HEADS UP! That Means Look Out!
10th of March 2016
In a past article, (THIS ONE) I talked about the game of baseball being much like a circus. It still is, but I now wonder how many people are even paying attention. Look in the picture to the left. Is the ball in play? If it isn't, is it about to be in play? Those that watch the game can tell me the answer to both questions. I'll let you look at it and decide. I won't give the answer.
What I will talk about is how many people are paying attention. When I grew up, I always knew to pay attention to what's going on. I knew to look out for foul balls and other events going on. Bats flying into the stands were not such a problem, but they seem to be now. To combat this, MLB has suggested to expand the netting around the field. I'm not opposed to this, but I wonder why it needed to come to this. Those that sit close to the field should be the fans of the game, not those there to make an appearance. Yes, I realize that I can't determine who goes to the game or how they decide to enjoy it. However, when they're doing everything BUT watching the game, why are they even there? Foul balls are the biggest danger to watch out for. They're hit into the stands a lot. Now in the smart phone age, no one notices them or the potential flying bat.
Foul balls are going to happen. It's apart of the game. It's unavoidable most of the time. That's more reason for people to put down their cell phones or what not and watch the game. If someone wants to take a picture, that's fine. Have someone be on the lookout for you to have your back. Foul balls are dangerous. If they don't kill you (and they could), they can give you a serious injury depending on where it lands.
Flying bats, on the other hand, are the fault of the players. Sure, bats break. It happens all the time. However, I think the bats could be looked at and determined if they can be used or not. Back in 2010, Tyler Colvin got pierced in the chest by a piece of bat flying at him. It was inches away from his heart. I don't think the players do it on purpose, but I think the players should look closer at what bat they're bringing to the plate. Not only that, but losing grip on the bat while swinging is on the players. I think they should also be fined for it.
Since some of these are unavoidable, it is our responsibility as fans to watch out not only for ourselves, but the rest of those around us. Even the people on the cell phones, the drunken crowd that we may want to see get smacked with a ball or any other annoyance. It's what makes us get along better. It shows that even though we don't like certain aspects of people, we don't want to see them harmed.
So next time you go to any sporting event, HEADS UP! It means watch out, not put your head up your ass. I hope that cleared some confusion.
