11

THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, July 24, 2020 Page 11 THE SPORTS WIRE: Malden Babe Ruth Baseball and Youth Baseball back on the diamonds By Steve Freker W hen the first pitch was thrown of the 2020 version of the Malden Babe Ruth League (BRL) baseball season recently, it was a long-awaited baby step toward some degree of normalcy for Malden’s youths. And even for those not so young. As a matter of fact, one of Malden BRL’s managers, who could be seen assembled on his usual perch, is north of his 80th birthday and is starting his eighth (Yes, that’s no typo – 8th!) decade of association with Malden baseball this summer. Of course, we are talking about Bob Rotondi, the local icon who has been going at it from a local baseball dugout since the 1950s (!) with the Little League Rifles. This season he is in his 58th season managing the Malden Babe Ruth Knights...and that’s consecutive years, folks! Malden BRL Field Director Deano Summers even said it a couple of weeks ago – “We are not having a season unless Bob [Rotondi] is involved.” In April at the height of the pandemic, it was not known for sure if there would any chance of any sports being played, let alone the Malden Babe Ruth or youth baseball seasons. They all persevered, however, and Malden BRL kicked off with four teams, named by colors rather than mascots, as no league team Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives' votes on roll calls from the week of July 1317. There were no roll calls in the House last week. CHANGES IN POLICING (S. 2800) Senate 30-7, approved and sent to the House a bill making major changes in the state’s policing system. The measure creates a Police Officer Standards and Accreditation Committee (POSAC)—an independent state entity composed of law enforcement professionals, community members and racial justice advocates—to standardize the certification, training and decertification of police officers. Other provisions ban chokeholds that are performed with the intent of or with the result of causing unconsciousness or death; ban other deadly uses of force except in cases of imminent harm; require the use of de-escalation tactics when feasible; create a duty to intervene for Malden Youth Baseball and the Malden Babe Ruth League both kicked off abbreviated seasons last week. Above, Kendrick Noelsaint is shown with his father, Rodens Noelsaint, at Bruce Field at Devir Park before the Stingrays game.(Steve Freker Photo) had the number of returnees to form an entire squad. “With the very late start, it was not easy to pull it together, and since we were unable to do any of our regular fundraising, like canning around the city, we are not able to do what we usually do, financially,” said Summers, who’s been involved in Malden Babe Ruth baseball as a manager (Flames) or administrator over 30 years himself. So far it’s been a little spotty out there on the diamonds at Rotondi Field at Howard Park and up at Pine Banks, where the teams play games, but it’s a welcome sight to have games going at all. “We are just grateful that working with the city and Malden Rec officials we officers who witness abuse of force; limit qualified immunity defense for officers whose conduct violates the law; expand and strengthen police training in de-escalation, racism and intervention tactics; and ban racial profiling, require racial data collection for all police stops and require reporting and analysis. “We have lots of wonderful police officers, and I am grateful for their service,” said Sen. Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont). “But we cannot turn a blind eye to the problems that do exist in the state which have been so recently documented by the United States Department of Justice. Nor should we pretend that those problems are the only problems in the state. This legislation is long overdue and I’m glad we are moving forward.” “I voted no because the bill that was brought before the Senate was hastily written and then pushed through to a vote in less than a week,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “These actions result in a flawed product with multiple unintended consequences. For example, the language in this bill significantly dilutes and diminishes qualified immunity, not just for law enforcement officers, but for all municipal employees. Additionally, the bill would make it illegal for police and school administrations were able to do a shortened season and give the kids of Malden some baseball this summer,” said Summers. Not to mention keeping Bob Rotondi’s streak going! Malden Babe Ruth Baseball plays Monday and Tuesday nights at Rotondi Field (behind Malden Catholic) and Wednesday and Thursday nights at the Pine Banks Park grass field. All games start at 7:00 p.m. Malden Youth Baseball kicks off shortened season Malden Youth Baseball, featuring players of Little League ages, eight to 12, also started an abbreviated season last week. League director Felice D’Anna reports that there are two divisions running this summer, with two games per week for each team over five weeks, possibly six in total with playoffs. D’Anna said it is nice to see the smiles on the players out there on the baseball diamond after months of being confined primarily to their own homes. “The kids are excited and so are to communicate about gang and drug-related activity occurring in the school district, in turn making our schools and students less safe.” “This bill is a vital step towards a new vision of public safety: one that’s built on accountability, de-escalation, and care,” said Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz (D-Boston). “It begins the long, necessary work of shifting power and resources to black communities and communities of color who have, for too long, faced criminalization and punishment instead of investment.” “In my opinion, we don’t know enough about how changing these standards of qualified immunity and collective bargaining will affect law enforcement, municipal employees, court systems, and labor unions in our state,” said Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield). “I believe we need subject-matter experts to help inform us and make recommendations, in order to be absolutely certain that we are meeting the goals of our legislation without any unintended consequences. That being said, I also believe that there is a lot of good work accomplished in this legislation, and I fully intend and hope to vote for a conference committee bill that accomplishes our goals and will be signed by the governor.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” the coaches and parents; it’s just great be out there,” said D’Anna, who helps coach a team in the Major Division himself. For Joe Levine, who doubles as the City of Malden Recreation program manager, its “Back to the Future” summer as he has taken the reins of the Stingrays as team manager in Malden Youth Baseball. For the past several decades, he has coached youth sports in girls’ sports, such as softball and basketball, serving one stint in the 2000s as Malden High head girls basketball coach. “I haven’t coached boys’ teams in about 30 years, so it’s a big change,” said Levine, who played on the Malden High baseball and basketball teams in the early 1970s. “So far, so good. It’s great that the kids get a chance to play some ball this summer, or any sports.” Some other Malden youth sports leagues are still “on hold” It remains to be seen if some other Malden youth sports, such as youth soccer and Pop Warner Football, will be able to get on the fields this year. As it stands now, football and soccer, at any level from youth to college, are restricted to drills and socially distanced group activities only, with no games allowed. These restrictions are part of Governor Baker’s Phase III plan for the reopening of sports, which places individuvote is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis Yes STUDY QUALIFIED IMMUNITY (S. 2800) Senate 16-24, rejected an amendment striking a section of the bill which sets new limits on qualified immunity protections that currently shield police and other government officials from civil suits. The amendment would replace the section with a special commission to study the state’s current qualified immunity and report back to the Legislature within six months. Qualified immunity is a judicially-created legal doctrine established by the U.S. Supreme Court. Under current qualified immunity, police officers and other government officials can only be held accountable in civil suits for violating someone’s rights if a court has previously ruled that it was “clearly established” those precise actions were unconstitutional. Supporters of the study said they are not saying that qualified immunity should exist without some change nor that it should be abolished. They are simply saying that the Senate needs more information on the subject before taking any action. “We don’t have enough information,” said Sen. John Velis (D-Westal sports into various levels: Level One (lower risk), Level Two (moderate risk), Level Three (higher risk). The risk levels are associated with the level of potential transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Risk levels Sports are broken down into “Lower Risk,” “Moderate Risk” and “Higher Risk.” LEVEL ONE/Lower Risk: Activities that can be done with social distancing or individually. Examples include batting cages, tennis, pickleball, swimming, catch, golf, biking, surfing, horseback riding, sailing, fishing, hunting, motor sports, gymnastics, yoga and no-contact exercise classes. LEVEL TWO/Moderate Risk: Sports that involve occasional contact, but where protective equipment like masks can reduce the risk of spreading the virus. Examples include baseball, softball, crew/sailing (two to three people in a boat), track & field, cross-country, running clubs, team swimming, volleyball, dance class, fencing, field hockey and no-contact lacrosse. LEVEL THREE/Higher Risk: Recreation activities that involve close contact and, therefore, have a high risk of transmission. Examples include football, wrestling, soccer, rugby, basketball, lacrosse, ice hockey, competitive cheer, martial arts, crew/sailing (more than three people in a boat) and ultimate frisbee. field), the sponsor of the study amendment. “We need to do a deep-dive." “We need to hear from stakeholders," continued Velis. "Our job is not to watch CNN or Fox News to get informed, it’s our job to vote in the best interest of constituents.” Opponents of the study said the limits the bill places on qualified immunity are reasonable and fair and are a compromise between doing nothing and abolishing qualified immunity outright. Critics say that qualified immunity has shielded violent police officers from being personally responsible for their actions. Supporters of it say that limiting qualified immunity puts police officers at risk of frivolous lawsuits. Carol Rose of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts said setting some limits on qualified immunity is a start. “In order to make any laws about excessive use of force meaningful, it is absolutely essential to reform qualified immunity,” said Rose. “While the ACLU and many of our allies still wish to see qualified immunity eliminated, we commend the Senate for taking this critical action and urge the House to do the same. The Boston Police Patrolmen’s BHRC | SEE PAGE 13

12 Publizr Home