Baseball Shocker: Texas Rangers Fan Dies After Trying to Catch Ball

[Flipmo]

A man trying to catch a baseball during a Texas Rangers game on Thursday died after falling head-first about 20 feet to the ground.
The victim—who attended the home game with his young son—fell over a rail while attempting to catch the ball. His son was not involved in the fall and was not injured. The accident occurred during the second inning of the Rangers v. Oakland A's game, after Conor Jackson of the A's hit a foul ball near left field. Star outfielder Josh Hamilton retrieved the ball and threw it into the stands.
"Josh is very distraught over this," said team president and ex-pitcher Nolan Ryan, who was sitting in the front row next to President George W. Bush when the accident happened.
“We're very heavy-hearted about this," Ryan added, "and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”

The man—who has not been identified by name—was still conscious after his fall, but bleeding from a head wound. While on a stretcher, he was talking and moving his arms, telling the paramedics, “Please check on my son. My son was up there by himself.” The father, who later died in the hospital, was reassured that his son would be tended to.
Ronnie Hargis, who was sitting next to the victim before the fall, told the Associated Press, “He went straight down. I tried to grab him but I couldn't."
Catching baseballs, whether it's a fair or foul, is a rich tradition in the sport. Some, such as the ball Barry Bonds hit for his record-breaking 756th home run are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, but most are simply cherished souvenirs. Yet this incident may force the Rangers franchise, who won the American League Championship Series last year, to shift its focus on making this particular pastime safer at the Arlington home base—and not only because it was fatal. Last July, another fan fell 30 feet from the second deck of Rangers Ballpark while trying to catch a foul ball. He survived, but suffered a fractured skull.
The Thursday accident marks the second fatal fall at a Major League Baseball park this season. In May, a 27-year-old man died after falling 20 feet during a Colorado Rockies game at Coors Field in Denver. He struck his head on concrete after trying to slide down a staircase railing.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/07/08/baseball-shocker-texas-rangers-fan-dies-after-trying-to-catch-ball/#ixzz1RWUCf8qL​

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[tHuG $TyLe]

This is why they should ban baseball.

 

[Casey]

What a fool.

 

[Jokerman]

The man was a fireman. He doesn't die fighting a fire, but like this. What a tragedy for his family and 6 year-old son who has to live with this the rest of his life. So why did god do it or let it happen? "We can't know the ways of god." It's funny how the "ways of god" happen exactly how they would if there were no "ways of god" in place. You lean over too far and you fall. You land on your head hard enough and you die.

 

[Flipmo]

As a heads up, lets not turn this into a religious/God debate fiasco. He leaned over too far, he's wearing ugly sandals, he fell, he died. It's tragic for the son, but he's an idiot as well for going nutty over a ball, not to mention he took it from someone that was going for it. Also, crap ass protection for a wall of that kind, then again... people shouldn't throw themselves like maniac over a baseball.

And that's how the cookie crumbled.

 

[Sebastian]

"and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”

Oh yeah? Good to know. Im sure its gonna help them.

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

In all seriousness, he may have been an idiot for diving for the ball, but the tragedy is that his young son saw his dad die. He will be scarred for life.

 

[Jokerman]

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family."

"We are also taking up a collection of Monopoly money and sending a basket of plastic fruit. Plus the whole team has signed the killer baseball and we'll be sending that to them as well."

 

[Bobby Sands]

What a fool.

As a heads up, lets not turn this into a religious/God debate fiasco. He leaned over too far, he's wearing ugly sandals, he fell, he died. It's tragic for the son, but he's an idiot as well for going nutty over a ball, not to mention he took it from someone that was going for it. Also, crap ass protection for a wall of that kind, then again... people shouldn't throw themselves like maniac over a baseball.

And that's how the cookie crumbled.

oh come on. who doesnt do that when a ball comes over at a baseball match though? he just wanted to catch a ball for his kid. i guess he thought he could catch it which he did but he just stretched out too far.

thats one of the worst things ive seen a while. damn.

 

[Bobby Sands]

that drop in front of the stand is very dangerous too. that should have been covered.

 

[Flipmo]

oh come on. who doesnt do that when a ball comes over at a baseball match though? he just wanted to catch a ball for his kid. i guess he thought he could catch it which he did but he just stretched out too far.

thats one of the worst things ive seen a while. damn.

Catching it is one thing, I would know - I've done it, but it seems to me, if you know you're about 20 feet up, you don't go nuts for it. I wouldn't dive for it, especially when it's not well protected. I'm not saying that it isn't tragic, cause it is - but many factors kinda go into it.

 

[Jokerman]

While on a stretcher, he was talking and moving his arms, telling the paramedics, “Please find the ball. Forget about me or my son up there all alone."

 

[vg4030]

While on a stretcher, he was talking and moving his arms, telling the paramedics, “Please find the ball. Forget about me or my son up there all alone."

Actually, he told the paramedics to check on his son as he was alone

 

[S. Fourteen]

Nobody but his fault. Lets not put nettings all over the ballpark over this.
The only reason for catching a baseball is to protect you and those around you.
If your son wants a used baseball, go buy a MLB ball, rub Kentucky mud and spit on it.
If your son wants to touch things that heroes have touched, go grab the railing of an escalator at an airport.

PS. Fuck Jeter and Nick Swisher.

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

The ball being hit into the crowd was deliberatively hit there I thought? I heard the crowd implored the batsmen to hit a foul ball into that area of the stand?

 

[Jokerman]

The ball being hit into the crowd was deliberatively hit there I thought? I heard the crowd implored the batsmen to hit a foul ball into that area of the stand?

Yes, everyone wanted that guy dead. He annoyed them throughout the whole game.

Don't know if you were kidding, but he didn't catch a hit ball. One of the outfielders recovered the ball then tossed it into the stands like they do sometimes.

 

[tHuG $TyLe]

Don't know if you were kidding, but he didn't catch a hit ball. One of the outfielders recovered the ball then tossed it into the stands like they do sometimes.

What I meant was that did the fans asked the ball to be hit/thrown into the crowd? it wasn't a comment to indicate they purposely aimed it at him or the player who threw it/hit it is to blame.

 

[vg4030]

What I meant was that did the fans asked the ball to be hit/thrown into the crowd? it wasn't a comment to indicate they purposely aimed it at him or the player who threw it/hit it is to blame.

The players normally toss the foul balls into the crowd even if the fans dont ask (but they normally do), its sorta tradition