High school coach fights back after ballplayer's parent sues

By GREG RISLING
Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) A former standout college player who went on to make his career as a high school coach, John Emme has spent most of his life around baseball.

But for the past two years it has been legal issues that have preoccupied the time and energy of the former University of California, Davis, star. Emme is battling a pair of lawsuits filed by Dr. Marc Martinez, who claims the 39-year-old coach committed negligence by allowing his son to pitch too many innings, damaging his arm and his chances for a future in baseball.

So far, Martinez has struck out twice, with both lawsuits being rejected by a judge. Emme, meanwhile, is countersuing for $1 million in Orange County Superior Court, accusing the physician of malicious prosecution and of tarnishing his reputation.

Depositions are slated for next week. Among the people to be interviewed by Emme's attorney is J.D. Martinez, the former player at the center of the dispute. He has never spoken publicly about it.

``The damage has already been done to me,'' Emme said recently. ``I hope this whole ordeal will prevent it happening to anyone else.''

Experts say so-called disappointment lawsuits like the two filed by J.D. Martinez's father are becoming more commonplace. Most are frivolous, according to coaching organizations, and are brought by parents who have unrealistic opinions about a child's athletic ability.

``Most of the time it's the athlete not living up to a parent's expectation,'' said Bob Ferraro, executive director of the National High School Coaches Association. ``The coach is the easiest person to blame when an athlete fails, but the coach is the one doing everything to ensure an athlete is successful.''

Marc Martinez denies that's the case with his son. He said J.D. Martinez, now 20, was good enough to get 30 letters of interest from major universities after he left his Corona del Mar High School team in Newport Beach.

Emme says J.D. Martinez had a 4-7 win-loss record and an ERA of nearly 5.00 during his junior year in 2000. The teenager pitched 50 innings over the three-month season, according to the coach, and never threw a fastball over 80 mph. Both those statistics are considered average for a pitcher in the high school ranks, according to Emme.

During one game, Emme said, he pulled J.D. Martinez aside after the pitcher gave up five runs in one inning and told him he would lose his spot in the starting rotation if he continued to throw fastballs and didn't mix up his pitches. The pitcher responded by going out the next inning and retiring three batters on only five pitches, Emme said.

That was the last time he pitched for Corona del Mar. His father pulled him from the team and he did not play his senior year.

The father, meanwhile, disputes Emme's statistics and says his son wasn't the only pitcher who was overworked.

``Parents were coming to me saying their kids' arms were hurting,'' said Marc Martinez, who coached some of the players during the offseason. ``They asked me to talk to coach Emme, and when I approached him, he wasn't receptive.''

In his first lawsuit filed in mid-2001, Marc Martinez claimed Emme hurt his son's chances to play either in college or a professional league by making him throw too many pitches and by making derogatory statements to college coaches about both father and son.

The second suit accused Emme of slander, alleging he made false comments about the younger Martinez to a local newspaper.

Both actions were dismissed for lack of merit, although the father is appealing the second dismissal.

The legal fight has cost the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, which represented Emme, more than $20,000.

``The reason why I want to continue this is to hold coach Emme accountable for what he did,'' Marc Martinez said. ``Emme is a great coach and knows a lot about baseball, but he wants to win at all costs. He shouldn't be coaching 15- and 16-year-old kids.''

Emme denies he overused the teen or bad-mouthed him to college coaches. He called J.D. Martinez a ``good kid with a strong work ethic,'' adding that scouts who came to the games ``approached me about other players, but not J.D.''

Marc Martinez said his son now attends the University of San Diego. He didn't make the baseball team last year, but plans to try out again next month.

``He's rolled with the punches,'' the father said.

Emme still coaches at Corona del Mar, where he has led the team to three league championships and a state title since taking the helm in 1997. But he says the experience has made him consider quitting.

``It has taken away a lot of passion and love for the game,'' he said.

The debate over whether parents or coaches are to blame for youth sports disputes continues.

Industry observers say too much emphasis has been placed on winning and less on intangibles such as sportsmanship and teamwork. They say parents should offer support and perspective to their kids and not focus on the final score.

``A vast majority of parents are well intentioned,'' said Dr. Joel Fish, author of the book, ``101 Ways to be a Terrific Sports Parent'' and director of The Center of Sports Psychology in Philadelphia. ``It's easy to have a blind spot about how talented your child is. But you can get a second opinion on your child's talent level to gauge if someone is seeing what you are seeing.''

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)