6 West Players Suspended for Curfew Violation

Black clouds moved over Eastern Idaho on Saturday afternoon, sprinkling rain on the rural town where the Woodland Hills West American Legion baseball team is attempting to win the Northwest regional tournament and advance to the World Series next week. Yet only part of the precipitation was climatological: Most of the storm was taking place indoors.

Six players from West were suspended by Coach Gary Gibson for Saturday night’s game against Vancouver, Wash., after violating curfew following Friday’s game. In addition, the six players were questioned by the Lewiston Police Department in connection with a vandalism incident at a restaurant early Saturday morning.

There were no arrests and police said Saturday afternoon it is unlikely that any charges will be filed.

The suspended players are pitcher Sean Boldt, aged 16; outfielder Chris Castillo, 17; infielder Del Marine, 17; outfielder Carl McFadden, 18; pitcher Jason Mitchell, 18; and pitcher Pat Treend, 17, Gibson said.

After Friday night’s 5-4 victory over Meridian, Ida., Gibson said he told West players that they would be allowed to stay out until 2 a.m. Gibson said that after bed check, he received a knock on his door from a hotel security officer at approximately 4 a.m.

The security officer told Gibson that he had seen six West players arriving at the hotel moments earlier and that one player was carrying a boat oar that had been removed from the exterior of Skippers Seafood and Chowder House, located in the same parking lot as the team hotel.

Another decorative piece of the restaurant’s exterior, a ship’s steering wheel, was found lying in the hotel parking lot, according to restaurant manager Kellye Sharp.

Mitchell said that the group had simply walked up the street to get something to eat at a nearby convenience store and had been harassed on the way back to the hotel.

“We didn’t do anything wrong,” Mitchell said. “I don’t feel bad about any of it.”

Gibson said that players told police they had been the target of ethnic remarks by a group of locals and that the oar was found lying in the parking lot. It was picked up in case it was needed for protection, the players said.

“They went out, got some food, came back and one of the security guards saw something in one of the kids’ hands and stopped him,” Gibson said. “It was a piece of broken stuff from the outside of a building.

“The kid claimed he was being chased by somebody who made racial remarks.”

Police officer Doug Blume was called to the scene at 4:40 a.m. by hotel security but was unable to determine who removed the decorative pieces from the restaurant facade and if the players were verbally abused. Blume said he would recommend that the investigation not be pursued any further.

“I don’t think they’ll do anything else,” Blume said of his superiors. “It’s been pretty much straightened out.”

Sharp said she was satisfied that the matter had been resolved--she valued the recovered ship’s helm at $200--but said she is disappointed that the incident took place.

“I’m not mad at any one player,” Sharp said. “Nobody knows exactly what happened or who (removed the ship’s steering wheel and oar). But when a town opens its doors for a team from out of state and this type of thing happens, it leaves a sour taste in everybody’s mouth.

“What were they doing out there at 4 or 5 a.m.?”

Gibson said that in light of the three-hour police investigation and attendant publicity, he was relieved that tournament officials agreed to take no action beyond Gibson’s self-imposed one-game suspension.

“They’re being more than fair and equitable in allowing the kids to remain in the tournament,” Gibson said.

Gibson said that the team has been confined to the hotel for the remainder of the tournament, which concludes today.

“They’ve been restricted from leaving for any reason,” he said. “They’re in lock-up. And to tell you the truth, if we make it to the World Series (in Memphis, Tenn.) I’ll probably make them stay in the hotel there, too.”

The events of Saturday morning were prefaced by some fireworks Friday night. Starting shortstop Ricky Banuelos and Gibson argued shortly before the Meridian game over a disparaging remark that Banuelos allegedly directed toward Gibson. Banuelos was benched.

Rather than sit, Banuelos packed his duffel bag and started a two-mile walk to the hotel. He returned in the sixth inning, however, and was put in the game as a pinch-hitter in the eighth. He played the rest of the game at shortstop. How far did Banuelos walk before reversing his field?

“A long way,” Banuelos said. “But I didn’t have a room key.”

Banuelos and Gibson said that they ironed out their differences after the game.

A rift also developed before Friday’s game between Gibson and catcher Bobby Kim. Kim jammed his left thumb in the tournament opener Wednesday and Gibson said he wanted to give him another day of rest. Gibson said that when Kim learned that Banuelos was out of the lineup, Kim insisted that he wanted to play, believing that the team’s chances were better with him in the lineup. Over the next 10 minutes, while Gibson was deciding who was going to play and who wasn’t, Kim was overheard saying that he wanted to go home if he didn’t start. Kim was then inserted into the starting lineup.

First baseman Ryan McGuire then approached Gibson to find out what was going on with the missing Banuelos and the pouting Kim. McGuire and Gibson apparently ended up discussing--in rather animated fashion--McGuire’s decision to participate in a high school all-star series next week in South Korea rather than accompany the team to Memphis--if West manages to hold together that long.

“Ryan McGuire thought we couldn’t win without Ricky,” Gibson said. “(And) he’s been very pressured by the Korea situation.

“It was a carry-over from the whole situation.”

With just 10 players eligible for the Vancouver game, the left-handed McGuire spent part of Saturday afternoon searching for a catcher’s mitt. Gibson said that Kim’s thumb was again too tender to catch.

In all, despite the team’s success, Gibson said he would welcome the summer’s final out.

“The season’s been long--very, very long,” said Gibson, who earlier in the season said he would not return as the West coach. “I will definitely be glad when all of this is over.”