NEW JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Parents who are overly vocal about bad calls at Little League games may find themselves behind the plate under a new policy in Deptford that’s gaining national attention.
Complaining about calls at ballgames is nothing new, but this solution certainly is, said Don Bozzuffi who has been running the Deptford Little League for many years.
“If things go too far, that person will be required to umpire for a few games before they’re allowed back as a spectator.”
“Let’s bring you out there. Let’s see if you can do a better job. Wait until you get the first bang-bang play. I wanna see what you’re going to do.”
Bozzuffi said they’ve tried just about every solution over the years, including having a code of conduct for about two decades, but the problem hasn’t gone away.
Deptford Mayor Paul Medany hopes this solution will help change things.
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“We want moms and dads to come there and say what a beautiful day for a game and watch the little kids run around,” Medany said.
With the installment of this new rule, Bozzuffi has appeared on some cable news shows to talk about it, and he’s even been hearing from league managers in Seattle, Denver, Connecticut and Florida, who say they are going to try this tactic as well.
“This is across the country. This has gone crazy. So good! Let’s all get together and put an end to this.”
Both Bozzuffi and Medany want to emphasize that a little groaning over a call or a “Hey, that’s too high” is part of the game, but when volunteer umpires feel abused and want to quit, someone’s gone too far.
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