Little League Umpire Incident

Re the Little League umpire incident:

Many years ago actor Joe E. Brown made a baseball movie titled “Alibi Ike,” a name that certainly fits Robert Foster of Huntington Beach.

This person has learned absolutely nothing from this unfortunate experience: When a grown man cannot control his temper and punches a young Little League umpire in front of a group of impressionable youngsters (his own son included) at a game, he sets the worst example for young ballplayers. It is because of people like Foster that they stopped selling beer in bottles and cans at most major league baseball stadiums, they found that paper cups where a lot safer.

This individual argues and I quote: “This incident need not happen again if umpires calling our games are adults, not children.” And in this instance he may be right, I seriously doubt whether this person would take a punch at an adult his size and weight.

In a way Foster got off lucky; if he had struck my youngster, I would have sued the pants off of him and then possibly he might have learned a lesson.

I hope that this unfortunate incident will not sour young C. J. Ellson about volunteering in community sports. He seems like a fine young man and a good example for others.

ART AMOS

Santa Ana