Umpire reprimanded by Little League

BOSTON (Reuters) – An umpire who ordered a Little League
baseball team to stop speaking Spanish during a game this week
was barred from officiating any more games this year, league
officials said on Friday.

The incident occurred when a bilingual assistant coach
shouted out instructions in Spanish to the team’s 14-year-old
pitcher and catcher, who are immigrants from the Dominican
Republic and speak little English, the Eagle-Tribune newspaper
reported.

The umpire, whose name has been withheld, then ordered the
team to speak only English.

The coach of a Methuen, Massachusetts-based Little League
squad said the umpire’s ruling banning the use of Spanish on
the field demoralized his team and ultimately contributed to
its loss in a state tournament game, according to the newspaper
report.

Lance Van Auken, a spokesman for Little League
International, said in a statement, “The umpire made an
incorrect decision, for which there was no basis in the Rules
and Regulations of Little League.”

As a result, Little League officials will not allow that
umpire to work any more games for the remainder of the year.