Conn. umpires' group wants sex offender to return award

TORRINGTON, Conn.—A Torrington baseball umpires group now wants a convicted sex offender return a lifetime achievement award it gave him two weeks ago, after initially defending its decision to bestow the honor.

The Torrington Board of Approved Baseball Umpires voted Monday night to rescind the award given to Tom Barbero, 58, of Torrington, who umpired area baseball games from 1970 to 1998.

Barbero was accused of assaulting three teenage boys, who were not involved with youth baseball teams, in 1994 and 1995.

He was sentenced in 2000 to four years in prison followed by 35 years probation and sex offender registration after pleading no contest to one count of second-degree sexual assault of a victim 13 to 15 years old and two counts of risk of injury to a minor.

Telephone messages seeking comment were left Tuesday for Barbero and Lou Fracasso, the umpire group's president.

After they gave Barbero the award, members of the umpires board said they knew about Barbero's criminal record but chose to honor him anyway because of his distinguished service.

"Tommy was one of the greats. He really was," Fracasso said last week when describing Barber's umpiring experience. "He's paid for what happened. He went to prison for it."

After media reports about Barbero being honored, the board met Monday night and decided to rescind the award.

"The Torrington Board of Umpires is dedicated to the communities and schools they service and are committed to ensuring that they provide a safe, healthy and enjoyable environment both on and off the baseball diamond," the board said in a statement.

"The membership recognizes the importance of a comprehensive review of its award recipients regarding future candidates," the statement said.

The board's secretary, Peter Battistoni, declined to say how many board members voted to rescind the award and whether Barbero must return the plaque he was given.

"I was told not to comment," Battistoni told The Register Citizen of Torrington.

The newspaper recently polled people on the Internet about Barbero's award, and nearly 83 percent of the 64 readers who responded said Barbero should not have been honored.

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Information from: The Register Citizen, http://www.registercitizen.com