a part of the game. At least the game, I played growing up.

Times have changed, and I refuse to change with them. I will accept that, and go sit in my lawn chair. I will miss it, but I see that I am not helping them, with this version of the game.

[leadpipe]

I always thought hitting batters was a part of the game. I coach, and I have my pitchers hit batters, instead of intentionally walking them. There is less that can go wrong. It is a dead ball, when the batter is hit. It is smart baseball.

I think, I have coached my last season. I'll just teach my kids how to play, and get away from being a poor influence on other children.

Good holy Christ.

If this isn't an example of the people I speak of above.

Also reinforces the 90% rule.

[WarAdmiral]

I always thought hitting batters was a part of the game. I coach, and I have my pitchers hit batters, instead of intentionally walking them. There is less that can go wrong. It is a dead ball, when the batter is hit. It is smart baseball.

I think, I have coached my last season. I'll just teach my kids how to play, and get away from being a poor influence on other children.

Good holy Christ.

If this isn't an example of the people I speak of above.

Also reinforces the 90% rule.

Lump me with whoever you want, but I had the chance to teach my boy how to play the game, the way I was taught. I have had two old time coaches come up to me, and claim that my team had the best sportsmanship, that they had ever seen. That was due more to the parents of the kids, than me. My kids complemented the opposition on good play. We didn't run scores up.

It isn't easy for a kid to throw at a batter when called upon. It is easy, when you are pissed, but when a coach gives the go ahead, it isn't as easy. I know, because I was a player who pitched. My kids won't flinch, when they are called to bust a batter.

I trusted my coach, and did what he needed because I wanted to win and he coached us to win. He had lost a regional game, as a player, due to a pass ball on an intentional walk. As a coach, I never even thought about what it would look like to public perception. I taught them , what I was taught, which was hit them in ass, and never throw above the waist, and never look at your target when trying to hit a batter. It is no different than teaching a kid how to hold or the Mary Poppins in Football to me.

Looking back, I shouldn't have taught them it, because I can't afford to be sued. Hell, I gave up a bit of money to coach, but that is another story. Maybe I was to focused on winning, and lost sight of just having fun. I'll admit that much, but I gave to much of my life the last ten years, to be labeled something I'm not, but then again maybe I am. I did my best for the kids, that I coached. I gave way more than I took, and I am proud of the work, I did as a President, Treasurer and Coach. I am looking forward to being a spectator.

[Ziner]

How can you possibly think there is less of a chance of a pass ball when trying to throw at the batter opposed to stepping out and intentionally walking someone? If the pitcher had the accuracy to hit the batter (below the waist), he would easily be able to intentionally walk a guy by playing catch with the catcher. Geezus. To think, some think youth sports are messed up.