In a move that should give pause to all disabled people, Little League officials asked an obviously-paralyzed fan ‘to step away from the diamonds in Chagrin Falls, Ohio for the remainder of the 2020 season.’ The move came after Treg Charlton, 54, sparred with a parent who was upset by insults Charlton may have directed at her son.
Charlton, who uses an electronic device to communicate, reportedly replied, “You know what I find insulting? Your boy stranding 5 good men out there. He cost us the game.” After the parent clarified that they don’t keep score at this level, Charlton quickly turned his wheelchair around, perhaps startling the woman – who angrily retaliated by jabbing a huge, sausage-like finger into Charlton’s face, saying “You’re a bad man with a black heart.”
Charlton rationalized he was subjected to much worse in the late-70’s, when cursing from the stands was elevated to an art form by martini-fueled parents. I still can’t repeat some of the things I heard. “Up until age 14, I thought my name was ‘You shitty little long-haired bastard.’ I don’t care. I turned out fine.”
“I heard ‘Hey #8 – You Suck’ 500 times before my 10th birthday. And that was just from my Mom and brothers.”
-Treg Charlton
Treg Charlton (#8), is still dealing with anger and resentment issues stemming from Little League baseball. “Kids today dress like mini Major Leaguers. We were 10 times better and were lucky to get one crappy t-shirt. We played in Toughskins and Chuck Taylor’s for crissakes. My nephew is awesome, but even paralyzed, I can swing a bat better than half of his impeccably-dressed teammates.”
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