Policing Violence in Baseball

For those that thought assault charges for on-the-field violence was reserved for hockey misconduct, Bridgeport, CT police have arrested former Major League Baseball player Jose Offerman for allegedly charging the mound with his bat during an August 14 independent league baseball game between the Long Island Ducks and Bridgeport Bluefish. Offerman, who says he believed that he was intentionally hit by a Matt Beech pitch, purportedly swung his bat at least twice, striking catcher John Nathans in the head with his back swing and then striking Beech with a front swing. It has since been reported that Nathans suffered a concussion as a result of the attack, and Beech a broken finger.

Presuming these events actually transpired as they have been reported, I think few would argue with the Bridgeport police's decision to arrest Offerman and charge him with two counts of second-degree assault, even though the last recorded time that a baseball player struck another player with a bat, the San Francisco's Giants' Juan Marichal walked away with a mere eight-game suspension from the league, and no criminal record.

Obviously, since the Marichal incident in 1965, police have become more willing to charge professional athletes with gross wrongdoing for conduct indirectly related to the game. The interesting question, however, is what this arrest means for the next time a batter charges the mound in Bridgeport, CT, presuming that batter does not carry a bat, as did Offerman. Is there really much difference between a raged Jose Offerman charging the mound with a bat, and any other raged player charging the mound with just his fists? What if that player is trained in martial arts?

As a sports fan, I do not want to see athletes fear the risk of criminal charges for aggressive play related to the game itself. However, charging the mound in baseball has nothing to do with playing hard-nosed winning baseball. If more professional athletes are arrested for charging the mound and hitting opposing pitchers, whether it be with fists or bats, presumably such behavior will decline -- not only in the professional game, but also on the amateur level where fans often emulate the pros. That would be a positive result for society overall.

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