Fan dies at Ranger game

[TTB]

2nd time a fan has fell over a rail at Arlington in the last year........this time it ended in tragedy as a fan died tonight when trying to get a ball Josh Hamilton tossed into the stands.....the fan reportedly had been begging him for a ball all night and when he finally tossed one his way on a foul ball in the corner he fell over landing behind the scoreboard in leftfield.......Rangers clubhouse was off limits after game and per Nolan Ryan Hamilton is pretty devestated.......sucks

[topplayer]

Yes it does!!!! Terrible tragedy. All over a ball.

[weazel079]

Wow How unfortunate. Would feel terrible if I was Josh. Seems like this has happened a few times over the last couple of years.

[TTB]

Yeah you have to wonder what this does to Hamilton......guy has dealt with a lot of shit to overcome and now this

[TTB]

wow......it gets worse

reportedly he was conscious when being carried away on a stretcher and asked the officials to take care of his young son that was still in the stands attending the game with him.....so sad

[Ricky Tan]

reminds me of that little girl at the hockey game
very sad

[TTB]

VIDEO: Rangers Fan Falls Out Of Stands While Lunging For Ball - From Our Editors - SBNation.com

bout the 55 sec mark this clip shows the replay.......then listen to the dipshits on the oakland broadcast laughing about it........wonder how they feel now



update......guy was a firefighter (Shannon Stone) and his son with him at the game was 6 years old

[chibob]

Originally Posted by TTB

VIDEO: Rangers Fan Falls Out Of Stands While Lunging For Ball - From Our Editors - SBNation.com

bout the 55 sec mark this clip shows the replay.......then listen to the dipshits on the oakland broadcast laughing about it........wonder how they feel now



update......guy was a firefighter (Shannon Stone) and his son with him at the game was 6 years old

This is the tragedy..Took my son to many games at that age, and just can't imagine the effect it will have on him..screw the effect on Hamilton. It's the kid who will be totally faked up going forward

[Davydave]

Very sad story.
This should put an end to MLB players tossing balls into the crowd, the liability will be too high now.

[TTB]

didn't meant to sound insensitive about the kiddo Bob........stated how sad this was, sucks, etc. a couple of times.......obv the kid is a bigger priority then Hamilton

[chibob]

Originally Posted by TTB

didn't meant to sound insensitive about the kiddo Bob........stated how sad this was, sucks, etc. a couple of times.......obv the kid is a bigger priority then Hamilton

I understand..only used your post because you had the info on his boy..I didn't know the age

[garyrenard]

The big concern has to be the kid. And although there is absolutely no obligation to do this, I hope someone affiliated with MLB steps up and makes sure he and his family are taken care of.

[Randle Pat McMurphy]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Josh Hamilton(notes) could hear 6-year-old Cooper Stone screaming for his dad after the man tumbled over an outfield railing and fell 20 feet onto the concrete below.

Firefighter Shannon Stone had called out to Hamilton for a foul ball in the second inning of Thursday night’s game. Hamilton tossed it to him, but Stone fell as he reached for it and died an hour later of blunt force trauma.

Hamilton says he remembers the man’s fall “like it happened in slow motion.” He also remembers the screams of the little boy who came to the game with his dad in hopes of catching a ball.

Hamilton says he can’t stop praying enough for Stone’s family. The reinging AL MVP is playing in Texas’ game against Oakland on Friday night.

[vividjohn45]

god. hope the rangers aid this little kid. and family.

[Randle Pat McMurphy]

Originally Posted by Randle Pat McMurphy

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)—Josh Hamilton(notes) could hear 6-year-old Cooper Stone screaming for his dad after the man tumbled over an outfield railing and fell 20 feet onto the concrete below.

Firefighter Shannon Stone had called out to Hamilton for a foul ball in the second inning of Thursday night’s game. Hamilton tossed it to him, but Stone fell as he reached for it and died an hour later of blunt force trauma.

Hamilton says he remembers the man’s fall “like it happened in slow motion.” He also remembers the screams of the little boy who came to the game with his dad in hopes of catching a ball.

Hamilton says he can’t stop praying enough for Stone’s family. The reinging AL MVP is playing in Texas’ game against Oakland on Friday night.

More from Hamilton:

...The father and son duo had reportedly stopped at a sporting goods store on the way to the game to buy Cooper a new glove in hopes of snagging a ball.

Here's Hamilton's recounting of the incident (full transcript):

"The first [foul] ball I got I threw it to the ball girl. [...]

"Behind me I heard someone say 'Hey Hamilton how about the next one?' I turned around and Stone was the first guy I saw sitting there with his son. I gave him a nod and I got the next one and threw it in that direction. [...]

"They were the first ones I saw. When I got it, I found them again and threw it in that direction. If the same situation came up and this hadn't happened, I'd do it again."

Hamilton said he will play in Friday night's game against the Oakland Athletics — "There's nothing I can do by not playing," he said — and that he would continue to throw baseballs to fans.

He did say, however, that the incident will probably cause him to judge each situation a little more closely before he throws a ball into the stands.

"You do it so many times you just don't think about it. At the same time, as a player throwing the ball, you don't know what's going through that person's mind who's going to try and catch the ball. It's something to take a look at."

Before Hamilton spoke with the media, Rangers team president Nolan Ryan said that grief counseling would be made available to all players plus the emergency responders at Rangers Ballpark. Hamilton gave no indication that he would participate in the counseling, but did say that his wife Katie and his three children helped him get through a tough night after he returned home.

"She (Katie) stayed up with me and talked with with me and gave me some encouragement and support. She was there to talk to me if I needed to. The kids stayed up to talk to me for a while. It was just hard for me, hearing the little boy screaming for his daddy after he had fallen, and then being home with my kids, really hit home last night."

Hamilton says he plans on reaching out to the family and helping them when the time is right. He will join the Rangers in wearing black ribbons on their uniforms and observing a moment of silence before Friday night's game. The team has also lowered flags at the ballpark to half mast and set up a memorial account in Shannon Stone's name if you are interested in helping his son and wife.


Sounds like he is going to step up and help the family as well