San Diego Umpire Gets the Thumb : Pan Am Games: Pedersen, who worked game suspended by a brawl, calls decision to expel him “comical.”

Dan Pedersen of San Diego, the U.S. umpire in charge of a Pan American Games baseball game that ended in a brawl, was expelled Saturday from the Games for failing to control the violence in the Canada-Mexico contest.

Pedersen, 33, a former minor-league umpire who recently had worked the College World Series, lashed out at the decision calling it “comical”.

“Basically, I’m being made a scapegoat. They want to put the blame on me,” said Pedersen, who immediately appealed.

“I have not been informed in writing of the reasons for this expulsion,” Pedersen said in his written notice of appeal. “This technical committee action is inappropriate and unjustified, and I am requesting the appeals committee review this suspension immediately and reverse this action.”

Pederson said he understood “they’re getting rid of me because a fight broke out in a game I had and I should have been able to stop it. They’re not punishing anybody but the umpire.”

The eight-member Pan American Games commission, reversing an earlier decision which had awarded Thursday’s disrupted game to Mexico, ordered it to be replayed next Wednesday.

It fined the Canadian and Mexican teams $100 each.

Pedersen, who has been umpiring for 18 years, said the rest of the baseball umpires at the games had signed a letter protesting the decision. Some had threatened to boycott the rest of the games if his expulsion was not reversed.

“Some say they will walk,” said Pedersen, who demanded that his appeal be heard today. However, he held out little hope of reversing the committee’s decision.

“I’ve already been told by the higher-ups that one of the guys on the three-man appeals committee has it in for me,” Pedersen said. “I just want to be vindicated. I don’t find any logic in what’s going on. It’s comical to me in a way. I’m not concerned about it, but I’m concerned about my reputation.”

Cuba and the United States, both unbeaten so far in the baseball tournament, are favorites to dispute the gold in the competition. The first four teams will qualify to take part in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.

Pedersen suspended Thursday’s game when the brawl broke out at the start of the sixth inning with Mexico leading 7-5.

“I stopped the game for my safety and for the safety of the players,” he said. “They’re punishing me for doing a good job. It’s beyond comprehension.”

Canadian assistant coach John Upham was hospitalized for 24 hours with chest pains after the home plate free-for-all involving players, coaches and officials from both teams.

Mexican coach Antonio Pollorena was also taken to the hospital to have stitches for a cut in the head.

The commission decided Pedersen’s expulsion by six votes to two, with three Cuban members, one Puerto Rican, one Venezuelan and one from the Dominican Republic voting in favor. The U.S. and Canadian members voted against.

The commission also decided to suspend for one game each the first and second base umpires, a Cuban and a Dominican.

Pedersen slammed the way he had been treated by the commission.

“I was on trial there,” he said. “They really ripped into me.”

He suggested there was a consipiracy against him, recalling how earlier in Thursday’s tense game he had expelled from the stadium the president of the Mexican Amateur Baseball Federation, Alonso Perez.

“This guy in the Mexican dugout was screaming racial slurs at me,” he said.

Pedersen blamed the Mexicans for starting the brawl.

“Mexico was getting out of control,” he said.

Mexican officials accused the Canadian catcher, Alex Andreopoulos, of provoking their players by calling them “chili-eaters.”

Pedersen said he was kicked in the leg by a Mexican player during the brawl.

“I’m still limping,” he added.