Baseball games getting postponed because of bad weather is nothing new. But this summer in Maryland, a contest was washed away not by rain clouds — but by firefighters allegedly bent on revenge.
today, two members of a Silver Spring fire department are facing criminal charges over an incident that left players, parents, and coaches stunned.
A Long-Simmering Tension
Anyone who has ever parked too close to a baseball diamond knows the risks: the dreaded thunk of a foul ball against metal, or worse, the crack of shattering glass. For firefighters stationed at Silver Spring’s Fire Station 16, those sounds had apparently become all too familiar.
The station sits directly next to Montgomery Blair High School’s baseball field, home of the Takoma-Silver Spring Thunderbolts, a summer-league team that competes in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Despite protective netting, baseballs routinely found their way onto the station’s property, striking both department vehicles and personal cars belonging to firefighters.
Over time, frustrations mounted. By July, with the Thunderbolts deep into their season, that tension finally spilled over.
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The @mcfrs FS716 (Four Corners) & ballfield (Blair Local Park) have coexisted as neighbors for years. We understand the importance of this venue to the community & we apologize to the players, teams involved, Cal Ripken League & fans for any inconvenience that may have resulted. https://t.co/7aXUrlaV4N pic.twitter.com/tdFOrUeYtI
— Pete Piringer (@mcfrsPIO) July 18, 2025
The Game That Never Happened
On July 17, the Thunderbolts prepared to take on the Alexandria Aces. The weather forecast was perfect for baseball, but the game never got past pregame warmups. Instead, the outfield at Montgomery Blair was suddenly drenched, turning playable turf into an impromptu swamp.
Players and coaches were baffled until they learned the shocking reason: firefighters themselves had allegedly used a hose to flood the field in retaliation after a baseball struck one of their vehicles during batting practice.
Video evidence later surfaced showing Master Firefighter Alan Barnes backing up a fire truck to a hydrant. Captain Chris Reilly then reportedly spent three minutes blasting water onto the outfield. Within minutes, puddles grew into a pond, forcing the cancellation of yet another Thunderbolts game in a season already marred by weather postponements.
Criminal Charges Filed
The Maryland-National Capital Park Police, which has jurisdiction over the field, launched an investigation. Their findings led to criminal charges against both Reilly and Barnes, who today face counts of malicious destruction of property, conspiracy to commit malicious destruction of property, and disorderly conduct.
Investigators concluded that the act was “driven by frustration due to repeated incidents involving baseballs striking personal vehicles, the fire station, and departmental equipment.”
Both men have since been placed on administrative leave while the Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service conducts its own internal investigation. They are scheduled to appear in court on October 21.
A Community in Shock
The Thunderbolts, caught in the middle of the bizarre standoff, were left scrambling. “At first I thought the firefighters had no idea they were causing a problem,” one assistant coach told local media. “But when I went over to talk to them, it was made very clear it was intentional.”
Parents and fans were equally outraged. For them, the idea that first responders — trusted with community safety — would deliberately sabotage a youth baseball game was unthinkable.
Absolute clown show @mcfrs pic.twitter.com/JqjWmGunSo
— Zane Grimes (@GrimesZane8) July 18, 2025
Not the First Time
As unusual as this case sounds, it joins a long list of bizarre sports-related impersonations and overreactions. Just as adults posing as teenagers to sneak into high school sports has made headlines in recent years, this incident underscores how passions around community athletics can sometimes go wildly out of bounds.
For today, the fate of the firefighters rests in the hands of the legal system. But in Silver Spring, the scandal has already left a lasting mark: a canceled game, a shaken community, and a story that reads more like satire than real life.
On Oct. 21, the firefighters will face the court — and perhaps the most important judgment yet: from the community they were sworn to serve.
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