Coaches duke it out in front of team

Coaches duke it out in front of team

Coaches duke it out in front of team
Benching of player leads to fisticuffs
Thursday, June 30, 2005
By Stephanie Chen
River Parishes bureau
A heated argument between two parents that escalated into a fistfight at Noah Ball Park in LaPlace on Tuesday night might have looked like an ordinary case of sports rage, but there was one unusual element in the clash: The parents are coaches -- on the same team.

St. John the Baptist Parish sheriff's deputies broke up the fight between head coach Gregg Triche, 40, and his assistant, Ricky Johnson Sr., 43. The two apparently were fighting about Triche's decision to bench Johnson's 13-year-old son for missing practice. The fathers were calling each other offensive names and both denied throwing the first punch, authorities said.


The fight took place during a Noah baseball practice, and was witnessed by the team's 13- and 14-year-old players.

No arrests were made, and charges had not been filed by either party Wednesday, authorities said.

Johnson had no injuries, and Triche had minor injuries on his face.

Triche said Wednesday that he will file a battery charge against Johnson. He told deputies that Johnson hit him on the right side of the face.

"I started walking away and words were still being said, and he came after me and swung and hit me twice," Triche said.

Triche and Johnson said they spend more than five hours a week together during the summer baseball season. Their sons play on the same team, but when Johnson's son missed a practice because he plays for another baseball team, Triche said he would not let him play in the All-Star District baseball tournament this weekend.

"When it comes down to it, you really need to be at practice," said Triche, who said he has coached the Noah baseball team for eight years. "It wouldn't matter if it was my own son or any other child who showed up without a valid excuse."

Upset with Triche's decision, Johnson said he confronted him during practice. "I just wanted to talk to him and solve the problem."

Johnson said he did not hit Triche first. He said he thinks Triche keyed the back of his truck's tailgate, which Triche denies.

Deputies reported fresh paint flakes on Johnson's bumper and said Triche had been standing near Johnson's truck.