Let's not go overboard

So, some volunteer umpire umping a Little League game in Massachusettes is being castigated for telling a team not to speak in Spanish during the game.

Here is some of the story from ESPN.

The umpire told the players not to speak Spanish, a decision their coach said demoralized the team and cost it the game.

"This never should have happened," head coach Chris Mosher told the Eagle-Tribune newspaper. "These are 14-year-old kids who should not have to deal with any of this, especially in Little League baseball."

Van Auken said there's no rule against players speaking Spanish or any other language on the field. But he said it's too late to reverse the decision or the outcome of the game.

Right, simply not being able to speak Spanish so demoralized someone that they lost the game. If it takes so little to upset them, then perhaps they shouldn't be playing. After all, someone getting a strikeout is also rather upsetting.

"It appears the umpire was concerned that the coach or manager may have been using a language other than English ... to communicate potentially 'illegal' instructions to his players," Van Auken said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Friday. "The umpire simply overstepped his authority, and there was no malicious intent."

And isn't it possible the coach was using Spanish to communicate stolen signals to his players? It seems to me the umpire was doing what he thought best and fair for both teams. Signal stealing isn't unheard of in baseball.

Another article I read said that the pitcher and catcher, to whom the coach was speaking Spanish, know very little English. To be in Little League, they must be rather young. I recommend they start learning English, as they do live in the United States of America.

And I also suggest that they toughen up. If they can't stand the heat (of America), then I suggest they go on home where they can speak Spanish to their hearts' content.