Harold Kasselman's Blog - Posts Tagged "bill-ripken"

Mitch Williams trial against MLB Network continues

The attorney for Williams called two female parents of little leaguers on Williams' team ( Jersey Wild) yesterday to contradict the MLB Network's allegations. Both attended the May 10 and 11 tournament games at the Ripken field in 2014. They denied hearing any improper language from the coach Mitch Williams. A male witness, a parent of the Olney Pirates team testified that he heard the Pirates' head coach say, after the alleged "pussy" calling incident, that the coach was going to bury Mitch Williams. The plaintiff Williams rested their case.
The lawyer for the Network called as its first witness the 13 year old catcher for the Jersey Titans, the opposing team in the Sunday game against the Jersey Wild. He testified to the events of that day when he was just ten years old. He said he heard Williams talking in the dugout to his own team. He heard Williams call his friend the Titan pitcher a "pussy". He did not say that Williams said it to him directly, but it was loud enough for him to hear it clearly, and Williams turned towards the pitcher when he said it. The 13 year old also testified that he had an autographed baseball signed by Williams that he gave to a teacher because he was so upset about what Williams had said about his friend. The next witness was the Public Relations MLB Network employee Lorraine Fisher. She verified that former MLB Network President Anthony Petitti told Williams to view video of the games played during the Mother's Day weekend Ripken tournament in 2014. While in her office, she said Williams watched the video and got very loud and said "Fuck the Ripken Tournament." She was so upset that she cried as a result of the outburst. Williams later apologized and said he had been frustrated because he didn't see anything that would have justified his termination.

Attorneys for the MLB Network played a video recording of a deposition given by Joseph Addis Sr., a former purchasing director for three large corporation. The deposition was given January 2016 (He was also cross-examined by Williams" attorney)to testify about the events of the Mother's Day weekend little league tournament in 2014. Among other things, he stated that over his decades-long career as a certified umpire for the little league, he had only ejected fifteen to twenty people, and only three coaches. But in describing the ejection of Williams during the Saturday game, Addis said Williams was "the most out of control manager I've ever been associated with."
He detailed the basis for that opinion by the following:
1. Even before the game began, Williams said out loud, in reference to the opposing team's pitcher who was warming up, "Look at that little fucker throwing a curve ball." Addis said he said it twice more and was asked by the other umpire to refrain from such language. (He explained that since the game had not officially begun that they didn't feel he had jurisdiction to eject him at that time). Williams shrugged and walked away. Addis had never heard of Mitch Williams until the start of the game when Williams "was bragging he had been a major league player." Addis said the Ripken tournament begins with an announcement about the importance of good sportsmanship. Despite that, while giving the coaches ground rule instructions at home plate, Williams had his back turned, and did not shake hands with the two umpires or opposing coach as is the custom.
2. Williams made loud complaints about balls and strike from the very first pitch through the fifth inning and that the Wild fans took their subsequent tone from their coach.
3. That there was a controversial play at home plate when a Wild player slid home. Addis hesitated for a couple of seconds and then called the runner out. Williams ran down from his coaching box at first base and told him in a strenuous outcry, "You don't know what you're doing! I remember you from last year". (Addis testified he had not even been an umpire the prior year) In a voice more loud than he had ever heard from a coach, Williams continued, "I'll have your job for this....it's what I would expect from Ripken baseball." He then yelled into the crowd to a woman, "You have the camera on don't you?" We'll get his job. he said Williams lost perspective and he argued for 5-10 minutes. Finally Addis issued a warning to Williams.
4. After he tried to walk away the other umpire Scott Bulwicki tried to come between them. Addis heard Williams say "bastards".Bulwicki took exception to the threat to have him lose his job and then ejected Williams. The latter got in the face of Bulwicki, so close that spittle from Williams inadvertently hit Bulwicki. Then Williams chest bumped Bulwicki and pushed him with the chest. When other coaches came on the field, he told them that he was going to forfeit the game and award it to the Pirates unless Williams left. When a Ripken tournament representative came on the field, Williams left, but not before yelling "fuckers as he left the field.
Addis said he had never heard of Williams before the game, was not biased, and was never disciplined in his career as an umpire.
On cross examination he said there was not just one reason for the ejection but rather a cumulative effect. But he did say cursing itself would have been reason enough. he denied hearing an words between Williams and Bulwicki regarding a challenge to fight. he admitted that Williams' statement about the opposing pitcher pre-game was not directed to anyone in particular.
Next a video deposition was played of 53 year old burly Scott Bulwicki. He had retired as a longshoreman at the Port of Baltimore at age 42 and worked as an umpire for many years. Bulwicki, who reminded me of actor Gary Bussey in his looks, supported what Addis had said regarding the nature of Williams' behavior and also described it as the worst ever. He had only ejected three coaches in his life. He said the personal abuse he and Addis took regarding the threat to his job was his major basis for ejection. He said Williams yelled it to the crowd and to him and bragged that "You don't know who I know, and this is what you get for $14-15 an hour. You are both going to lose your jobs tomorrow."
He reiterated the statement about the "little fucker throwing a curve ball(opposing pitcher) while warming up. But bulwicki went further and said Williams had used curse words every inning including mother fucker towards him and 'fucker" several times. He quoted Williams as saying that call(at home plate) "was fucking crazy".
On cross, Williams' attorney got the witness to admit he had been suspended for seven weeks by the Ripken officials and therefore lost a considerable amount of money. The thrust of the cross was to suggest that the witness was out for revenge and was exaggerating the behavior and piling on and fabricating cursing which didn't exist. The defense led the witness down the rosy path to a point where he was backed into a corner. "If he was calling you an asshole and mother fucker during the game, why didn't you eject him before the 5th inning?' The witness could only respond that he gives more leeway to teams from New Jersey and NewYork because it's a different culture than down in Maryland.
On Friday, former major league player and current MLB analyst(brother of Cal Ripken) is expected to testify as well as Brett Curl a Ripken representative. Then there will be closing arguments. It is significant that neither side called as a witness the son of Williams or the pitcher for the Wild.

The defense team for the network called Brett Curll, assistant director for Ripken baseball to testify today. He was the May 9-11 tournament director in 2014. He was called down to the playing field by the stadium's announcer during Saturday's game. The announcer said one coach was very upset by a call and was afraid it might get out of hand. He thereafter watched the game and observed Williams, the coach he was advised about. This was after a disputed play at home plate. At one point Curll went down onto the field because of a commotion created after Williams was ejected. He saw the umpire walking away from Williams into centerfield. Williams was yelling that the umpire should be fired because the umpire had offered to fight him in the parking lot. He went further and said he would not leave the field until the umpire was fired. Curll warned Williams that he would forfeit the game against Williams' team unless he left the game. He then began to escort Williams to the parking lot but the game ended in the interim so he allowed Williams to go back with his team and gather his things. Curll said he and two other officials allowed Williams to coach the next day because he had only had an opportunity to briefly ask the home umpire Joseph Addis what occurred. He learned that Williams was ejected for arguing a call at the plate. When he later gathered facts from the other umpire, and from what he heard and observed, he felt the ejection had been justified and warranted a one game suspension. He also told the eight person jury that grounds for ejection include badgering an umpire, profanity, personal attacks at an umpire or player, and bad behavior. He did later hear from coaches and parents from the Pirates team that objected to Williams being permitted to coach Sunday's game against the Titans. He was told on Sunday by the Titans head coach that there had been prior incidents between the Titans and Wild teams and asked Curll to watch the game.
Curll cautioned Williams early in the game because the latter was yelling to his batters what pitch the opposing pitcher was about to throw as the pitcher was winding up to throw. Curll explained that was poor sportsmanship because it disturbed the pitcher and that Ripken baseball seeks good sportsmanship. During the game, he was told by the Titans coach that Williams had called the Titans pitcher a "pussy", but Curll could not verify it with either umpire and Williams denied it. He said the game was intense because fans were yelling across the field at each other. Curll left for a few minutes but when he returned the Titan coach was furious that his pitcher had been hit by a pitched ball. Curll testified that Titan coaches said they heard Williams order the catcher to tell his pitcher to deliberately hit the batter. Curll asked both umpires but they didn't feel it was an intentional hit by pitch. The game became unruly after that incident. Curll did testify that he heard Williams curse during the tournament when the two were talking in the dugout. Williams said "Why the fuck would I call a kid a pussy?". Curll cautioned Williams that a kid might walk up to them and hear the cursing. He also asked Williams whether he said during warm up words to the effect of "why would a fucking ten year old be throwing a curve ball?" Williams admitted he said it, but only under his breath and not loud enough for anyone else to hear. On cross examination, Curll admitted that the ejecting umpire also cursed with children nearby. Curll testified that the umpire accused him of taking Williams' side and "that was fucking bullshit". He also said that the umpire was suspended for his remark about challenging Williams to a fight. He did not hear Williams use the word asshole or bastards towards the umpires, but he recalls Williams asking, "Why the fuck are they throwing me out when the umpire threatened to beat me up." The legal team for Williams pointed out that umpire Addis didn't tell him about Williams cursing nor did he put that in his incident report.
Then Bill Ripken testified for the defense. he is co-owner of and founder of The Ripken Foundation. He is the brother of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken(co-owner). He said the foundation was created to give those millions of young children the chance to play on a field that is much like a major league baseball field. He described The Ripken Way as creating an atmosphere where baseball is taught in a fun way, simply, and to celebrate each individual's capacities. He is in his ninth year as an analyst for the MLB network. He began the same day as Williams-January 2009. Ripken was emailed after the Saturday game by one of his Ripken officials and Ripken forwarded it to Lorraine Fisher of MLB Network as a precautionary act. Once he did that he was "all good-I'm out. At first he did not think it was a big deal but later reversed his opinion when he viewed the video and got complaints from parents and coaches. He watched the video with Williams and told the latter he was concerned about the length(described as seven minutes) of the argument over the ejection He gets concerned about any coach ejection because parents pay a lot of money for the chance to participate and an ejection diminishes the value of the experience. He also gave an opinion that it is rare for a ten year old to be able to control a ball to the point that he can pitch effectively inside.
On cross Williams' attorney pointed out that Ripken makes a lot of money from the 2,500 teams that play at the stadium and that bad publicity can devalue the tournament; that Brett Curll is his employee, and that Bill Ripken is employed by MLB Network. The suggestion is that he would have a bias or interest in the outcome of the case.
The testimony today was limited by legal arguments over the charge to the jury and other legal matters. Closing statements will occur Monday at about 11:30.