Wade Campbell
Pioneer Press 06/26/2007 12:03:02 AM CDT
Wade Campbell threatened to shoot his son’s Little League coach when the 12-year-old didn’t see enough playing time, the coach alleges. Campbell denied the accusation from jail Monday and said he isn’t one of those pushy parents on the playing field. He cursed at the coach, he said, but never threatened him.
On a St. Paul baseball diamond Friday, witnesses’ statements say, Campbell joined the ranks of overbearing parents at children’s sporting events and later made a threatening phone call to the team coach and his wife.
Police arrested Campbell, 46, of St. Paul, on Sunday on suspicion of assault and making terroristic threats. He has not been charged. The coach, Noe Ambriz Jr., said Monday he and his family aren’t staying at their St. Paul home because they are frightened and don’t know when Campbell might be released from jail.
| Overbearing parents often make fools of themselves at kid’s sporting events. I wouldn’t want to mess with this projectile head. |
For this and other reasons, I see no reason why “Little League” should not require the rotation of all team members. Yes, it would change the nature of the game===but it is a GAME.
I hate people who just talk about doing things.
If that parent were a man, he’d actually shoot the coach!
I’m just surprised this wasn’t in Florida.
Florida – the second chance state!
“Police arrested Campbell, 46, of St. Paul, on Sunday on suspicion of assault and making TERRORISTIC THREAT.” WTF—he doesn’t look mexican or arab to me! Sounds like overcharging in the case unless he threatened to shoot the guy and crash an airplane into his house.
#4 – Yeah… I know I posted with a joke in this thread… But I am getting a little tired of this “terrorism” bullshit.
I am about as afraid of terrorists as I am of an alien invasion from Mars.
If we are gonna charge people with terrorism, I think they God damn well better be setting off a dirty bomb or blowing up a building… and doing it for the reasons that terrorists do things…
Terrorists do not make individual threats against baseball coaches to get more playing time for their sons. That’s just run of the mill criminal.
Wanna know what frightens me in America today? My government and the police force. They scare the fuck out of me. Terrorists? So far they’ve only scored one win in how many years since Middle Eastern Terror has been a possibility? Those guys suck at their jobs. What is there to fear?
#5 – OhForTheLoveOf – That’s your problem, you still think this is your government.
Shoot him? From the looks of the guy he’d be more likely to eat him.
My kid is playing in a Softball tournament. We are so very lucky because we have such a great Coach for the six and seven yr old girls, The Coach is lucky because of all the supportive parents. While my kid is one of the better players, she gets as much playing time as the smallest, most uncoordinated, doesn’t want to be there, prissy kid.
Last night one of these girls hit the ball off the pitching machine. It rolled a couple of feet. But she made it all the way to first safely and the runner on third scored. When she scored, the thunderous cheering must have been heard in our home town, 35 miles away. Even though some players had better performances, my own kid hit safely every time and had 4 RBIs in a 16-10 win, no one begrudged giving the game ball to the second smallest kid on the team.
The difference? Our parents support our Coach and the Coach is fair. And we have a good team to show for it.
Hopper, the link goes to a subscription page. Here is another link.
http://www.kttc.com/News/index.php?ID=16288
5—Not to gang up on BushCo, but we’ve all seen those statistic that you are more likely to be eaten by a shark, than killed by a terrorist. I’ve never understood that statistic. Is that bites/population or bites/per people in the water? They never say.
Anyway, several excellent ((Harvard MBA)) studies about the “cost of terrorism” compared say to car accidents, gun deaths, unregulated diet pills and such. Seems we would be much better off losing a skyscraper every 10 years or so than the ruinous billion dollar response we gave it.
War/War of Terror is a terrible misuse of resources. Stupid BushCo===and why DOES everybody comment on how intelligent Cheney is? Stupid is as stupid does.
#6 – No… Actually my problem, all of our problem, is that you think that it is not.
#10 – It’s well known to those in the risk assessment business that as a nation (perhaps as a species) we aren’t very good at risk assessment.
Some guys, myself included, can make people’s noses bleed by looking at them. It doesn’t make them bad people, just naturally alpha. When you see a shaven headed bull necked guy being lined up for a fall, on possible hearsay and false supposition, consider that there may be other issues involved to consider.
#12 – I agree.
I used to have long past the shoulder hair. I started greying at 17 and by 30 I pretty much had silver hair. I was driving a cab and I sort of felt pushed around sometimes. Strippers would hit on me (trying to scam free rides, obviously) and I’d often get comments about my Teddy Bear like qualities.
Well, being a cabbie is not a good job for someone who is perceived as weak. I shaved my head, kept my goatee, and I’m already kinda hefty. Overnight I went from Teddy Bear to guy who’s gonna kick your ass (despite the fact that I honestly have no substantial ass-kicking skills) for looking at me funny.
That one cosmetic move helped me be successful as a cabbie. 🙂
5. “What is there to fear? “
Just fear itself, I guess.
“Wanna know what frightens me in America today? My government and the police force.”
Take away those and you have Iraq or the 5th century. Oh, you want perfect government and perfect policing. I’m afraid that’s not the way it works in evolution. I think you’re looking for “Philosophy” – two doors down on the left.
RBG
14—I guess if 5 wants a cogent argument OFTLO will have to leave this thread?
In context, no inference to have the police force removed. No, just a learned position of what is legitimate for any citizen of a democracy: “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
You believe in liberty don’t you—or just a bunch of jack boots running around under the guise of “not being perfect?”
#14,
5. “What is there to fear?
“Just fear itself, I guess.
Well, I fear armpits like this Campbell dude. Yes, he sounds like a ticking time bomb. Maybe he gets by threatening people, however one never knows if he will go off. Usually there would be enough parents there to restrain such a bozo, but he could do serious damage in the mean time. There are enough kids present to NOT want to have this happen in front of them.
20 years ago I was brave and stupid enough to be the first one to get between two warring parties. Old age, arthritis, accumulated war wounds, and accrued intelligence makes me look for someone else to be first.
I bet the Coach was a much smaller man too.
You’ll also find that jackboots fit vigilantes.
RBG
This is almost relevant. On “Nightline” tonight::
Little League International said it’s time to give those young arms a rest. These days, when you send a pitcher to the mound, it’s 75 pitches, no more. That’s the new rule on the ball field. Why the new rule?
Well, over the years, orthopedists have been seeing more and more of our young, aspiring pitchers coming into the doctor’s office complaining of arm and shoulder pain. They’re pulling muscles, straining elbows and hurting their shoulders.
The reason, say doctors, is simply too much pitching for the kids’ growing arms. A pitcher who went without a rest in an average game before the rules were imposed could easily throw more than 500 pitches. And with leagues and school ball play going almost all year now, the kids don’t get a lot of rest. Correspondent John Berman checked in on some Little League play recently, and he has our Sign of the Times.
xxxxxxxxx
Course if the league admits to 75 pitches, I’d limit my kid to 35.
He should have snuck up on the coach and popped a cap in his ass. Why all the fanfare?
Remove his testicals. Problem fixed.
Even if this guy was really gonna kill someone..
I still don’t know why it’s news..
Oh riiiiight.. Ratings…nevermind
#12 – I live near St. Paul so I’ve caught a lot of local coverage on this asshat including call-ins from people who know him and grew up with him. He’s got a history of bullying that goes back to childhood.
Winning isn’t everything. Coaches need rules too. Little league rules are made to bring about fair play. A Coach can step beyond fair play when he doesn’t rotate players fairly. A Coach can step beyond fair play when he places winning above the emotional state of the child he is coaching. Example when winning a game 17 to 1, wouldn’t you think that a little league player be benefited by playing more than 3 outs and 1 at bat. Do you think that the pride, confidence and emotional state of the child would be benefited. During the regular season the coach played a child every game at played first base and the child had the best batting average for the team. At the end of the season the coach informed the family that the child was selected for All Stars because he deserved it. The coach never told the child that he would only be a substitute. The parents were never informed that the child would be only played as a substitute. The child had saved his own money to purchase a new baseball glove and bat to play the game. He loved the game. Investment of time and money was just as great for that child as any other child on the team. During the last few practices the child asked why he wasn’t being played at first base. The coach informed him that another player was a better player. That was a matter of opinion. The first baseman that the coach selected could hit the ball over the fence but would strike out most of the time. When it came to games the child was the only one on the team that did not start a game, finish a game and only played 3 outs and 1 at bat. The coach stated to the child that he should be glad because it was an honor to be selected for the All Stars. What honor is it to be on an All Stars team if you are not played. What feeling does the coach give the child when he is not played. Does it give him a feeling of being a real member of the team. What does it do to the child’s self esteem, confidence and pride. This child was not given a chance. I saw his spirit, confidence, and pride destroyed by an uncaring coach whose only interest was winning. I saw great emotional distress caused by an uncaring coach. Alternates or substitues should not be treated this way. If they are substitued in by the 4th inning then they should finish the game.
Perhaps A Code of Conduct should be adopted by the National Little League. One of the codes should read as follows:
-I will place the emotional and physical well being of my players ahead of any personal desire to win.