Mayor suspended from baseball group after ump says he broke his jaw – Chicago Tribune
The mayor was suspended, the ump underwent surgery and a group of 7- and 8-year-old ballplayers got an unexpected lesson in unsportsmanlike conduct.
Umpire Tim Nelson says Mayor Jay Farquhar of south suburban Monee broke his jaw in two places with a punch after calling him a drunk as Nelson officiated the kids’ baseball game Saturday. Farquhar, who was coaching, said he was trying to defend himself after a “sarcastic” comment he made to Nelson about his game-calling led to a physical altercation.
Will County sheriff’s police are investigating and will send their report to the state’s attorney’s office for review. But after conducting a review of its own, the Monee Baseball and Softball organization already has made its call. Farquhar has been “suspended indefinitely.”
“He is not allowed to attend any softball or baseball games,” said the group’s vice president, Ray Willoughby. “We’re there to protect the kids and the integrity of the organization. You can’t put your hands on a ref or an umpire. (We) can’t make exceptions.”
The altercation occurred in a game between a team from Monee and a visiting team from Park Forest. As part of his coaching duties with the Monee team, Farquhar, 50, was standing near Nelson, catching and retrieving pitched balls the batters missed.
Nelson, 56, admits that during the game he knowingly called a foul tip when a batter swung and missed on what would have been strike three so as to give the batter an extra pitch to try to hit.
“This started because I gave a little girl an extra strike,” said Nelson, of Richton Park, who was scheduled to undergo jaw surgery Tuesday afternoon. “I’m just trying to make sure the kids have fun.”
“There had been a number of unusual calls by the umpire,” Farquhar said in a statement given to Monee police and provided to the Tribune by his attorney, Ragan Freitag, a Will County board member. “I then asked the ump a sarcastic question about if he was too drunk to know we are trying to teach kids to play by the rules.”
Nelson said Farquhar then turned his back on him.
“As unmanly as a man can be, he turned away from me and said, ‘You’re nothing but a drunk,'” Nelson said of the mayor.
Nelson said he then reached for Farquhar’s arm to turn him around and confront him face to face. Farquhar called the gesture a push that necessitated he defend himself “by throwing up my right arm, which made a single contact to his left cheek with my right hand,” according to his statement.
“He threw the punch,” Nelson said. “I never saw it coming.”
Farquhar did not respond to telephone and email requests made by the Tribune for comment.
The baseball and softball group’s vice president said Farquhar admitted to throwing the punch.
“We talked to Jay, and he did tell us he punched (Nelson),” Willoughby said.
Court records show that more than a decade ago, Farquhar’s ex-wife sought orders of protections against him.
According to online Will County court records, orders of protection were granted against Farquhar by his ex-wife in 2001 and 2002. The petition for the order in 2001 accuses Farquhar of threatening behavior and alleges he “threw (her) on the bed and sat on top of (her),” according to court documents.
An order the woman sought in 2005 was not granted and she dropped the matter.
Farquhar’s attorney said the orders have no relevance to the incident at the baseball game.
Darian Garner, head coach of the visiting Park Forest team, was coaching first base when the altercation occurred.
“The mayor was the aggressor,” Garner said.
In response to Farquhar’s claim that he was defending himself against the umpire, Garner said, “Oh, no. … The mayor did call (Nelson) a drunk, so the umpire stepped up toward him. … Then all of a sudden, the mayor punched him.”
Garner said the umpire may have made a bad call, but Farquhar started the argument.
“It might have been a bad call, yes or no,” Garner said. “When I heard the commotion, I turned around, saw a brief exchange, and very soon afterward, the mayor punched him.
“I do not know if the umpire placed his hand on the mayor,” Garner said. “If (Nelson) did touch (Farquhar), it must have been very subtle because I was watching.”
Michael Adami, of Park Forest, grandfather of the girl who was at bat, said he was seated about 5 feet behind the umpire, serving as scorekeeper. Farquhar and Nelson had been yelling at each other, Adami said, but it escalated after Farquhar called Nelson a drunk.
Adami said he saw Nelson reach for the mayor while saying, “You don’t call me a drunk.” Farquhar then punched him, saying something to the effect of “you don’t touch me,” Adami said.
Farquhar landed a “well-placed” punch “like he was an experienced boxer,” he said. “He was a pretty big guy. He was towering over the umpire.”
Adami said Nelson had been “encouraging kids” the entire game with calls such as “good swing,” “just about a strike” and “good pitch.” He said Nelson was treating boys and girls on both teams equally.
Jason Fanello, assistant coach for the Park Forest team, said Nelson “is probably the best umpire in our league.”
Nelson said he continued to umpire the game while Farquhar was escorted out. He said he knew his jaw hurt after the game but did not go to the hospital until Sunday night because he assumed all he needed was a shot. Instead, X-rays revealed his jaw is broken in two places, he said, and surgery was scheduled.
Nelson said he attempted to file a complaint with the Monee Police Department but the department would not take it. Police called Nelson “agitated and uncooperative,” according to a statement from Ruben Bautista, Monee village administrator, who was fielding calls for the Police Department on Monday.
Will County sheriff’s Deputy Chief Tom Budde said Nelson filed a complaint Monday with the sheriff’s office.
“(Nelson) did admit that he grabbed the mayor prior to being struck,” Budde said.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter.
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