Nets all over lower level seating in future?

[steveox]

Well it could happen.One day in the future you might see nets all over lower deck seating.I reason may be is because so many fans been hit and injuried with bats and foul balls.I say thats bull if you wanna sit in box seats i think you should be warned about sitting in those seats.So what do you think?

[Elvis]

Unfortunately, you might be right. Look what happened in the NHL after that accident with the girl... they put cargo nets all the way up to the celing in the end sections.

I think MLB is just an accident away from nets down the lines.

[cong]

After a stupid fan's unsuccessful attempt to sue a local Minor League club/stadium after they were injured by a foul ball, there has been legislation pending by the state to outlaw any such suit. Basically saying you enter a ballpark of your own free will and you know that injuries can occur (Just like what use to be on the back of a ticket)

[Kroxquo]

Sorry guys, but I'm going to disagree here. The minor league teams near where I live (Kinston Indians and Carolina Mudcats) have installed nets in front of the lower deck and even the upper deck directly behind home plate. It is not intrusive to watching the game once you get used to it (which you do by the time the top of the first is over). It is also an improvement to safety. If I am taking my children, one of whom is only one year old, I can expect them to be alert at all times, and I cannot possibly protect all three of them in case of a hard line drive foul. What happened to the girl at the hockey game is tragic and I (and I hope neither would you) would want it to happen again. It's not as if anyone's rights are being trampled, just a little effort at public safety. It's a VERY minor inconvenience in exchange for a great deal of safety.

[Elvis]

What happened to the girl at the hockey game is tragic and I (and I hope neither would you) would want it to happen again.

No, I hope it happens again.

[64Cards]

No, I hope it happens again.
:laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh

God, I hope no one is taking you seriously.

[Elvis]

:laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh :laugh

God, I hope no one is taking you seriously.

It wouldn't suprise me. :rolleyes:

Along the lines of saftey, shouldn't we then put nets over the bleachers to protect fans from injury from home run balls and jumping on one another to get home run balls? Heck, let's just throw a net over the whole ballpark. :noidea

[steveox]

No,,I think there should be a warning label in back of your seat.Says Please be alert of foul balls & Bats at all times.

[wamby]

I say do it if it keeps fans from reaching over and interfering with balls that are in play.

[JPL BMX]

No,,I think there should be a warning label in back of your seat.Says Please be alert of foul balls & Bats at all times.



Even though it may seemed it won't that would cost a lot of money if you had one one the back of every single seat.

[steveox]

Hey im afraid its already happend. Look at Lamade Stadium.
http://www.tvuplink.net/albums/llws03/DSC_0547.jpg
As you can see netting all around that stadium

[Elvis]

Maybe they have a mosquito problem.

[steveox]

Maybe they have a mosquito problem.
LOL!!!! :laugh

[yankees-chick]

I've had the good luck to score tix behind the plate a couple times, and everytime a player fouls one back I would think "man, it was hard times for the ticketholders before they put up that net...."

[BasEbaLlKnoItAll]

They have nets at all the stadiums in Japan, seems pretty annoying to me. I would feel like I was being caged or something lol

[steveox]

The only team should be caged is the detroit tigers. :laugh

[Elvis]

They wanted to add saftey nets to all NBA arenas this year. Not for balls, for Ron Artest.

[steveox]

Why not put a steel cage inside a boxing ring when mike tyson is fighting?

[cong]

There is a need for some common sense amongst the fans. I took my son up to Fenway a couple of years ago. He has an amazing ability to move down close to the action and not get sent back to his real seat. We moved down to the second row, right between the plate and the third base dugout. The seats were the first seat just to the left of the backstop screen. If you have ever been to Fenway, you know you are very close to the action and the possibility of foul balls.

Sitting right in front of us, in the front row, was a young couple who had brought their 2 year old son and an infant. Neither of them were really watching the game and they were not aware of the danger they had put their children in. They must have been given the seats by a friend as you could tell thy didn't know what was going on. The entire time they were there (They left after the 5th inning) I was nervous for them and constantly getting ready to leap over them to block a foul ball from hitting the kids.

When they left, we jumped over and enjoyed the rest of the game from the front row. The Sux were playing the Jays and my son struck up a conversation with Delgado. It was very cool!

[Bob Hannah]

Hey im afraid its already happend. Look at Lamade Stadium.
http://www.tvuplink.net/albums/llws03/DSC_0547.jpg
As you can see netting all around that stadium
Lamade Stadium in Williamsport is the site of the Little League World Series. Doesn't surprise me in the least. Little League insurance costs due to liability issues decrease when safety measures like these are instituted. Several years ago LL officials were considering, and may still be today, protective vests for batters. The younger age groups use softer balls in our league.

Through the years there have been instances of kids being badly hurt, possibly a death or two, from being struck in the head and chest areas by batted and thrown balls. Quite a trauma for a small body.

Netting would be seen in minor league parks first. Chalk that up to the insurance/liability issues Little League faces.

[pesky6]

Sorry guys, but I'm going to disagree here. The minor league teams near where I live (Kinston Indians and Carolina Mudcats) have installed nets in front of the lower deck and even the upper deck directly behind home plate. It is not intrusive to watching the game once you get used to it (which you do by the time the top of the first is over). It is also an improvement to safety. If I am taking my children, one of whom is only one year old, I can expect them to be alert at all times, and I cannot possibly protect all three of them in case of a hard line drive foul. What happened to the girl at the hockey game is tragic and I (and I hope neither would you) would want it to happen again. It's not as if anyone's rights are being trampled, just a little effort at public safety. It's a VERY minor inconvenience in exchange for a great deal of safety.

IMO, putting nets up would be just another step towards sterilizing our society. If we weren't so sue-crazy, there would be no need to do anything like that. The game hasn't changed, but the fans who attend the games have. Why pay attention to the game when you can be talking on your cell phone and wave to all of your friends watching on TV? :rolleyes: The only thing that a net does is protect fans from their own lack of attention and responsibility. Bottom line--if you pay for the best seats, you should know the risks involved.

Has anyone seen the warning sign on a hair dryer that says, "Do not immerse in water"? There's a reason why stuff like that is on there. To me, the issue of having a net around the infield is the same thing. People just don't want to be responsible for their own carelessness.

[pesky6]

Lamade Stadium in Williamsport is the site of the Little League World Series. Doesn't surprise me in the least. Little League insurance costs due to liability issues decrease when safety measures like these are instituted. Several years ago LL officials were considering, and may still be today, protective vests for batters. The younger age groups use softer balls in our league.

Through the years there have been instances of kids being badly hurt, possibly a death or two, from being struck in the head and chest areas by batted and thrown balls. Quite a trauma for a small body.

Netting would be seen in minor league parks first. Chalk that up to the insurance/liability issues Little League faces.

You bring up some good points, but how many times have we seen a knee-jerk reaction to something that's happend once or maybe twice? If someone tumbles off the edge of the Grand Canyon because they got too close to the edge, should we put up railing to keep others from falling off? What's the lesson there?

Personally, given the # of kids in attendance at the LLWS, I think the nets are a good idea, but let's not go overboard.

[ReignInBlood]

It wouldn't suprise me. :rolleyes:

Along the lines of saftey, shouldn't we then put nets over the bleachers to protect fans from injury from home run balls and jumping on one another to get home run balls? Heck, let's just throw a net over the whole ballpark. :noidea

Why not just cancel the game altogether seeing it's a very dangerous sport, 95 mph heaters coming your way doesn't look safe to me.

[Bob Hannah]

You bring up some good points, but how many times have we seen a knee-jerk reaction to something that's happend once or maybe twice? If someone tumbles off the edge of the Grand Canyon because they got too close to the edge, should we put up railing to keep others from falling off? What's the lesson there?

Personally, given the # of kids in attendance at the LLWS, I think the nets are a good idea, but let's not go overboard.
I agree with you. Protective vests for batters does seem to stretch the precautions to the extreme. I'm only relaying info here, not advocating the measure.

What needs consideration is this: if insurance rates rise, those costs are passed on to families of participants in the form of higher registration costs to pay for the required insurance or equipment needed. In some areas registration fees go $100 and more, depending on the financial strength of the league. Even with family discounts some leagues offer, some families may find the fees cost prohibative and may elect not to participate. The fewer kids that participate reflects on the strength of the league as a whole, monetarily and talent wise. This scenario scares a lot of Little League folks.

[F_man8326]

At the Trop, they have signs alerting fans to watch out for balls and bats. I feel this way - if you are going to buy tickets to seat down there, you know that you are in an area where balls, bats, even players may be coming into your lap. If you can't be vigilant of the game, either by talking to others and/or doing other things, there are other places you can sit and watch the game and don't have to worry about being in close proximity to the diamond.

[brooklynboy]

If you're that worried about getting hurt at a ball game, then watch it at home
on your HDTV...

Baseball was made to be seen up close in a ballpark....

[Elvis]

I bet these folks were wishing for a net. Check out the faces...priceless.

http://www.goodlaughter.com/funnypictures/pics/bigscare.jpg

[icee82]

I hate those nets. Yes, I have been to Five County Stadium in Zebulon, NC, home of the Carolina Mudcats. The netting stretchs down the first base and third base line. I think that it ruins the fan experience. It is like watching a game through a fence. There is a distance between the players and fans now. A net puts even more "symbolic" distance. If fans went to the games to watch the game rather than drinking and socializing, many of these horrible things could have been prevented. How many times have you been to a ball game and there are five or six people sitting around drinking and socializing when suddenly a foul ball screams into the seats striking one of them? Baseball has become so corporate and many of the people in the seats close to the action are not there to watch the game. You could probably conduct a poll on those people sitting in those areas and more than half of them could not give you the names of the players on the field. They are not fans...but corporate peoples who probably could not pass a sobriety test. I have also seen parents not watching the kids but laughing talking with friends drinking their beer when their kid gets picked off by a foul ball. That happened in Greensboro three years ago and I thought it had killed the little girl that was struck. Her parents were drinking beer and not watching the game or their child. It took the little girl's breath and everyone around thought it had killed her because she did not breate for a moment. Nets are not the answer. Sobriety and watching the game are the keys.

[locke40]

I'm afraid it is only a matter of time before someone is killed or horribly maimed, and they institute this rule. Michael Kay has said numerous times that he is a big proponent for having nets all the way down the baselines.

54679

[nymdan]

I'm afraid it is only a matter of time before someone is killed or horribly maimed, and they institute this rule. Michael Kay has said numerous times that he is a big proponent for having nets all the way down the baselines.
With the way bats break these days, I think you're right. It's just a matter of whether it's a fan or a player.

I know they're working on finding out why the bats break, but they need to come up with a solution quickly--before something terrible happens.

[DJ Starion]

No,,I think there should be a warning label in back of your seat.Says Please be alert of foul balls & Bats at all times.

I can see it now. Man is looking behind his seat reading warning, foul ball comes and smacks him in his face because he wasn't paying attention cuz he was too busy reading a warning.

[YankeeFanBx]

Those pricey seat at NYS are mighty close to the action, I think those BP nets may stay all game.

[jimmyjimjimz]

I got hit in the head with a baseball at Yankee Stadium once. I was maybe 5 years old. It hurt, and there's still a bump on my head. I don't think it caused any brain damage though. Maybe it did, I dunno. But I don't think it did. I think if they put nets around the whole lower level, it would look horrible. They'd be wore than those poles they had at the old old Yankee Stadium that blocked people's views. And, aren't the TV cameras on the lower level? I think most of the TV cameras are on the lower level these days. It would look horrible on TV too. That's my opinion.

[Drivinjoe56]

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture/sideshowmel/basballe.jpg

I Bet this guy would aperricate a net

And look at some of the people oblivious to the game they deserve to get hit

[Aviator_Frank]

I bet these folks were wishing for a net. Check out the faces...priceless.

http://www.goodlaughter.com/funnypictures/pics/bigscare.jpg

That's just a Photoshop job. Those are Met fans watching Aaron Heilman take the mound in the 8th inning.

[locke40]

That's just a Photoshop job. Those are Met fans watching Aaron Heilman take the mound in the 8th inning.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl: I like when people make fun of the Mets.

[Gary Dunaier]

And look at some of the people oblivious to the game they deserve to get hit

Sometimes these balls come at you so fast that even if you're paying total attention to the game you might still get hit. And you certainly can't plan for a bat slipping out of a guy's hands into the stands!

[Nat Bailey]

[IMG]
And look at some of the people oblivious to the game they deserve to get hit
No one deserves to be smacked with a baseball or bat in the face because they looked away from the field. What a silly thing to say.