Events like the one that happened in Wednesday night's Cubs-Astros game don't have to happen.
In the 4th inning, Albert Almora fouled off a ball into the left field stands that hit a small child. The incident quickly became national news when Almora was seen on camera visibly upset in the dugout and on the field, at one point hugging those around him and appearing to cry into his glove. Thankfully, all the local reports from Houston indicate that the fan will be okay.
A day later, the conversation over MLB stadium netting has been reignited. Why does this keep happening? Didn't MLB try and fix this? It was less than two years ago that another small girl was hospitalized with facial fractures and bleeding on the brain after getting hit by a foul ball at Yankee Stadium.
After the game, the Cubs Postgame Live crew weighed in on the topic:
David Kaplan: Now, what I don't understand is, in Japan they have netting from foul pole to foul pole. At Wrigley they have it well beyond the dugout past third base. Why don't they make it mandatory in every park? They have bigger, stronger guys.
Doug Glanville: I think the league initially left it to individual teams to figure out what their conditions are. Every stadium is different - that's what sort of makes baseball. All the stadiums have their own different styles. And sorry, you make that judgement, but it's really dangerous . When I go to games and I sit close with my family, there's no way I'm sitting [there]. I bring my glove; you can be a major league player, but the ball ricochets somewhere and someone puts a hand in front of your face. It's 100 miles per hour, so they have to always continue to think about what to do.
MLB
David DeJesus: It's crazy because those exit velocities, especially those foul balls, you're squaring it up and it's flying that way. It doesn't make sense for teams not to put that netting up. The people that are paying for those really expensive right behind home plate? Those are netted. Down the lines, why is that netting going to subtract from the game. I just don't get it.
Going forward, what excuse does MLB have for inaction? Hiding behind the notion that it's a club-controlled decision is nothing but convenient cover for a league office that has no problem making their presence felt on *much* smaller issues like, say, the color of one's cleats. There are a dozen concerns that MLB could stand to not worry about as much as they should care about [checks notes] not dying at a game.
You'd think it'd be hard to argue against common sense, but the anti-netting crowd continues to give it a try. A big complaint is that the net obstructs views, which is just categorically untrue. There's not really an eloquent argument to make here -- it's just untrue. Every single person who's ever been to a baseball game has 1.) noticed the nets 2.) wondered if they'd get used to seeing said nets 3.) gotten used to seeing said nets. Another cool thing about all baseball stadiums is that there are hundreds, if not THOUSANDS, of seats in the outfield. One of the many great things about those seats is that there are no nets to pretend to be mad about.
An arguably worse argument always follows, which usually has something to do with getting-what-you-pay-for or keeping-your-head-on-a-swivel. It's a curious hill to die on considering that in theory, paying more means you don't have to worry about an unpleasant experience, but we'll save the dive into classism for another day.
More so, the idea that one must strictly follow the action of a game from start to finish is laughable, and uniquely preachy in a way that only baseball fans can be. It is quite literally my job to pay attention to the small details of a baseball game and even I find myself daydreaming during the 5th pitching change of the afternoon. Baseball is slow! Sometimes it can even be [/gasps] boring. Fans gave away their money to be there; they paid for the right to not pay attention to a single pitch if that's their prerogative. It's difficult to think of something more antithetical to the entire notion of a day at the park than having to remain on high alert the whole time.
Of course, the netting conversation isn't about nets. It's about change, and it's about how back in their day there were no nets, and we all turned out fine!! It's one of the very last rallying cries of an aging fanbase that just so happens to be baseball's favorite demographic.
Just make baseball games safe, guys. It shouldn't take 1000 columns.
UPDATE
The MLB has since issued a statement on Wednesday night's incident, as follows:
"The events of last night's game were extremely upsetting. We send our best wishes to the child and family involved. Clubs have significantly expanded netting and their inventory of protected seats in recent years. With last night's event in mind, we will continue our efforts on this important issue."
