The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMAS Baseball Association president Sam Rodgers welcomed the support of the World Baseball Softball Confederation and its affiliated member COCABE on the suspension of father and son Greg Burrows Jr and Sr for 15 and five years respectively.

The duo were issued the suspensions by the BBA for the role they played against visiting home plate umpire Edaine Cannister from Curacao during the placement game in the under-16 division between the Bahamas and Puerto Rico in the Babe Ruth Caribbean Baseball Tournament in July at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium.

Burrows Sr, the Commissioner for Babe Ruth Caribbean, served as the tournament organiser, but he was penalised for how he tried to get his son, Burrows Jr, who served as the manager of Team Bahamas, to be reinserted into the game after he was ejected by the umpire for his constant agitation for the Puerto Rican pitcher to be removed from the game for a headband he was wearing,

In a letter written to Rodgers and signed by COCABE’s Curacao general president George de Lira and secretary Manuel Fries from the Dominican Republic, COCABE said they “share the membership of your institution and by sharing this membership between both entities, we understand any decision that the BBA assume after a violation of a regulation in a tournament, we have to support that decision.”

Rodgers said COCABE has indicated that they have read the report and they agree with the suspensions for Burrows Sr and Jr.

“We just wanted them to see the reports that came in and what went down, and if they agreed with the penalties that we issued,” said Rodgers, who noted that their decision was made following the investigation by a four-man panel to review all of the eye witness reports that were submitted to the BBA. After the Babe Ruth League became a private entity, Rodgers said the BBA has the right to intervene when there are international components involved such as visiting teams and officials from different countries.

He noted that Babe Ruth League, who indicated in a letter to Prime Minister Philip David that they will continue to utilize the service of Burrows Sr as their commissioner, will simply have to look at someone else, other than Burrows Sr coordinating the tournament if they return next year.

Burrows Sr also serves as the founding president of Freedom Farm, the private youth baseball league, which was involved in the organizing of the Babe Ruth Caribbean League tournament.

“We have no problem with Babe Ruth bringing the tournament back,” Rodgers said. “It’s just that Greg Burrows Sr and Jr will not be allowed to participate,” Rodgers said.

“The BBA have no affiliation with the Babe Ruth League in bringing the tournament tpo the Bahamas. But the Babe Ruth League just got confirmed as an affiliate of World Baseball Softball Confederation and the Bahamas is a full member. So they don’t have to answer to the BBA, but as a member of the WBSC, I can file a complaint against the Babe Ruth League with the tournament being held in the Bahamas.”

As a result of the umpire being a member of the International Umpires Association and as a visitor to the Bahamas, the BBA was asked to get involved to protect the Bahamas and its future involvement in COCABE and WBSC.

COCABE, in its letter to Rodgers, said they support the five years suspension of Burrows Sr and the 15 years forf Burrows Jr.

The letter is read as follows:

After a special Caribbean greeting, we are writing this communication to support the Bahamas Baseball Association on the decision recently submitted of suspending Mr Greg Burrows Sr and Mr Greg Burrows Jr for violating the rules of the Caribbean Babe Ruth Baseball Championships.

Despite the Cocabe and the Babe Ruth League events are not related in their activities, we share the membership of your institution and by sharing this membership between both entities, we understand that any decision that thed BBA assumew after a violation of a regulation in a tournament we have to support that decision.

Having said that, the COCABE supports the five years suspension of Mr Greg Burrows Sr and the 15 years of Mr Greg Burrows Jr from all baseball activities regarding our Caribbean Institution and all our superiors like the COPABE/WBSC Americas and the WBSC.

Without further ado, we say goodbye on behalf of all Caribbean Baseball.