In Wednesday’s article entitled “Caught In The Middle,” The Times reported on a Demopolis Dixie Girls softball incident involving coach Jimmy Mackin and his seven and eight-year old Dixie Darling team.

Mackin claimed that in that particular game that after four innings of subjecting his team to a loud and obnoxious fan, he had had enough and forfeited the game. But there are always two sides to every story, and The Times wants to insure that both sides be told.

Lori Collier, coach of the opposing Dixie Darling team has a different view of what took place that day. According to Collier, there was no obnoxious fan yelling through four innings of that game. There was, however, a 16-year old uncertified umpire, an injury in the fourth inning and a dramatic display at the mound by Mackin as he stormed off the field.

What had happened was, one of our girls had gotten hit by a ball and was injured, but the umpire, from where she was standing couldn’t see the injured player, Collier said. I came out of the dugout and called time to check on my injured player. Mackin was on the mound pitching, not knowing that there was an injured player on the field. As he went on to pitch his next pitch, a fan yelled out to stop the game.

From there things took a turn for the worse. Mackin made a comment to the fan in the stands and tried to continue playing the game, Collier said. There was then a conversation between Mackin and the fans. Mackin then throws the ball into the air and walks off the field, forfeiting the game.

“I did flip the ball over my shoulder, before I walked off the field,” Mackin said. “But the ball didn’t come close to hitting anyone.”

Collier went on to say that Mackin had stated that there were remarks flown in his team’s direction about being losers and that was never took place.

After hearing Collier’s side of the story, Mackin still claimed that there was an irate screaming fan on the fence at that game and that the real problem with the entire situation was more about the rules than anything else.

“There was a fan screaming at the top of his lungs in that game,” Mackin said. “I did feel bad about how I left the field, though.”

Collier and her team will meet Mackin’s team again Friday night.