Two teams were suspended from the Dartmouth District Minor Baseball Association league after incidents during an under-18 game on the BJ Higgins Ball Field in the Cole Harbour Common on Monday. Photo by Tim Krochak /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentTwo baseball teams have been suspended from the Dartmouth District Minor Baseball Association (DDMBA) U18 league after a game with incidents of verbal abuse and physical altercations involving players, coaches, parents and umpires.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentBoth teams, named Diamond Dawgs Navy and Diamond Dawgs Black, are part of the Diamond Dawgs baseball club. The teams will not be allowed to play in the playoffs.Article contentArticle contentArticle content“We recognize that suspending teams is a difficult and serious step,” the association wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday.Article content“However, the DDMBA has a responsibility to uphold the standards of conduct expected within our association and to ensure that our ballparks remain safe and respectful environments for everyone.”Article contentThe game between the two Diamond Dawgs teams that breached the code of conduct happened at the B.J. Higgins Ball Field in Cole Harbour on Monday night.Article contentIt included “verbal and derogatory abuse directed toward an opposing player,” “physical contact between opponents during the game” and “inappropriate contact and interactions by parents with umpires, both during and following the game,” stated the association in the post.Article contentIt announced the suspension on Facebook on Tuesday. The post was deleted less than 24 hours later.Article contentIn an email to The Chronicle Herald, the association stated it resolved the “matter internally” and declined to comment further on the incident that led to the suspension.Article contentArticle content“We really want to move on and focus on the great baseball currently happening,” the association wrote.Article contentArticle contentA concern of baseball cultureArticle contentZach Wells coaches the Halifax Aces, an under-18 team that competes against the Diamond Dawgs. He said he was “not at all surprised” to hear that the teams had been suspended.Article contentHe described the behaviour of the players as “basically late teenage boys being allowed to govern themselves without any real intervention from the adults involved with the team, whether it was coaches or parents.”Article contentDuring an Aces game against the Navy team, Wells said, he noticed boys banging bats on the dugout, using “colourful” language and speaking disrespectfully about opposing players and coaches and the umpires.Article content The suspensions were issued after a game on the B.J. Higgins Ballfield in the Cole Harbour Common. Photo by Tim Krochak /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentNormally, Halifax minor baseball teams play within the Halifax association but, because there are fewer U18 teams, they play in the Dartmouth league instead.Article contentThe league is recreational, but Wells said the Diamond Dawgs teams have players who could easily be in a competitive league. In the regular season standings, the two Diamond Dawgs teams sit at the top.
League suspends two Dartmouth U18 baseball teams from playoffs after game erupts in player, parent and umpire clashes
