TALLADEGA — Talladega City Councilman and Parks and Recreation Board liaison Donny Miller announced Thursday that he was going to propose extra security at the city’s sports complex, which would be paid for by raising the parking fee from $1 to $2.Miller emphasized several times during a meeting with the various youth sports leagues coaches that it was only a proposal, subject to approval by the full City Council.
The proposal comes in the wake of a brawl that broke out after a 12-and-under girl’s softball game Tuesday night. Although the events leading up to the brawl remained unclear Thursday, by most accounts, Mayor Brian York intervened in a physical altercation between two adult women, and was scratched by one before a male subject struck him in the back of the head. The brawl escalated, but ended shortly afterward when Talladega police, sheriff’s deputies and state troopers responded.
Fortunately, the brawl was stopped rather quickly, since Talladega police were already at the complex, dealing with an unauthorized person collecting fees from people going in to watch the games.
Although the main point Miller wished to raise Thursday was the security concerns, the discussion touched on a wide variety of topics, including the possibility of making the city’s
Parks and Recreation Department responsible for registering and scheduling the various leagues, all of which play by different rules and have their own independent governing bodies. The leagues would still keep the sponsorship money, and would continue to provide equipment with that money.
“Most cities already charge outside agencies to use their fields,” he said. “I don’t want us to do that here, and I fought (former city manager) Sue Horn on that for four months.”
Other topics touched on included a lack of practice fields at the complex, unused practice fields all over the city and the lack of dedicated league board meetings. The responsibilities of the coaches and umpires were also a topic of discussion.
Miller said the coaches’ responsibility was to the players only, and that the umpires should be responsible for dealing with the parents.
“I want everyone to understand that we’re here for the kids, not ourselves,” Miller explained.
Parks and Recreation Director Beth Martin echoed Miller in a statement she gave earlier in the day.
“I really hate that this happened,” Martin said. “We have never had anything of this magnitude during the 18 years I’ve been here. But we recognize that we need better security, and better enforcement of the rules we have now. We’re fortunate that no one was hurt any worse than they were. But the parents need to remember that the game is all about the kids, not us or them. You need to go back to that basic aspect of kids having fun, and that would make everything a whole lot better.”
Martin also expressed gratitude for the Talladega Police Department’s rapid response to the incident, and for keeping it from escalating.
“They did a great job defusing the situation,” she said.
Martin was not present during the altercation. Assistant Director Brian Hutton was at the complex, but was dealing with the police and the phony ticket-taker when the fight broke out.
“I don’t know any of the people involved,” Hutton said. “I understand one of the coaches approached the umpire and started yelling about calling the game, and then the umpire left. I don’t know who approached who after that, but an argument started on the field, or possibly in the dugout, or possibly there were two arguments. We told everyone to leave, and then the fight actually started out on the Babe Ruth League field.”
Hutton added, “The umpire said something about a coach using harsh language, and she tried to walk away but tripped over the first base coach. That’s when she left.”
Danny Wideman, president of the local 12-and-under Girls Softball League and father of one of the players, was on the field for most of the events leading up to the altercation, but not the very end.
“The problem started because the umpire was terrible,” he said. “We only played two innings, and all of their batters walked. My third base coach couldn’t do his job for all of the parents from the other team standing around. That was the real problem. She should have taken charge, but she didn’t. The clock was running out with about two minutes left, and we went to the mound, but she left the clock running for all but the last few seconds. Then she cleaned the plate and let the clock run out. We were the home team, we were losing, but we still had two outs left, and she called the game anyway.
“The coaches came out and told the umpire the game was not over. Then a parent of one of the kids on the other team had a scratch on her arm, so she went over to the dugout. I’m not sure exactly what happened next, since I was arguing with the umpire at that point. The next thing I know, someone yelled, ‘Call the police.’ But I do know that Brian York was trying to break up the fight, not start anything,” he added.
As of Thursday, no arrests had been made in connection with the fight.
