Hardball Remarks Follow Softball Brawl

What began as a battle of the sexes between a woman softball player and Los Angeles County Supervisor Pete Schabarum has turned into a war of words that has made its way to the hallowed halls of the state Capitol.

On Monday, the 190-pound Schabarum, dashing toward home plate during a county league game, flattened Margie Morales, a 5-foot-1, 135-pound catcher.

A brief brawl broke out between Morales’ indignant team from County-USC Medical Center and the supervisor’s team, Pete’s Posse. Morales later told a reporter that Schabarum deliberately bowled her over, and she called him a “ macho pig” for hitting her--a 50-year-old grandmother--as if she were a man.

‘That’s Baseball’

Schabarum, not to be outdone, responded that he would do the same all over again, because “that’s baseball.”

His deputy, Ray Andersen, added Friday that Schabarum is 57 years old “and a grandfather to boot.”

Now enter state Sen. Art Torres (D-Los Angeles), who on Saturday plans to present Morales with a Senate plaque praising her for weathering Schabarum’s blow.

At Torres’ district office, an aide who answered the phone Friday laughed aloud and referred questions about the incident to his boss.

But Torres quickly sounded a note of seriousness, calling the Schabarum incident “symptomatic of what’s happening (in society) with more violence against women,” particularly Latino women.

To that, Andersen replied: “Absolutely ludicrous.” Andersen said Morales, who managed to tag out Schabarum despite the blow, “is a good ballplayer, but for Art Torres to play political games with this is way out of line.”

Racial Problems Alleged

Adding more fuel to the fire Friday, Morales said the incident was the culmination of racial problems that have been simmering all season between her mostly minority county softball team and a few mostly white county teams.

After one fight, involving racial remarks between her team and the county assessor’s team, she said, “We were marked as a bunch of rowdy Mexicans and were warned we’d be kicked out if there was one more incident.”

Andersen, who is also the league’s organizer, confirmed that in late summer he gave Margie Morales’ husband, Sal, a final warning that the team faced expulsion from the league.

The assessor’s team, treasurer-tax collector’s team and facilities management team have refused to play the County-USC team again, Andersen said.

“Pete and I just think this whole thing is getting blown out of proportion,” said Andersen, adding that Schabarum “is really kind of befuddled over exactly what we’re talking about here. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody; he just wants to play ball.”

Morales said on Friday that things have gone far enough. She said she is satisfied “that I got my message across.”