Cautionary Story regarding foul ball hitting a child

[molitor fan]

Wow, reading this story makes your heart jump a little bit. I have sat in the area where these seats are at at Wrigley and some other stadiums, and you really have to be into the game, especially when pitchers are up to bat, because they can be so late with their swings. It looks like this little guy will survive, I hope that the swelling on his brain goes down and there is no long term neurological damage.

 

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-baseball-boy-hurtjul12,0,5534169.story

[pitchleague]

well, no offense to that family or any family, but why on earth would you put your child (seven years old, at that) in a seriously high danger zone at a baseball game. Sure the odds are slim of getting hit, but it's you child! If you want to sit close, at least sit behind the screen or something.

 

My wife and I have spoken about this many times at games and have already decided before we even have kids that (a) our kids will not be going to a ballgame until at least 8 years old IF they want to go (we're not going to force them), and (b) we will be sitting a decent distance away from the playing field until they are older (teens +) to get them to appreciate "bad seats" (build character) and keep them safe from Jeromy Burnitz, er, I mean bats and balls.

[DougJones43]

well, no offense to that family or any family, but why on earth would you put your child (seven years old, at that) in a seriously high danger zone at a baseball game. Sure the odds are slim of getting hit, but it's you child! If you want to sit close, at least sit behind the screen or something.

I really don't think the average fan knows the layout of a ballpark well enough to know if their exact seat will be protected by screens, or what kind of trajectory foul balls will have toward them. If there are areas that should be considered "high danger zones" for small children, then it should be the responsibility of the stadium to create rules (or at least provide notifications) to protect their customers. I think blaming the family in this instance is crazy.

[dadofandrew]

The risk of drowning in a pool or tub is thousands higher than getting hit at the ballpark. I'm infinitely more worried about getting hit by a bad or drunk driver and my son being injured than a random foul ball.

[RyDogg66]

When I take my kids we sit behind the screen, always.

[RU Rah Rah]

When I take my kids we sit behind the screen, always.

Ditto. I am amazed when I see little kids, or the elderly, sitting in the smoked-foul-ball-zone. The chances of getting laced are pretty small, but the risk/reward seems a little out of whack to me.

 

[hammytime]

well, no offense to that family or any family, but why on earth would you put your child (seven years old, at that) in a seriously high danger zone at a baseball game. Sure the odds are slim of getting hit, but it's you child! If you want to sit close, at least sit behind the screen or something.

I really don't think the average fan knows the layout of a ballpark well enough to know if their exact seat will be protected by screens, or what kind of trajectory foul balls will have toward them. If there are areas that should be considered "high danger zones" for small children, then it should be the responsibility of the stadium to create rules (or at least provide notifications) to protect their customers. I think blaming the family in this instance is crazy.

Stadiums do post warnings about bats and balls leaving the playing field. There are warnings before the game starts. Anyone who knows anything about baseball knows that accidents like this can and do happen. I don't think it's blaming the family, but to sit in the lower deck, especially with small children, whether they understand baseball or not, is not a smart choice.

 

[eanelson4]

This same exact thing nearly happened to me 2(?) years ago. I was at the Metrodome for the annual Brewers/Twins game there. A buddy and I were sitting 2nd row, in the corner right above the twins dugout (basically perpendicular to the way the batter was facing). Craig Counsell came up to bat. Being the slap hitter he is, he got a ball outside and just kind of threw his bat at it. The only thing I remember seeing is white, but my buddy and I ducked out of the way. This ball was cooking, and an old guy behind us tried to catch it with his bare hand. The Metrodome ushers came down and asked this guy if he wanted medical attention, but he refused.

 

Needless to say, this was pretty eye-opening. If I wouldn't have been paying attention to the game, I could have caught a ball right in the melon. Of course, my mom had told me to bring my glove to that game and I scoffed, saying that the only way we would get a ball would be if it was a lazy pop-up, and in that case I would catch it with my hand.

 

Pretty scary thing. Seems like that boy is in good spirits. I hope he makes a full recovery.

[RightFieldCoder]

Also shows why it's stupid to call people wussies for bringing their glove to the game.