Union City youth baseball coach is suspended for year

Union City youth baseball coach is suspended for year after incident with umpire leads to arrest on fourth-degree assault charge
Saturday, June 26, 2010
By KARINA L. ARRUE
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER
UNION CITY - A Union City coach was arrested last week after he tried to attack an umpire, officials said.

Jose Polanco, 43, of Bergenline Avenue, was reportedly ejected from a June 18 Cal Ripken Baseball League championship game at Washington Park on Second Street after cursing and threatening an umpire because he didn't agree with a call the umpire made, reports said.

Forty-five minutes later, at approximately 9:30 p.m., when the game was over, Polanco reportedly lunged at the umpire and attempted to punch him.

The umpire, Joe McSorely, 37, says it's not the first time Polanco has tried to attack someone, which is why he signed a complaint against him, he said.

"He should never be able to coach a kid again," said McSorely, an umpire with Union City for the last four years.

Polanco was later arrested on charges of simple assault in the fourth degree and released, reports said.

McSorely, a resident of Woodbridge, said he was summoned on Monday by Richie Casseins, president of the Babe Ruth and Cal Ripken leagues, and by umpire chief Guy McCann, at the behest of Department of Parks and Public Property Commissioner Christopher Irizarry, to try to convince him to drop the charges.

"They asked what I felt would be a sufficient enough punishment that would make me not go to court," McSorely said.

"I find it absolutely outlandish, first as a parent, secondly as an umpire, and third as a coach, that anybody with children, especially the commissioner of the Department of Recreation . would even entertain consideration that Polanco should be treated as the victim in this situation," McSorely said, adding that he won't umpire in Union City anymore.

Irizarry denies that he ever made such a request.

According to McCann, Polanco has been suspended from coaching for the league for a year, and will remain on probation for two years.

"There is no justification for what (Polanco) did," McCann said. "I'm backing my umpire 100 percent. He didn't do anything wrong."

Casseins declined to comment.


Source: http://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/unioncity/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1277533539107210.xml&coll=3

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