Youth Baseball Coach on Hot Seat After Setting Wet Infield on Fire

Sometimes, a rain delay just isn't an option.

A bantam baseball coach in Chateauguay, Quebec, has been suspended indefinitely after setting a wet infield on fire in a brilliant attempt to dry it.

Eyewitnesses reportedly contacted police after several bystanders noticed the coach retrieve two cans of gasoline, pour them over the infield dirt at Parc Yvan-Franco, and set it ablaze last Saturday. There were no injuries or damages reported. A spokesperson for the Chateauguay police told VICE Sports that the investigation is still ongoing and no charges had been laid as of Wednesday morning. She declined to comment further on the matter.

Calls by VICE Sports to Francois Vachon, the president of the Chateauguay Minor Baseball Association, went unanswered Wednesday. He told the Sherbrooke Times that the strange actions that occurred at the park Saturday were a result of bad judgement rather than malice.

"He wasn't angry and he had no bad intent. He thought that it was a good idea and was punished for it. The young people were disappointed and thought their coach had acted appropriately, because it is a figure of authority. But it was a lack of judgment on his part," Vachon said.

It was the 50-year-old's second season coaching in the league, and the organization hasn't had a problem with him aside from a one-game suspension after a verbal altercation with an umpire last year, according to Vachon.

"This is the first time [I've seen it]. I expect my coaches to be clean, I can't afford to keep someone under investigation. What image [does] it sends to young people?" wondered the president of the baseball association.

An assistant coach will take over the team, which boasts players between the ages of 14 and 15 years old.

I guess baseball really can be lit AF.