The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

Less than nine months after the son-father combo of Greg Burrows Jr and Sr were served with suspensions of 15 and five years respectively, the Bahamas Baseball Association lifted the sanctions with immediate effect.

In a letter issued on Thursday, the BBA stated that the “decision has been made after the BBA’s deliberations and discussions with the relevant parties concerning the events that occurred during the Babe Ruth 2023 Caribbean Championships.

“The association is confident that the correct measures were undertaken by the relevant parties in a spirit of continued advancement of baseball as a unified sporting community within the Bahamas.”

When contacted for further clarification, BBA secretary general Theodore Sweeting said the decision is what it is and there are no further comments to be made at this time.

Further pressed as to who were the relevant parties involved in the discussion to make the decision, Sweeting said it’s a matter that the BBA will decline to disclose.

When contacted for comments, Burrows Sr also declined to make any comments. He noted that he didn’t have any comments when the decision was handed down and he doesn’t have any right now as it was revoked.

Also when contacted for comments, Bahamas Olympic Committee president Rommel Knowles said although the BBA falls under their jurisdiction, they cannot intervene in internal matters unless asked to do so.

He noted that officially “it’s baseball jurisdiction to handle a matter as best as they see fit. The BOC does not have an opinion on the suspension one way or the other.”

Knowles, however, pointed out that as the president, he had a discussion with the BBA’s president Sam Rodgers and indicated that they decided to deal with the matter in house.

“We were not invited to intervene or to oversee the matter,” Knowles said. “The suspension matter is a matter for the BBA and they have the rights to deal with it internally.”

Just for clarity, the BBA issued the suspensions respectively to the Burrows for their actions against Curacao’s home plate umpire Edaine Cannister during a medal placement game in the Babe Ruth Championships at the Andre Rodgers Baseball Stadium on July 30.

In the 16-and-under game played between the Bahamas and Puerto Rico, Cannister ejected Burrows Jr as the manager of Team Bahamas for his constant complaint over a head apparel that the Puerto Rican pitcher was wearing.

After being ejected and refusing to leave the stadium, Burrows Sr, who served as the Babe Ruth League Caribbean commissioner, approached Cannister, along with two other tournament officials, with the view of having Burrows Jr reinstated.

Cannister, a 60-plus year old tournament umpire with more than 40 years of officiating, refused to reinsert Burrows Jr, who verbally abused Cannister from the sidelines and subsequently attacked the 60-plus year-old visiting official in the umpires’ room after the game.

After filing a formal complaint with the BBA, a four-member special panel was assembled, consisting of chairmen Tony Scriven, a lawyer, Brian Armbrister, a Bahamian pro scout, Tommy Stubbs, a former player/administrator and Keith Seymour, another lawyer.

The panel, in reviewing the accuracy of eyewitnesses’ statements and account of the incidents, provided their recommendations to the BBA, who presented the facts and its final report.