Coaches question parental involvement in teaching respect
According to a Winter Haven Police Department report, three people from Kissimmee who play for, coach or parent a player on a local travel baseball team were arrested Saturday night at the Chain of Lakes baseball complex after a fight broke out during a tournament game and spilled out of the field into the stands and beyond.
Marcos Antonio Aballi, 25, Yosmany Guzman Fernandez, 38, and Yosmany Alejandro Fernandez, 17, were all charged with battery on a sports official during an event, a third-degree felony. The elder Fernandez was also charged with misdemeanor simple battery.
The incident reveals a discerning trend of violence during games directed at officials, umpires and directors. Coaches, like David Gatauco, who coaches at Mulberry High in Polk County where Saturday’s incident occurred and operates a travel baseball club, point this growing concern back to parenting.
“We’ve reached a point where we’ve had to stop games because a parent thrown out (for verbally abusing officials or other boorish behavior) won’t leave the stadium,” Gatauco said. “These are often people who just don’t know the competitive game.
“And now we ‘ve got baseball leagues and teams that just kind of spring up. We’re playing travel ball in January, when high school teams are conditioning and getting ready for the season? When is it enough?”
According to a Winter Haven police report, officers responded to a reported fight at the baseball complex. They encountered two battery victims, a 21-year-old umpire and his father who was in the stands watching the game.
During the game, the umpire reportedly gave a verbal warning to Aballi, who was coaching one of the teams playing the tournament game. Immediately after the warning, the father of the umpire was approached by Yosmany Guzman Fernandez, the father of a player on the team, Yosmany Alejandro Fernandez. According to police, Guzman started an altercation with the umpire’s father, pushing him and eventually punching him in the face. Police also noted Guzman and both victims had previous negative encounters before Saturday’s game.
Seeing his father being attacked, the umpire reportedly left the field to separate the two when he was punched from behind by Aballi and fell to the ground due to the attack. A police body camera showed Aballi’s team pour out of the dugout and join in the fight. A witness who attempted to shield the umpire from further attack was also struck. The younger Fernandez, a member of Aballi’s team, joined the fight and began kicking the umpire, who was on the ground. Despite bystanders pulling him off the victim, Fernandes immediately re-engaged in the fight.
The victim umpire was transported to a local hospital to treat injuries sustained in the fight.
"There is absolutely no room for parents to ruin what should be a great showcase of sports talent during these tournaments," Police Chief Vance Monroe said in a Winter Haven Police release. "The talent of players should be in the spotlight, not the actions of these instigators."
Gatauco said while this unfortunate act occurred at a baseball complex, the problem liking began in these players’ and coaches’ homes.
“It’s a parental issue. Sportsmanship is going out the window,” he said. “In our youth we were taught to respect coaches, umpires and the game. And with everyone having enabled phones now, we feed off what we can capture … the world runs on views. I feel bad for the kids at the end of the day.
“The victim here is a 21-year-old umpire who found a way to be in the game without playing, is trying to make a few bucks and is now probably questioning doing that. At the end of the day, baseball is just a kid’s game.”
