Sports

Lawsuit Filed After Umpire Calls Mayor's Son Out At The Plate

High-stakes kickball politics ends in litigation.

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There are two settings in this world for aging hyper-aggressive tools. One is local politics, where being a big fish in the world’s smallest pond offers a salve to every inadequacy. The other is recreational sports, where middle-aged potzers suck down beers and unironically act out Bruce Springsteen’s “Glory Days” one 10-second, 40-yard dash at a time. Bringing the two together creates a noxious brew that’s now winding its way into the courts.

Mayor Michael Lockliear of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, apparently plays kickball on a team with his son. Over the summer, he had an altercation with an umpire when Lockliear’s son was called out at home plate. The umpire, Graylnn Moran Jr., was informed by his boss two days after the plate call that “someone did not want him officiating any longer and that he was fired.” He sees it as what passes for political revenge in this town and filed a lawsuit.

Per NBC:

Lockliear and his son were playing for a recreational kickball team called “Recreational Hazard” and were playing offense in the bottom of the eighth inning when the call happened. According to the lawsuit, Lockilear’s son was running to home plate when the opposing team, the “Toe Jammers,” tagged him in the back of the leg with the ball.

Full credit for “Recreational Hazard” as a rec league team name.

The mayor did not agree with the call and is willing to admit he argued with the umpire even if he denies using his influence to get Moran fired:

“I’m very competitive, and I would have argued that call even if it wasn’t my son,” Lockliear said. “Because we were down 4-3 in the bottom inning. And then I thought he was safe, he looked safe, he was past the bag when he got hit by the ball. I said, ‘He was past the bag’ three times and then walked away.”

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Well, at least he admits that he’s very competitive. He also retains an encyclopedic memory of the game conditions of a children’s game that he plays as a grown-ass man, which isn’t weird at all. That might be why the lawsuit thinks Lockilear went a little further with his tirade:

The mayor allegedly kept yelling at the umpire until Moran Jr. told him that he was representing the town and should calm down.

“I own this town!” Lockliear allegedly responded. “You won’t have to worry about representing this town anymore because you won’t be back out here.”

Is “I own this town,” the more disturbing thing an elected official could say in an era of rising fascist tendencies or the absolute saddest thing any human being could say about an 11K-person hamlet? Can it be both?

Either way, I’d hate to have to requisition a new park teeter-totter or whatever it is that passes for high stakes politics in this bareknuckle-politics town.

Umpire claims in lawsuit South Carolina mayor had him fired over kickball call [NBC News]

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HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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