Attention! Seats near dugouts in strike zone

Strange that he doesn't favor netting, but now he is sitting behind some. I definitely favor netting down each line. People that sit behind home plate and directly above have great seats, but don't have a chance to get a foul ball, so that's just a senseless argument. Besides, the team can have a computer pick seat numbers and give balls away each game. Teams/owners, etc., should do it because they know that it is the right thing to do and not waste a lot of time deciding if it is the right thing to do.

Rick,

While I am in agreement with you that there is a hazard of sitting near the playing field I also would like to point out that it is a result of the times we are experiencing more injuries. No longer are people going to the ballpack to watch a ball game, they go because it is a social event. You describe very accurately the events of people on cell phones, taking care of infants, etc. When I went to Wrigley as a kid, our favorite seats were the sixth row from the field along the third base line, between the dugout and left field. We knew of the risks and all of us who went to the games brought our mitts. We snagged many line drives from the likes of Ron Santo and Ernie Banks. The key I strongly believe is to pay attention.
Yes, you may still get smacked by the liner but your chances significantly improve if you see it coming. Thank you Rick, and I enjoy your column very much.

Sincerely,

Pete

Before we have mandatory helmets with facemask for the fans entering the ballpark, does anyone have the statistic for how many spectators have been killed at baseball games by flying bats or by a batted ball?

balls AND bats. I recently was at a game with some business contacts who supplied the fantastic seats to the game. The first thing I told them when we sat down in the seats was to PAY ATTENTION for foul balls, and added also to look out for bats. Within the first few batters, a line drive foul flew very close to us, and 3 inning later, a bat slipped and landed a section over. I think they got the idea

You're right, I do sit behind the net. However, that's just a personal choice I've made. I don't think that the number of fans injured vs the number of fans in attendance AND sitting where they would be protected by this additonal netting warrant that kind of reaction. I think people need to be aware and make an informed decision.

Yeah, there are some places i'm sure i'm going to get beaned. But this is a 100 year old problem. Not sure bringing light to it now is going to change anything.

John wrote:

how many spectators have been killed at baseball games by flying bats or by a batted ball?

Rick already mentioned it. One death. So we can compare that to (162 games/year)*(30/2 teams)*(50 years)*(200 most dangerous seats)= 24,300,000.

That means that in the last 50 years or so, someone sitting in one of the 200 most dangerous seats had a 1-in-24 million chance of being killed. I wouldn't be surprised if more people have died at ballparks by falling down stairs.

Certainly there are many more people who have been injured without being killed, which is something to be concerned about, but I think the facts show that sitting behind the dugout isn't that risky in the whole scheme of things. It's the rarity of fans /coaches getting seriously injured/killed is what makes them notable stories.

We have been discussing this situation all week. It is very scary to say the least. Almost nobody pays attention to what is happening. I, for one, will no longer sit down in that area. Behind the net or upper deck for me. It is only a miracle that more people haven't been hurt. What about the batter on deck? Isn't he in danger also?