Little League Umpire Popped For Crystal Meth In Ballpark Parking Lot

The national umpire shortage got even tighter Saturday when an umpire working a Texas little league tournament was arrested in the parking lot in possession of crystal meth. Harris County Sheriff's deputies were tipped off that the umpire was up to "suspicious activity" in his car and it led to the arrest of 35-year-old Brent Thrasher.

Police say they found 2.7 grams of crystal meth in Thrasher's car, and he was immediately thrown out of the tournament and into a police cruiser.

According to KETK, Thrasher was arrested in 2018 for threatening a public servant and he has an arrest record going back more than 15 years when he was just fooling around with pot.

Lost in all the talk about Thrasher being outed for possessing ice is his on-field performance. How was his strike zone? Did he have problems calling balls and strikes? Was he a worthy umpire? These are legit questions because of how hard it is to find a blue to calls balls and strikes.

Little Leagues across the country are facing deep shortages of umps who are willing to be screamed at by parents. Perhaps it's not the worst thing in the world for umpires to dabble in crystal meth to help them get through the game.

Did Brent throw coaches out of games for no reason? Were there behavioral issues? Let's not just throw the book at an umpire because he jumps on the ice wagon. However, would it be too much to ask Brent to be a little more discreet with his crystal meth? Come on, Brent. Hide the drugs from the parents who are hopped up on pills and booze.

'Perfect Game,' the little league event organizer, said Brent's 100% done with the organization:

"This umpire will never work for us again," Perfect Game told KETK. "Brent Thrasher worked for us years ago and one of our umpire assigners brought him back on for Saturday’s game. He does not consistently umpire for the little league games. It is by federal law that we background check everyone who works for Perfect Game and we look for violence against women and children charges or sexual violence charges."