Good call by the teams and MLB. I never found watching a game behind a net to be a big deal, also they make the nets now so they are less distraction. Of course their goals of reducing liability and reducing bad PR will be accomplished.
Possibly this should be extended to Minor League parks, where commonly there is far less area between stands and fans. I have attended the Triple A Diamondbacks stadium in Reno, NV and in one situation sat on the first base line. It was quite an experience!
Jack – Not sure if you are serious or not but I work as a marshal every year at a PGA Tour event. On my hole, we have a hillside where people like to sit and errant drives land on that hill 10-15 times every round. We warn people of the risk and they mostly just look at us and turn back to their beers. We finally got the Tour to move the ropes further back on that hole last year and it helps. A big difference is the mass of a golf ball is much smaller than a baseball. I’ve seen many people get hit by golf balls and serious injuries are pretty rare – not nonexistent, but rare. I was hit once on my calf from about 160 yards (by Ryo Ishikawa) and it barely left a bruise.
CL, I have seen people carried off the course on a stretcher with bleeding head wounds. Yes, a golf ball can do that. Many fans congregate right in the landing area so they can see the next shot played. Unfortunately, when wild Phil hits, people should duck and hopefully behind a tree if one is there.
I guess you don’t follow much professional golf, do you? Who said Phil was a hack? He is more of an escape artist and often gets out of trouble from the most unusual places. He recently started using that new Rogue driver from Callaway and said he thought he would be hitting it straighter, but as we saw in Phoenix, he is just as wild. Tries to stay up with the kids on tour and over swings. That is not a winning formula these days.
February 7, 2018 at 1:05 am
Cut the Bias says:
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Agent is wrong in just about everything else, but he legitimately knows sports:
Several years ago I had box seats on the 3rd baseline at our local minor league franchise. The only nets were behind the plate. I can still replay in my mind clearly the time that a lefty was batting and fouled a line drive into the seats behind the home dugout. Hit a guy about 8 rows up, right square in the chest. It made this sick, thunk when it hit him, like dropping a watermelon. His popcorn flew all the way down to the field. They stopped the game and he walked out with team personnel. Not sure if he was seriously hurt or just stunned, but it scared the entire crowd.
Many years ago I was watching batting practice from seats a few row from the field, but way down the right field line, not far from the foul pole Tim Raines was hitting left-handed, and he sent a shot over my head towards the pole. I turned my head to see where the ball would land and then turned my head back towards the hitter. At that instance another line shot whizzed by the side of my head. I had been lucky, as I would not have been able to react in time had the ball been on the trajectory to my head.
Tim Raines was my favorite player as a kid, and is largely the reason I was the only Montreal Expos fan in my hometown, lol. :) Still have about 30 of his cards.
Agreed about the netting. This is dangerous stuff that does kill people. There is no detriment to the game or fan experience, so put em up.
Good call by the teams and MLB. I never found watching a game behind a net to be a big deal, also they make the nets now so they are less distraction. Of course their goals of reducing liability and reducing bad PR will be accomplished.
Possibly this should be extended to Minor League parks, where commonly there is far less area between stands and fans. I have attended the Triple A Diamondbacks stadium in Reno, NV and in one situation sat on the first base line. It was quite an experience!
Next let’s get these nets up in the rough at golf so those spectators don’t get beaned with errant shots.
Phil Mickelson would save a lot of money on signed gloves.
So, snap-hook left, severe slice right… No worries, the net will throw it back in the fairway for you? Different for baseball, once foul always foul.
You can’t get enough nets to keep Phil from hitting someone. Lemonade stands 40 yards left or right are in jeopardy along with spectators.
Jack – Not sure if you are serious or not but I work as a marshal every year at a PGA Tour event. On my hole, we have a hillside where people like to sit and errant drives land on that hill 10-15 times every round. We warn people of the risk and they mostly just look at us and turn back to their beers. We finally got the Tour to move the ropes further back on that hole last year and it helps. A big difference is the mass of a golf ball is much smaller than a baseball. I’ve seen many people get hit by golf balls and serious injuries are pretty rare – not nonexistent, but rare. I was hit once on my calf from about 160 yards (by Ryo Ishikawa) and it barely left a bruise.
CL, I have seen people carried off the course on a stretcher with bleeding head wounds. Yes, a golf ball can do that. Many fans congregate right in the landing area so they can see the next shot played. Unfortunately, when wild Phil hits, people should duck and hopefully behind a tree if one is there.
The third reference to Phil Mickelson. you make a multiple major winner and one of the all time best career golfers out to be a hack.
I guess you don’t follow much professional golf, do you? Who said Phil was a hack? He is more of an escape artist and often gets out of trouble from the most unusual places. He recently started using that new Rogue driver from Callaway and said he thought he would be hitting it straighter, but as we saw in Phoenix, he is just as wild. Tries to stay up with the kids on tour and over swings. That is not a winning formula these days.
Agent is wrong in just about everything else, but he legitimately knows sports:
https://www.pgatour.com/stats/stat.102.html
As of today, Phil Mickelson is 7th…from the bottom…in driving accuracy. He is a terrible driver and saves himself with his chips and putts.
In the immortal words from the movie “Airplane”: “They knew what they were getting into when they bought a ticket. I say, let them crash.”
This was a well written article. Its nice to see that the teams have finally wised up.
Several years ago I had box seats on the 3rd baseline at our local minor league franchise. The only nets were behind the plate. I can still replay in my mind clearly the time that a lefty was batting and fouled a line drive into the seats behind the home dugout. Hit a guy about 8 rows up, right square in the chest. It made this sick, thunk when it hit him, like dropping a watermelon. His popcorn flew all the way down to the field. They stopped the game and he walked out with team personnel. Not sure if he was seriously hurt or just stunned, but it scared the entire crowd.
Many years ago I was watching batting practice from seats a few row from the field, but way down the right field line, not far from the foul pole Tim Raines was hitting left-handed, and he sent a shot over my head towards the pole. I turned my head to see where the ball would land and then turned my head back towards the hitter. At that instance another line shot whizzed by the side of my head. I had been lucky, as I would not have been able to react in time had the ball been on the trajectory to my head.
Tim Raines was my favorite player as a kid, and is largely the reason I was the only Montreal Expos fan in my hometown, lol. :) Still have about 30 of his cards.
Agreed about the netting. This is dangerous stuff that does kill people. There is no detriment to the game or fan experience, so put em up.
So are you saying that Raines couldn’t hit a batting practice 80 MPH pitch out onto the field?