Texas Rangers Fan Falls to Death After Catching Foul Ball

MeMyselfandI · #1 ● 07-08-2011, 12:18 AM

I posted this in the video request thread already...at least the poor bastard caught the ball before he fell

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A male fan has died after falling over the outfield railing and landing on the concrete behind the out-of-town scoreboard at the Rangers Ballpark during the second inning of Thursday's game between the Texas Rangers and Oakland Athletics.

"We are deeply saddened to learn that the man who fell has passed away as a result of this tragic accident," Rangers president/CEO Nolan Ryan said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

The Rangers closed the clubhouse to the media after their 6-0 win. They haven't released the name of the fan because they aren't sure if all the family members have been notified.

The left-field wall is 14 feet high and the fan went over the railing, which is a few feet higher, for an approximately 20-foot drop.

The fan, wearing a blue Rangers cap and white Rangers shirt, was seated in the front row and, according to others seated near him, was yelling at Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton for a foul ball that was hit by Conor Jackson and landed on the field. Hamilton flipped the ball toward the fan and the fan leaned over, caught it and toppled over in the gap between the railing and the back of the scoreboard on the left-field fence.

Countryguy123 · #2 ● 07-08-2011, 01:36 AM

WHAT THE FUCK. This shit pisses me off I am saddened by this... His young son was with him.. :( Shits so sad he was consious and saying if they could get his son and all this shit man... Sad shit.. Sucks too cause I was just in Arlington and I don't live that far away... Sad sad shit...

Countryguy123 · #3 ● 07-08-2011, 01:38 AM

I had a feeling this was gonna be on DR. But man it's just sad this just makes me down in the dumps. I know how this poor mans son feels. Been through that shit. Poor father didn't have to die that fast but at least what @rabenson said he caught the ball haha. That's true... Sad sad stuff...

MeMyselfandI · #4 ● 07-08-2011, 03:33 AM

the commentators didn't help either

You could hear the breath taken out of the crowd

also the hand that was holding on the ball smacked the wall and he still held on to it! That's how I'd like to go

thanks rabenson

MeMyselfandI · #5 ● 07-08-2011, 03:44 AM

Would this be considered irony(a year exactly after this incident)?

"Updated: July 7, 2010, 3:30 PM ET

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A male fan fell off the club level in section 235 and onto the lower deck during Tuesday's Texas Rangers game against the Cleveland Indians. He was stabilized, responsive and moving his extremities as he was taken to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, according to team spokesman John Blake.

More on the Rangers
Richard Durrett and the ESPNDallas.com team have the inside scoop on the Rangers, the American League and Major League Baseball. Blog | ESPN Dallas

The man, identified by the Rangers on Wednesday as Tyler Morris, fell from the club level at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, hit the railing on the suite level and then landed in the lower deck down the first-base line. The drop is about 30 feet. Four other fans were injured and treated by paramedics at the stadium.

Rangers president Nolan Ryan visited with some of the injured fans and said he saw the fall out of his peripheral vision. He said the fan fell on a group of people, including a young boy who had a contusion on his face."

It would be even more ironic if they had been playing the Inidans today instead of the Athletics

smackem · #6 ● 07-08-2011, 07:45 AM

If that railing is at least 1' higher, Dude would be alive today.

nismos14 · #7 ● 07-08-2011, 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by Countryguy123 ↗

WHAT THE FUCK. This shit pisses me off I am saddened by this... His young son was with him.. :( Shits so sad he was consious and saying if they could get his son and all this shit man... Sad shit.. Sucks too cause I was just in Arlington and I don't live that far away... Sad sad shit...

What are you pissed about? What exactly is there to be pissed about????

smackem · #8 ● 07-08-2011, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by nismos14 ↗

What are you pissed about? What exactly is there to be pissed about????

George W. Bush was at the game & it wasn't him who tumbled instead?

slapchoppa · #9 ● 07-08-2011, 08:20 PM

Thursday night in Arlington, Texas, Rangers star outfielder Josh Hamilton played his part in a custom almost as old as the game itself. He tossed a souvenir ball into the stands after a batter hit a foul ball.

Shannon Stone, 39, who came to Rangers Ballpark with his 6-year-old son, stuck out his glove and reached for the ball, only to fall about 20 feet and suffer fatal injuries. He died of blunt-force trauma, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner.

The second-inning incident left the Rangers club and its athletes shaken.

Friday, Rangers president Nolan Ryan, a Hall of Fame pitcher, said he saw no reason to discontinue the tradition.

"I know as a former player, that when you're on the field and you have an opportunity and you have a child asking for a baseball, you like to accommodate them," Ryan told reporters. "This just happens to be a situation that turned into a great tragedy. And what you'd like to do is hope that we don't have that situation come up again. But I also would not suggest that we don't give baseballs away."

The Rangers were to hold a moment of silence at Friday night's game against the A's, Ryan said.

smackem · #10 ● 07-08-2011, 08:29 PM

Yes. Um. The story is right under this thread.

Texas Rangers Fan Falls to Death After Catching Foul Ball

Documenting Reality