"You can't arrest me, you're a referee"

Among the many reasons not to attack a high school referee: He may be an off-duty state trooper. The Munster (Ind.) Times reports on a fan who picked a fight with the wrong guy.

From the article:

"The referee who was attacked -- Indiana State Police Trooper Glen Fifield -- said Rempala rushed out of the stands after the game and confronted the referees, screaming "you suck."

"Fifield said Rempala pointed at his chest and bumped him, but Fifield tried to walk away. A school official stepped in between the two, but he said Rempala went around the official and came after him again. Fifield said Rempala pushed him, at which time he identified himself as a police officer and told him he was under arrest.

"Rempala said, "You can't arrest me, you're a referee," and he pushed the trooper again, Fifield said. After a struggle and with assistance from spectators, Fifield gained control of Rempala and arrested him. Fifield said during the struggle, Rempala tried to choke him with his referee's whistle lanyard. Fifield said he suffered knee and shoulder pain after the struggle.

"Rempala, once he realized the referee he attacked really was a trooper, reportedly said, "That's not fair."

Thanks to Stephanie Compton for the tip.

Who's watching the referees?

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently ran a disturbing article exposing the criminal backgrounds of "dozens of active and past" sports officials working in Western Pennsylvania. The crimes committed by these officials, who work school games, are the kind that land you in the state pen: gun crimes, drug offenses, assaults, animal abuse, fraud, various forms of theft, drunken driving and auto accidents resulting in deaths.

And sex crimes. One offender cited in the article was charged with distributing computer images of young boys engaging in sex in October 2005. Days later, he was the referee at an eighth-grade football game.

This is unsettling stuff for parents, coaches, and the upright officials tarred by those who are not. Little League Baseball bills itself as the only national youth baseball organization that demands background checks on all volunteers. This story makes a strong case for others to follow that lead.

Stellar work by PG reporter Bill Moushey.