We had our 13U team out practicing at the local park. Pitchers/cathchers in the bullpen, hitters in the cage. Youth s****r teams practicing harmlessly in the outfield. Been doing it for a while. No big deal.
About halfway through practice, a ball escaped from a small hole in the netting (we were unaware of) and landed near a couple of s*o*c*c*e*r moms. Our coach throwing in the cage immdediately yelled "heads up!" before the ball landed. I was standing near the hitters giving instruction.
Before I get to the other end of the cage, the two moms are going absolutely ballistic at the other coach...I mean I've never seen anything like it. Part of me was worried that something terribly wrong had happened, but I couldn't figure out what yet...everyone seemed fine...no one down on the ground or anything like that.
I say something like, "hey, lets calm down and figure out what happened." One mom is screaming at me that someone could have been killed. Again I'm concerned..."ok, did the ball hit someone?" "YES, ME IN THE LEG," she screams. "Are you alright?" I asked. "YES, BUT I COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"
By now, I'm pretty sure everthing is ok, so I ask if I may have the baseball back and "lets go look at the cage for why this happened." "NO!, I'M CALLING 911!," she's screaming. "OK, go ahead and do that, but can I have the ball back?" "NO! WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?" "I'm sorry ma'am, but what do you mean who's responsible?" Now I'm getting a little nervous...what is this all about?
"Who owns this cage?" she asks. "Well, the city I suppose (true answer as far as I know)," I responded. "NO! I want to know who's responsible?" Getting very nervous now. "I just don't know how to answer that question," I say, "but lets try to figure out how to fix it." "NO! I'M CALLING 911!" "OK," I say, now somewhat looking forward to this visit from the police.
I return to the hitting end of the cage and am coaching my hitters again when she walks by on the way to the restroom..."May I please have our baseball back?," I again ask. "NO! YOU CAN GET IT BACK FROM THE REC. DEPT. TOMORROW!" "Ma'am, come on, would you like me to keep the s****r ball everytime it bounces onto the baseball field?" "NO!," she says, "but you probably would (or something like that)."
Finally, a policeman arrives. By the time he gets to me, he's practically laughing. Our other coach and I tell them everything we know...he says, "ok, I don't see any laws broken here?"
I ask him, "could YOU please get my baseball back?" "OK, I'll try," he says.Five minutes pass, he comes back to me, "Sir, would you like me to place her under arrest for petty theft?" WHOA!
I sense an opportunity... 
...it really seems like justice at this point to me. But I say, "as tempting as it is, no, just ask her again for the baseball please." Another five minutes pass before he returns with the baseball..."how did you get it I asked?" By now another policeman has arrived. He's giggling as he tells me, "well, the other officer told her she had committed a crime and asked for the ball back...when she refused to give it back unless you (me) apologized, he told her he was going to have to take her to jail, finally she relented."As that person left the park, she was still as hot as I've seen anyone in a very long time. I still am not too sure why.
Anyone else got a neighbor/parent gone mad story?
Hopefully you won't contact Mrs. JBB for a few stories to contribute. I could be in big trouble on that one. YIKES! 
. Glad you kept your sense of humor and your wits about you, and did not succumb to the lures of our increasingly litigious society. Crazy people, these s.....moms! 
