Shannon Stone of Brownwood might have been just another baseball fan who went home empty-handed but happy the Texas Rangers won if he hadn't leaned too far over a ballpark railing attempting to catch a ball tossed into the stands by outfielder Josh Hamilton.
Keith Carmickle of Kingman, Ariz., might not have been able to own up to his atrocious judgment during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game's Home Run Derby if his buddies hadn't pulled him back to earth after he stood on a table to catch a ball and plunged over a rail.Stone's 20-foot fall at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on July 7 and death en route to a hospital were a terrible tragedy, not just for his wife, 6-year-old son and others who loved him but also for everyone who cares about professional baseball.The public outpouring of support for the family has been generous and heartwarming.In contrast, Carmickle's mindless folly Monday night made him an online video celebrity and landed him a gig on Good Morning America. There's some sad social commentary in that. At least Carmickle and his brother promised to auction the three other balls they caught before his reckless stunt and donate the proceeds to the Stone family.The incidents, days apart, have committed and casual fans alike debating who's responsible for preventing ballpark accidents.The quick answer is everyone. The harder question is how.Pro sports and even amateur games can be dangerous for players, coaches and officials as well as spectators.A foul ball hits a coach in the face as he stands in front of the dugout.A fast-tumbling scrum of football players takes out the line judge who doesn't step aside quickly enough.Hockey pucks sometimes carom over the glass. Off-target golf balls fly into the gallery.There's a certain assumption of risk that goes along with the thrill of being close to the action. The fine print on tickets and prominent signs around stadiums warn spectators to pay attention. Watch your step. Don't sit on the railing. Stay off the grass. Keep out.But there's something about being in the moment that too often sends caution on holiday. Common sense proves no match for impetuousness.Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke wrote this week about a friend who fell out of the stands at Rangers Ballpark a few years ago reaching for a foul ball along the third base line. The drop was only 4 feet."Baseballs in the stands are the junk food of sports," Plaschke wrote in a metaphor as brilliant as a walkoff home run. "Everyone knows their thrill is fleeting and their effect can be poisoning, yet the price is right and the gratification is instant and few can stay away."That's why the owners and managers of these palaces where grownup kids play games for the entertainment of all sometimes have to save fans from themselves.Stadium owners must often go beyond what building codes dictate when it comes to safety.The Rangers raised some barriers after a fan who was sitting on a railing for a photo tumbled over and broke numerous bones.Almost exactly a year ago, another fan fell 30 feet while going after a foul ball. He and four people he landed on were hurt.Rangers officials said they'll review safety at the ballpark. Owners at all professional and college sports venues should do that, too. Not to diminish the fan experience but to make it less likely that freak accidents will take the fun out of watching games.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
