Child struck by line drive at last night's Cubs-Astros game. More nets needed.
TNP777
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I just saw this story. The reactions of Almora, Jr. and the Astros catcher hit me hard, as did Almora, Jr.'s tears after.
I agree with those who think it's time to put nets up around the entire field, excepting the outfield. Every time one of those line drives goes into the stands, I hope to heaven that nobody's struck. Usually nobody is, but one of these days someone's gonna get killed. Kids can't react in time, and these days far too many people are paying more attention to their phones than they are the game.
Prayers for that little girl. I can't imagine if that had been my daughter or son.
http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/26851025/child-struck-line-drive-cubs-almora-tears
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The NHL responded to serious fan safety issues with increased protection. MLB may be ready to mandate complete netting from foul pole to foul pole very soon.
Gobble.
agreed, it is time for netting.
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
Yea I almost felt just as bad for Alomar as the little girl, he was pretty shook up over it. Hope the girl is ok and he realizes it was out of his control
Face it...the netting won't stop at the foul poles. It will extend to the outfield as well.
Don't care as i'll probably never attend another game. If I did though, I would.
I understand the sympathetic comments towards the little girl, and of course everyone hopes that she is okay.
However I will say that if you're going to take a child to a ballgame, and sit in seats which are prone to sharp line drives, then not just 99% of the time, it must 100% of the time being cautious as to the possibility of a sharply hit baseball coming in your direction. So in my view, the parents should take full responsibility for this incident.
Frankly, when i was that age and my Dad brought me to the ballpark, I always brought my baseball glove, and prayed that a ball was hit my way, line drive or otherwise so i could catch it. The netting would take that sort of fun out of the game. Virtually all fans attending a game would love to go home with a Major League game used baseball as a souvenir.
Also as an adult, I don't think i would enjoy a game with netting down there. Certainly it would lessen the enjoyment.
Life cannot be made 100% safe. It is impossible. I'm fine with how it is now at the ballpark. But if they want to make some sort of helmet mandatory for children sitting in those seats, could even have a face mask of sorts, I think that would be a better idea.
Didn't they use to have nets and then took them down? They should be put back up NOW. I have always thought it is just too much of a hazard. Balls and broken bats or bats slipping out of batters hands can cause all kind of damage.
Early 1980's a customer was returning from a Tigers game with his 11 year old son. Got hit by a drunk and the kid was killed (father survived.) Life is a crap shoot.
Already happened. Last year at a Dodgers game.
Probably good idea to get rid of the beer as well...
Anytime this topic comes up, there's always two arguments people use against nets:
1) People need to pay attention
2) The view will be hampered
Both of these are absolute nonsense.
Regarding #1, it's impossible to pay absolutely perfect attention during a game 100% of the time. Impossible. Doing so requires never turning your head for ANY reason. Never sneezing. Never dropping something. And so on. And, even if you ARE paying attention, you can still get hit. Balls deflect. People jump up and block your view. Sometimes you simply can't react fast enough. PLAYERS with world class reflexes get hit but fans are somehow supposed to move? A coach was killed on the field by a line drive - wanna say he wasn't paying attention?
Regarding #2, the view simply is not hampered. No one who has ever sat behind home plate for a game has ever said "man, the view back here sucks because of these nets". After 5 minutes, you don't even notice it. I have season tickets directly behind home plate. The only time I notice the nets is when they do their job and stop a foul ball. And it's MORE enjoyable to be able to sit at a game and not worry about getting nailed with a line drive.
The NHL added nets amid much protest after a fan was killed several years ago. People being upset lasted about 45 seconds. Same thing will happen here. Put the nets up, take 5 minutes, get used to it, and then wonder why it wasn't done 40 years ago after Jim Rice helped the kid at Fenway.
More on this:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/30/opinions/gut-wrenching-foul-ball-accident-pearlman/index.html
That article links to a story about how Japan handles it:
Fans who buy tickets behind home plate expect the nets. Others do not.
If you're sitting in an area of the ballpark prone to line drives, then during an at bat, you damn well should be paying attention 100% of the time. Why wouldn't you anyway? That's what you come to the ballpark for to watch the batters. You can enjoy that hot dog or beer in between at bats or innings.
Anyone who is that unlucky, that the moment they sneeze is the moment they get hit with a line drive, I'd say they shouldn't get out of bed in the morning with luck such as that. LOL
I don't like it one bit. And I'd say almost all MLB fans wouldn't like it either.
I don't give a chit what they do in Japan. I only care about what they do here.
As previously stated, I think that helmets for the kids are a much better idea. Most kids have helmets already from riding their bikes. Just bring their helmets to the ballpark and wear them.
Let people enjoy baseball the way this beautiful summer game has been enjoyed for over a hundred years.
I guarantee you 95-99% of fans would be positive or neutral after a brief adjustment.
Regardless, it's a safety issue for something that is EASILY prevented. And has been fatal before. Batted balls can reach 110mph, deflect, and so on. It simply makes no sense to not have nets.
How do you account for other people? Deflected balls?
You can't.
I guarantee you don't pay attention 100% of the time. Literally no one does. That's an impossible, unreasonable standard.
Not to mention, sometimes you literally don't have time to respond even when paying attention.
Also, guess what? If you put nets all the way around, people will come to expect them other places, too.
Actually I do pay attention 100% of the time when a player is at bat. For me, I don't do it for safety reasons. I've played countless amounts of baseball. I can see the speed and trajectory of a hit baseball fairly easily.
I pay attention firstly because I enjoy watching the game. Also because, depending on where I'm sitting and how crowded it is, I want to get a jump on a batted ball to try and get one to take home.
I don't mind knocking over a few fans if i have to, in order to grab a baseball rolling around in the aisles. LOL
Wiffle balls would mitigate the damage.
Never coughed? Never ONCE looked down? Never gotten dust in your eye? Never once had a mosquito fly by? Sure thing.
Maybe some of the modern stadiums, especially where most games are night games, will not be too bad with more nets...
But an old stadium like Wrigley where there are lots of day games just wouldn't be the same with more nets. It would certainly change the experience. Sure, it's horrible when a fan, especially a young girl, get hit. But, considering how many balls go into the stands, it is very rare. Fans need to be more aware, especially parents of young children. Go to a game nowadays and you'll see half the people looking down at their phones... Sad.
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NBA fans could use some protection from the players.
You'd probably like the federal government to step in, form a committee, and regulate it. They would fix everything, right? LOL
Any two bit scumbag lawyer could find infinite things in most sports to further regulate and make it safer. What about putting nets in fairways at PGA events to help prevent fans from being struck by a golf ball? How about not serving liquor at stadiums, make railings higher, etc, so fans don't fall, etc. The list is endless.
MLB has done it this way for over 100 years. You pay for your ticket, you take the risks. You're there to enjoy a baseball game, not to have an obstructed view of the game. May as well watch it unobstructed on TV if safety is your ultimate worry.
Whether or not they windup doing the thing with the nets, I'm not sure. In this snowflake world of today, with some out there trying to fix every worse case scenario, it wouldn't surprise me if they did do the nets. But they shouldn't.
Steve it’s typical current status America, let’s change something all of a sudden and gasp at the way it was for over a hundred years. All it takes is one person to be outraged and the rest will follow like moths to a flame 🙄
Mike Coolbaugh, brother of former major leaguer Scott Coolbaugh was the coach that got hit. It proves how dangerous baseball can be if a professional such as him was not able to react in time. The human body can only react so quickly, and sometimes baseball is faster than the human body.
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I'm getting outraged at all the snowflake outrage out there.
What is the point of bringing a four year old child to the ballpark anyway? A kid that age doesn't really fully comprehend the game or what is even going on out there on the field. Take them to the circus where they can be entertained by the clowns, etc. Take them fishing where they can catch a sunny and be thrilled about it.
Same here, I have for awhile now 😮
This is your best point yet Steve.
The others (points) have been pretty non caring and harsh. They could just have guys at all the gates with rubber mallots whacking everybody in the head as they come in to get them ready for the game. 
Funny because I was dumbfounded by these complete idiots that brought their infant in a baby stroller to a free outdoor concert in my town last summer. There were literally thousands of drunk people elbow to elbow with nowhere to move and these people were getting all offended because they couldn’t move and expected the Red Sea to be parted for them. It was impossible yet they were still visibly upset 🤷♂️
Snowflakes will demand that nets or barriers of some sort be placed around the basketball court. A muscular NBA player barreling into the stands or an errant thrown basketball hitting a fan cannot be tolerated in a society that demands safety for every conceivable scenario at a sports event. 🙄
I like the rubber mallot idea for anyone entering the Linc wearing the opposing team's jersey.
Plus the poor little baby crying, etc, disturbing everybody around it.
If ya can't find or can't afford a babysitter, than stay the yell home! 😠
Auto racing and airshows need to be outlawed as well. Multiple fan deaths have resulted from a single accident. Soccer is safe, the ball is pretty soft.
Well except for the scores of fans killed from time to time.
Especially in Europe where riots have broken out in soccer game crowds.
Perhaps some sort of netting between the fans would help solve that problem? 🤔
i've been going to golf tournaments for about 40 years. there is a word to be used when an errant shot takes place: "Fore!!!" but there is one small problem: these guys hit it harder & longer than ever, hence that one word can only protect you so much when a hail stone is being shot out of a bazooka 300+ yards away. in today's game, average ball speed for a pga pro is nearing 200 mph. so in other words, there always has been/definitely always will be an element of risk on the golf course. you can be paying attention 110% of the time, but you'll never be 100% safe because it can be extremely difficult sometimes to track a small white dot in a blue sky filled with white clouds.
case in point.........remember Koepka? winner of the PGA Championship and our lil contest? this happened last fall at the Ryder Cup. i feel terrible for this woman and so did he, but golf is not changing.
https://www.golfdigest.com/story/woman-struck-in-eye-at-ryder-cup-says-fans-were-taking-pictures-instead-of-helping
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Heh. MiLB and MLB teams are trying to draw families and make things fun for all, but shame on "snowflakes" for wanting to create an atmosphere of safety but putting up a net almost nobody would notice after a few innings or so. After a few years or so, nobody would think twice about a net, just as we don't think twice about introducing other safety measures like a face guard on batting helmets (damn snowflakes - Rico Petrocelli was a man's man - he knew what he was signing up for), batting helmets for base coaches (damn snowflakes - they know the risks), improved helmets for football players (damn snowflakes - Paul Hornung never bitched about wearing a leather helmet), protective headwear for hockey players (damn snowflakes - they knew the risks of taking a slab of vulcanized leather to the grill. So what if a guy dies?), and protective screens around a hockey rink (pay attention to the game, snowflakes! It's your fault if you take a puck in the teeth).
Good news on the condition of the little girl who was hit, Sportstalk 790 out of Houston tweeted this last night: "According to our sources, the young child was awake, responsive and taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons. The child is expected to be ok. Thank goodness."
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Thank you for making my point for me. I'm glad you agree with me.
The netting sucks. Know your and your childs surroundings before you decide to partake. But it doesn't matter what I think ,,, MLB will snowflake out on this issue for sure.
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
I always took my kids to games when they were young. Did I sit right down the f'ing lines? Hell no.
It's a shame when others start making choices FOR US because some make DUMB choices.
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
Geordie - In my view the question isn't about safety, it's about "too much" safety to the point of overly interfering with the intended enjoyment of a particular form of entertainment.
With snowflakes, it never ends no matter what anyone does. They will howl to the moon until there is a utopia on earth, with everyone being completely nice and safe, and all the animals being cute and cuddly.
BTW, I don't consider anyone here a snowflake. Now if anyone here starts saying that the NFL should eliminate tackling, and a defensive player can just gently touch the runner and he is considered down, then I might change my mind about that.
Incidentally, fan injuries from batted balls are more common than HBPs:
https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/30/us/baseball-stadium-foul-ball-dangers/index.html
Fans sit closer than before - 20% or more - thanks to the reduction in foul territory in today's ballparks. In addition to that, balls are hit harder after being thrown faster by today's bigger, stronger players. And the ball itself is harder.
The reality is that things simply are different now than they have always been.
I hold my breath when a player is hitting with a bunch of fans tightly to the left and right. These guys are great but an errant strike and you nail a spectator 10 yards away.
You're exactly right...sit with your kids in the outfield, upper deck or at least way back in the lower deck.
The first MLB game I ever attended was at Yankee Stadium, i think I was around six or seven years old. Me and my Dad in the left field stands. Brought my glove, but no luck.
I actually agree with this. If there isn't netting all the way around, either sit behind home plate or waaaaaay away from home plate with kids.
If it was an adult on their phone who got hit, it either wouldn't be a news story or we'd be shaming them for not paying attention. Every baseball ticket I've seen for at least a couple decades has the warning similar to this ...
Since it was a little girl, it's outrage mob time, never let a crisis go to waste. I'm glad to hear she'll be OK, but her parents should have their heads examined for putting her in that situation while being completely unprepared for their obligation to protect her.
Geordie, I’m curious as to what purpose you show up and post for nowadays? I sincerely can’t remember the last time you actually posted anything about Sports that was just “Sports” and not social injustice or crying about the newest thing that all the liberals are up in arms about like this netting thing. Honest question, do you secretly like stirring the pot up here?
ffs, Paul. I literally started a thread about something that happened at a major league baseball game and gave my opinion that nets should be added for fan safety. I didn't say a damn thing about social justice, or come close to inferring such a thing.
Steve first mentioned the word "snowflake": "I'm getting outraged at all the snowflake outrage out there.
"
You followed with, "Same here, I have for awhile now 😮"
Dan followed with his own "snowflake" remark.
So tell me, Paul, who was it that brought up social justice buzzwords again? Hint: it sure as hell wasn't me. I grabbed the ball that you, Steve, and Dan were playing with and ran with it. In case you can't tell, I was being sarcastic.
And I'll not let you or any of your other pals dictate what I do or do not post about. None of you are arbiters of what constitutes a sports-related thread. Piss off if that doesn't sit right with you. Make sure you're not sitting behind a net when you do so.
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Sorry to get you so emotional Geordie lol but I do like how you played Ring around the Rosie and dodged my direct question to you. Let’s try again, why do you post here? I don’t remember the last time you commented on “Sports” or a team. Sorry if “Sports” or a team that plays “Sports” isn’t what constitutes the majority of the talk here in your mind but it actually is and I don’t recall you getting involved in that in a long while. And right back at you, you can piss off and go cry your eyes out about all the newest “Outrages” in society and in sports, Actually I’m trying to think of something that is ok right now that you don’t give a second thought about but will get you outraged down the road once someone cry’s about it... hmmmmn 🤔😂
Circus hell...I was scared witless expecting one of the flying young men to get splattered on the third ring. Went to a mini shopping mall circus a few years later and an acrobat and clown were doing a routine. Acrobat missed and fell about 8 feet to concrete. Seemed to have messed up his back pretty good.
Maybe Disney on Ice is the way to go.
Well since you mentioned me by name ..... I thought "snowflake" was a better choice then "pussies".
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
Maybe the fans who want more nets can begin kneeling in protest while the national anthem is being played?
Come on...it was only a joke. 😈