Umpires are not the show

If anyone was videotaping Monday's Uniontown-Charleroi American Legion playoff game at Vets Field, they are sitting on a gold mine.

That's because that tape is a very good educational piece for the training of baseball umpires. It is a classic example of how not to control a game.

In nearly 30 years of covering athletics on just about every level, from 7-year-old kids to professionals, I can honestly say I never witnessed what happened at the Charleroi field in the top of the seventh inning.

And today, I can only hope first base umpire P.J. McConville is looking in the mirror and wondering if he handled the situation the right way.

If he thinks he did, the mirror would certainly laugh back at him.

McConville was guilty of not only baiting Charleroi manager Luke Mollis into getting thrown out of the game, but also tossing fans from the field for little more than normal heckling that goes on all the time.

Plus, he held up what was an entertaining game up for some 20 minutes as he forced fans to leave the field under the threat of suspending the contest.

The escapade started with Charleroi leading 6-5 and Uniontown having the bases loaded. Charleroi pitcher Brandon Wyvratt walked in two runs on eight pitches to make it 7-6 Uniontown.

Mollis called on Zach Neil in relief and Neil walked the first batter on four pitches to give Uniontown an 8-6 lead.

At that point, Charleroi catcher Pet LaBrasca muttered something under his mask that caused home plate umpire Bill Schotteneimer to eject him.

OK.

Mollis came out to question that decision and then McConville, walking over from his position at first base, got involved.

And that was it.

McConville tossed two Charleroi fans near the Charleroi dugout and said the game would not resume until they left.

One fan on the first base side ridiculed McConville for having "rabbit ears" and that fan was ejected. Another fan, saying how ridiculous the situation had become was also ejected.

At this point, Mollis came out of the dugout to tell the umpires that his pitcher was having to wait an unfair amount of time for all this nonsense and McConville immediately accosted Mollis on the field and the two were chin-to-chin. McConville told Mollis it was his responsibility to control the throng of fans at the game.

So it is now up to the manager to be responsible for not only his players, but some 200 fans in attendance.

Uh-huh.

Instead of trying to calm the situation, McConville threw fire on it ... and several lit matches for good measure.

He ejected Mollis, who claimed McConville bumped him.

A couple more fans were tossed from the game as well.

By the time the situation subsided, more than 20 minutes of valuable daylight had passed. More importantly, the attention was drawn from the players on the field to the umpire at first base.

That's not the way it's supposed to be done.

The sad thing is that instead of talking about an exciting baseball game between two talented teams, fans leaving probably only dwelled on the umpire's actions.

I am reminded about a time I was covering a boys' basketball game at Monessen back in the early 1980s when the late Walt Malinchak, whom I always considered the finest whistle-tooter I had ever seen personally, was on the game. He was getting an ear-full from a vocal, often unruly Monessen crowd.

During a timeout, he walked to the scorer's table and I mentioned to him that it was a tough crowd.

He looked at me and said, "Jeff, one thing a good official never does is hear the crowd."

I never forgot that bit of information.

Apparently, P.J. McConville never heard it.