Umpire Defends Walkout : Veteran Official Says Abuse From CSUN Prompted Departure

A veteran umpire who walked off the field during the sixth inning of a California Collegiate Athletic Assn. baseball game between Cal State Northridge and UC Riverside said Wednesday that he did so because it was his only recourse.

Bob Hernandez, who has umpired at the collegiate level for 13 years, departed Tuesday’s game, which Northridge eventually won, 12-10, after several ejections and a bizarre play.

Hernandez, who was the base umpire, said that plate umpire Frank Mason, a 20-year veteran, should have called a forfeit after Northridge coaches had become abusive and violated NCAA rules by communicating with their players and the umpires after their ejections.

“Never in my 15 years of officiating at all levels have I been subjected to something like that,” said Hernandez, who is scheduled to work a Division I regional and is an alternate for the Division I World Series. “There’s something called professionalism, and yesterday there was no professionalism on that field.

“I don’t know how it would have ended if I had stayed. . . . If I had it to do over again, I’d do the exact same thing.”

Mason declined comment Wednesday.

Dale Williams, president of the Southern California Collegiate Baseball Umpires Assn. and in his 31st year as an umpire, said he could not recall a similar incident at the collegiate level. Tom Morgan, the commissioner of the CCAA, said that Hernandez’s exodus was a first for the conference.

“It’s a black eye for all of us,” Riverside Coach Jack Smitheran said.

The chain of events that led to Hernandez’s departure began in the fifth inning of the game at the Riverside Sports Complex and featured the ejections of Northridge Coach Bill Kernen, Northridge assistant Randy Day and Northridge players Greg Shockey and Anton Siegl.

With none out in the fifth and Northridge leading, 5-3, Matador baserunner Chae-Ho Chong collided with Riverside second baseman John Holmes as Holmes attempted to field a ground ball hit by Rusty McLain.

Hernandez, 48, appeared to have ruled that no interference had occurred. Smitheran approached Hernandez, and, after a short discussion, Hernandez called Chong out.

Day, the third-base coach, and Kernen were both ejected for arguing vehemently about the call. Kernen said he objected to the call being reversed.

“I would prefer that the coaches coach and the umpires umpire,” Kernen said. “I don’t think I would have argued if he (Hernandez) made the call. All I ask him to do is make his own call and we’ll live with the result.”

Shockey, a freshman center fielder, was ejected by Hernandez later in the inning for arguing after he was thrown out at second trying to stretch a single into a double.

The climactic event, however, was triggered in the sixth inning when Northridge third baseman Greg Hansen bobbled a ground ball and accidentally hit Hernandez with an off-line throw to first that enabled Riverside to score a run.

Hernandez, after being hit by the throw, was subjected to a verbal hailstorm from Kernen, who was seated in the bleachers behind the Northridge dugout. According to NCAA rules, an ejected player or coach must leave the field and dugout area immediately and is not allowed to communicate with his team or the umpires. Failure to abide by the rule is grounds for forfeiture.

Hernandez said that Day communicated with Northridge players after being ejected but that he did not take action “to give the players the benefit of the doubt.”

Hernandez said that while Kernen was berating him, he indicated to Mason three times that a forfeit should be called. Mason, who as plate umpire had sole authority to forfeit the game, did not acknowledge the request. Hernandez then departed, leaving Mason to finish the game by himself.

“When a person (Kernen) is in a tirade like that, there is no telling what can happen,” Hernandez said. “There’s no other way to keep control. The only recourse you have after they’ve been ejected is call for a forfeit.”

“If the shoe would have been on the other foot, I would have walked with my partner.”

Siegl was ejected in the seventh after hitting Riverside first baseman Logan Ostrander with a forearm while running out a grounder.

Hernandez said that as far as he is concerned the entire incident is over. Kernen agreed.

“It’s kind of a historical event as far as I’m concerned,” Kernen said. “Meaning, it’s in the past.”