WAS THIS UMP SET UP?? - FOLLOW UP

A fellow umpire/referee sent me a follow up to our recent post located here:
http://slavieboy.blogspot.com/2008/06/you-make-call-was-this-ump-set-up.html

According to WSBRadio.com in Atlanta:
http://wsbradio.com/news/060208baseballthrow.html

Updated 6:00pm 6/5/08

(WSB Radio) -- The umpire who was hit during a championship baseball game in Stephens County is cautiously reacting to the incident. David Scott told Channel Two Action News, "It came as a surprise, disbelief more than anything. I'd say the video pretty much speaks for itself. Other than that, I really don't have anything to say about it. I'm currently under a doctor's care and still waiting for all the results to be evaluated."

Scott's attorney says they're waiting for that medical evaluation to determine if they will take any legal action.

Earlier this week, the Georgia High School Association levied a $1,000 fine against the Stephens County high school and put the school's athletics program on severe warning status.

Stephens County Principal David Friend called the punishment "fair" and said he was very disappointed in his players’ behavior in the championship game.

The catcher in the incident, Matt Hill, had been invited to walk on for the Gordon College baseball team. The coach of that team has since rescinded the offer.
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So the lesson learned is that actions do have consequences. The school was sanctioned by the state association, as they should be. Hopefully, the school levies some sort of sanction on the coach. There's generally a reason why things slide this far and if there was good consistent leadership all season long, I'm confident something like this would not have happened.

The catcher is, for the time being, sanctioned as far as loss of a scholarship. He may be able to recover and land on his feet at another school. For now, the kids, the parents, the school system all have to hope the umpire recovers, shakes it off and decides not to let what happened between the lines spill over into a courtroom.

If he has serious injuries, at the very least, they have to hope that his insurance overs him lock, stock and barrel. I would bet in this case, as in most cases of this type, if the kids just stepped up and apologized and said they just got caught up in the heat of the moment and made a dumb decision, the case would not escalate any further.