Back to the Diamond

What do you do when you feel someone in a position of authority is taking advantage of you? Do you sit back feeling that you are powerless to do anything about it or do you take matters into your own hands regardless of the consequences?

In a Class AAA State championship high school baseball game in Cartersville, Georgia, pitcher Cody Martinfelt that home plate umpire was calling the balls and strikes unfairly and in fact had rung him and his teammates up for 9 consecutive strikeouts against..

Trailing 7-1 in the 4th inning Martin, allegedly conspired with catcher Matt Hill to send a message to the umpire by introducing him to a fastball up close and personal.

When Martin goes into his windup Hill has positioned himself at home with his glove hand high. As the ball is released, Hill drop’s down into the dirt ‘expecting’ a curveball and a fastball sails clear over his head smashing the home plate umpire directly in the facemask, rocking him back and forth slightly but ultimately cause no real damage, maybe a small headache later on that evening.

Martin and Hill deny planning it and claim it was a “mixup” of the signals.

Georgia High School Association executive director Ralph Swearngin however, after watching video of the incident believed the act was premeditated and fined the school $1000 while placing the baseball team on “severe warning status.”

The hometown fans however may have agreed with the players assesment, visible applauses and horn toots are heard immediately following the incident from what would have been a pretty lifeless crowd at this point in the game.


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Comments

One response to “Back to the Diamond”

  1. mike Avatar

    What about innocent until proven guilty? I think a lot of umps should get that. Maybe the umps has money on the game like that NBA referee Tim Donaghy