The brilliant Judge Leo Holt let the old man (30-something yrs old, btw) off with time served, which amounted to 60 days the idiot had spent in County Jail. But that wasn’t enough – Holt felt the need to indicate baseball itself:
"Baseball is a microcosm of the society, and as such, has both the desirable and undesirable," Holt said. "The violence that ballplayers are exposed to comes from within.”
"What fan has not seen a pitcher intentionally hurl a baseball at a player's head at 90 miles per hour?" the judge said. "Who has not seen a batter leave home plate headed for the pitcher's mound, bat in hand, bent on mischief and mayhem?"