RAGE ON THE BASEBALL FIELD FIGHT BETWEEN TWO PONY COACHES LEADS TO CRIMINAL CASE, LAWSUIT.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO

Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- A "close call" and a fight that followed involving two opposing coaches at a PONY League baseball game in Acton has led to a criminal case and a civil lawsuit.

The incident occurred during a game involving 13- and 14-year-olds between Colin McKay, who was coaching the Acton Angels, and Frank Landano, who was a coach for a team from Lake Los Angeles, the lawsuit said.

"The victim and defendant were coaches for different teams. There was some kind of disagreement and words were exchanged," Deputy District Attorney Joseph Payne said. "At some point, Mr. Landano lost his temper, hit Mr. McKay and broke his nose."

Landano, a Lake Los Angeles resident, pleaded no contest in April to felony battery with serious bodily injury and was sentenced to three years' probation and ordered to do 60 days' community service, court records show.

He also was ordered to cooperate with his probation officer in a plan for anger-management counseling, the records show.

McKay, who lives in Acton, sued Landano and the Quartz Hill Pony League in July, alleging battery, negligence, emotional distress and "bystander emotional distress" because McKay's son was playing and his wife and other son were at the May 2006 game and witnessed the attack.

Landano declined to comment.

"This has nothing to do with Quartz Hill Pony League. We are in the business of building up PONY baseball for youth so they can play. We are not in the business of tearing it down because of a man's pride being hurt," said one league official, who declined to be identified.

Sports rage among parents has become more prevalent today than 10 or 20 years ago, said Dave Czesniuk, director of operations for the Boston-based Center for the Study of Sport in Society.

"I think that maybe these are parents who have come from a history of sports involvement themselves and are having a hard time letting go of their own experiences," Czesniuk said. "They are living vicariously through their children sometimes. It's not healthy."

"They need to focus on establishing an identity for themselves as a supportive parent and responsible coach and educator and realize that they are not actually participating as players."

Payne said there were witnesses who supported Landano and said he had done nothing, but an off-duty police officer was at the game and witnessed what happened.

"The thing that really helped Mr. McKay was the fact that there was an off-duty LAPD detective who watched the whole thing," Payne said.

At the May 13 game, there was a "close call" at home plate at the bottom of the seventh inning involving McKay's son, Cameron, the lawsuit said.

"Landano became enraged at Cameron, apparently because he believed that Cameron had come in high with his cleats at home plate, thereby colliding with the Lake Los Angeles home plate catcher," the lawsuit said.

Landano screamed at Cameron and then screamed at the umpire, the lawsuit said. McKay came in from third base, he and Landano exchanged words and then they began yelling at each other. Both men have known each other for a long time, the lawsuit said.

When the two men ignored an umpire's order to stop fighting, they were ejected from the game, the lawsuit said. But the battle continued so the umpire cut the game short, the lawsuit said.

When the teams lined up to shake hands, McKay, according to the lawsuit, tried to talk to Landano in a nonthreatening manner.

"Instead, Landano got directly into Colin's face and began screaming at him and spitting at him. Colin realized that there would be no talking, so he stepped back in order to leave. At that moment Landano reached out and grabbed Colin's shirt and start(ed) shaking Colin back and forth," the lawsuit said.

Landano kneed McKay in the groin, causing him to fall to the ground, kicked him in the ribs, dug his fingers into his eye socket and gouged his face and neck, the lawsuit said.

Another Lake Los Angeles coach grabbed McKay from behind and put him in a headlock, the lawsuit said. Another person came and pulled that coach off McKay, the suit said.

During the incident, someone called 911, and, "other adult individuals at the game were able to eventually pull Landano off of Colin," the lawsuit said.

Three days later, a police report was taken, Payne said. Landano was then arrested on suspicion of battery, the lawsuit said.

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com

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