Posted on 09/20/2017 5:32:59 PM PDT by SMGFan
Every time we see a fresh version of the same terrifying picture, we hear the same thing from relieved broadcasters, fans, ballplayers. Every time a baseball leaves a bat — screaming at 100 miles an hour — and invades the seats where spectators are swilling sodas, scarfing nachos or texting friends, we hear the same: “One of these days, someone is going to get killed.”
Well, here’s the thing: someone already got killed. His name was Alan Fish, he was 14 years old, and on the night of May 16, 1970, he was sitting behind the visitor’s dugout at Dodger Stadium. In the bottom of the third inning, San Francisco’s Gaylord Perry threw a pitch that the Dodgers’ Manny Mota, batting right-handed, ripped foul. It reached the second row
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
It's not just the deaths bro, it's the unreported injuries of fans being hit by foul balls and broken bats. Why do you think all parks now have protective netting behind home plate?
Many years ago I was at a Tigers game and witnessed a young girl in the front row seats directly behind home plate who had her hands holding onto the netting and her face up against it when she caught a foul tip right in the face...........That was not a pretty sight.......
Video Fan injured by broken bat MLBcom
Maybe I should have put a /s tag?
I was more referring to the alarmist tone of the article rather than actual statistics. So please accept my apologies if I sounded harsh.
BTW, I’m a woman, so not a Bro. :-)
Less death from Baseball than death by Clinton.
Thank you for that.
It was the kind of message I was trying to convey with my post, but I still got scolded. Oh Well.
Always bring a glove if you sit along the baselines. Stay alert, keep your eyes on the game. The chance of a ball even coming close to you is quite small, but it happens to someone.
Who says baseball is boring?
“Jeez people.. It’s baseball. Anyone who goes to a game knows that balls are flying everywhere. Ignore the game at your peril.”
So the 11 year old girl and her family sitting down the third base line should have been paying more attention? Seriously??? A lot of those balls come off the bat at 100 mph+ How much of a chance do you think you would have, paying attention or not?
Yes. Number one, even halfway intelligent people know that the third base LINE is where you are going to encounter screaming line drives. Why would a grossly negligent parent place a child there unless they are willing to fend off foul balls? If I had a child THERE I would have me glove handy. Jeez, YOU CANT FIX STUPID.
Reminds me of a Rockies game a few years back. I used to play ball and know what can happen and am always alert.
Anyway we were sitting in the ground level right field stands and I heard the crack of the ball against the bat and saw the ball make a slow lazy arc up and towards us. It climbed pretty high and then started to return to ground. Since I had played ball, I could roughly judge where it would land. It was headed for the section to our left where a lady was sitting and not watching the game. She was talking to her friend. Sure enough it hit her squarely on the head and with enough force that it bounced 40 ft in the air. It knocked her out cold. Right on queue, the paramedics arrived within a minute, put her on a stretcher and carried her off with her family following behind.
Always be alert! Pay attention.
Was this little kid’s Dad there? If so WTF was he doing at the time? This is a basic Dad duty, to protect their kids when they’re in potential semi-dangerous situations like this. Just my opinion (as a Dad).
Have to share my favorite Mota Moment, and it wasn't on the field.
I believe it was '71, went to Chavez Ravine with some friends for the game. Afterwards we were hanging out behind the Dodger bullpen, which is near to where the players exit to go to their cars (parked behind LF Pavilion).
As each player exits they are approached by 10-12 autograph seekers. Some would stop and sign others would walk and sign.
Not Manny.
He walked to the door, took a step, stopped, signed a baseball he was holding. He then walked out tossing the ball in the air and catching it. As the autograph seekers started to swarm him, he tossed the ball out about 20-30 feet. Everyone went for it and Mota double stepped it to his car unimpeded.
We thought it was great!
Not everyone that goes to a game is as knowledgeable about baseball as perhaps you or I. It may not be a matter of intelligence, but knowledge. Being a baseball fan and having kids, I don’t buy field level tickets down the 1st and 3rd base lines for the reason you mentioned. I would like to be able to look down to grab another nacho or perhaps even blink at some point during the game without having to worry about someone in my family getting smoked by a line drive.
In this litigation-happy society we live in, teams are going to realize that providing some reasonable protection down the lines is a heck of a lot cheaper than the alternative. How many personal injury lawyers do you think have seen that clip and offered their services already?
Excuse me but there are many moments that allow for distracted viewing. 18 inning changes, timeouts, 7th inning stretch, between pitches a least 250 or so. Puhlease.
Well, it did save my nose when someone stepped on the back of my helmet and I came up with a bar full of mud.
Not sure but I think it was ‘optional’ though I don’t think I would have been ‘intelligent’ enough to willingly put that ‘sissy looking’ thing on.
All to no avail as my nose was permanently ‘rearranged’ while engaging in some pugilistic NON Queensbury rules activities while enjoying adult beverages with several shipmates in some dive in Hong Kong
“Excuse me but there are many moments that allow for distracted viewing. 18 inning changes, timeouts, 7th inning stretch, between pitches a least 250 or so. Puhlease.”
Tell that to the opportunistic lawyers. By the way, you’re excused.
I started to bring my toddler at age three.
She was talking to her friend.
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That’s something I’ve observed during my long tenure on Earth and while watching all of my Rangers games.
When two women are sitting next to one another during the games they seem to have a constant conservation. Invariably, they will look at each other when talking. ...Women sitting next to males tend to watch the game, as fans.
Woman to woman talk seems to necessitate gathering visual clues regarding emotions.
Males sitting next to other males just talk to one another without that need to look at the faces of their friends.
Same behavior occurs in bars, restaurants, etc. The females have a need to “read” the emotions of each other when talking. ...............It’s just my opinion, but check out the fans the next time you watch a game.
I read grandparents brought her.
Yes I know that now since the story has been corrected. I read at first it was an infant.
Yep, then later we had METAL cleats in Senior League.
I hate sloppy reporting myself.
Your point, however is good.
Why even take a 3-4 year old?
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