UCLA Coach Suspends Himself Three Games

UCLA baseball Coach Gary Adams has suspended himself for three games in further protest of what he considers leniency by the NCAA toward pitchers who intentionally throw at batters and coaches who condone such acts.

According to NCAA rules, Adams must sit out one game for ordering pitcher Pete Zamora to throw at an Arizona State player during a game Sunday. Zamora was suspended for four games, and Adams said he believes the coach’s penalty should equal that of his player.

“I’m doing it to make a point,” Adams said. “I think it is the coach’s responsibility, not the players, to govern this war of hitting batters. Pete would not have done that if I hadn’t asked him to. I’m the culprit.”

The Bruin coach said he told Zamora to hit the first batter because Adams needed to send a message to Arizona State that hitting Bruin batters would not be condoned. Arizona State pitcher Ryan Bradley had hit UCLA infielder Troy Glaus for the second time this season in Saturday’s game. Zamora hit ASU’s Mikel Moreno with a pitch on the upper leg and Adams then acknowledged ordering the action, saying he hoped the NCAA would increase the penalty for coaches.

“Coaches are going to be here year in and year out. [The NCAA] has to get the message out to coaches that this is not the way the game is going to be played,” Adams said. “I just don’t think the penalty by the NCAA is nearly severe enough.”

Adams chose not to wait for the Pacific 10 Conference’s ruling on the matter, which is expected today. Jim Muldoon, a conference spokesman, said a review committee would determine if Adams’ suspension should be increased.

“In the past, we have gone beyond the [NCAA] rules,” Muldoon said. “The committee will decide if that is necessary in this case.”

UCLA officials said they stand behind Adams’ decision.

The Pac-10 also said Bradley, who was ejected from a game March 30 and suspended for four games for hitting Glaus in the head, had been suspended by the umpires from Sunday’s game for yelling obscenities at fans after Saturday’s game.

Bradley was not penalized for hitting Glaus in the back Saturday because, the umpires said, it had not been intentional. Had Bradley been penalized a second time for intentionally throwing at a batter, he would have been suspended for the rest of the season.

Arizona State Coach Pat Murphy said Bradley never threw intentionally at Glaus, and that he has never told a player to hit an opposing batter. He also said he could not believe that Adams would order a pitcher to throw at a batter.

“When I heard that I thought it was a misprint, and I still think it is,” Murphy said.

The team did not practice Monday, and Adams said he had not discussed his decision with the team.

UCLA (25-17) has six conference games left. Both Zamora and Adams will miss this weekend’s series at Stanford. The NCAA regionals begin May 23.