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He said Jones then “came walking toward me and said, ‘Another word from you, Coach, and you will be ejected.’ ”

The home plate umpire, who is bilingual, intervened in the mid-game conflict and told Jones there was no rule prohibiting players from speaking Spanish on the field, Burciaga said.

According to Burciaga, Jones said he could not tell if Gadsden players were insulting or cursing their Alamogordo opponents in Spanish, and wanted players to speak English so he could ensure good sportsmanship was maintained.

The other umpire, Burciaga said, assured Jones that he understood Spanish and would put a stop to any foul language. Burciaga, a 1999 Gadsden High grad, said that the coaching staff would have stopped any of their players from cursing in Spanish.

No one was ejected from the game, which Alamogordo won, and the Gadsden coaching staff told their players they could continue to speak Spanish, Burciaga said.

The Gadsden Independent School District, which serves southern Doña Ana County in an area that bumps up against the Mexican border, is 97 percent Hispanic, and Spanish is the language spoken at home for many students.

“This is how people communicate in this area,” Burciaga said. “Some English, some Spanish, some Spanglish. It’s how it is.”

Burciaga said he informed school officials about the matter and that a complaint is expected to be filed with the New Mexico Activities Association today.

The athletic directors for Gadsden Independent and Alamogordo public schools could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Dusty Young, associate director of the NMAA, said the organization will investigate the incident if a complaint is received. The NMAA executive director would have the final say on disciplinary action if any is deemed warranted, Young said.

“I’m not trying to get him (Jones) fired,” Burciaga said. “My goal is to educate the person.”

Burciaga also said that after the second umpire backed up the Gadsden High coaches’ position that no rule prohibited their players from speaking Spanish on the diamond, Jones appeared furious.

Burciaga said that when he yelled in Spanish for his third baseman to watch out for a bunt by an Alamogordo player later in the game, he also shouted an English translation for the umpire.

“Things like this shouldn’t happen on the baseball field,” Burciaga said. “If we don’t say anything, it’s bound to happen again, and that’s what we want to prevent.”

Gadsden High plans to file complaint with NMAA.

“Our players will not stop speaking Spanish, and they will not be ejected.” — EMMANUEL BURCIAGA, GADSDEN HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT BASEBALL COACH

— This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal