The teams in the league are made up of top high school players. Lago threw the punch after Dziedzinski drew his hand back to signal that he was ejecting him, police said. According to police, Lago thought the umpire was going to punch him. Terrible' Lago's lawyer said his client didn't provoke the confrontation. If convicted, he faces up to nearly four years in jail.
Officials blame shifting attitudes on and off the field.
In the Massachusetts fight, Michael Costin was beaten unconscious in front of young hockey players, including his own sons, after arguing with Thomas Junta, who was charged with manslaughter. Junta's lawyer said he was acting in self-defense. Typical cases range from name-calling and shoving to officials' vehicles being run off the road by irate parents, according to the National Association of Sports Officials. Even the verbal abuse has gotten worse, spokesman Bob Still said. The tenor of the type of abuse we're receiving nowadays has become much more personal, much more physical, and highly violent.