Accident at Rangers Ballpark is Just that -- an Accident: A Fan's View

On Thursday, July 7 a man dropped 20 feet after falling over a railing at a Texas Rangers game , trying to catch a ball tossed into the stands. The man died on his way to the hospital.

The 39-year-old firefighter Shannon Stone was with his son at the game, when in the second inning a ball went foul. Rangers left fielder Josh Hamilton picked the ball up and tossed it into the stands. Stone reached for the ball and fell to an area that was not visible on the field. He was carted away and conscious, but later died from cardiac arrest.

As sad as this event is, it is still just a terrible accident, nothing more. The Rangers aren't at fault, Josh Hamilton isn't at fault, and Major League Baseball isn't at fault. There may be calls for more safety precautions, higher railings and safety nets, but you can't prevent every accident.

I wish nothing but the best for the family in getting through this awful time. I am sure the Rangers and Josh Hamilton will do everything that needs to be done to ensure the family is fine financially. I really hope the lawyers don't get involved and turn this into a spectacle.

Now, time for a rant.

As I read this story on Yahoo! on Thursday night, I was disgusted at how people were reacting. I do not expect people to shed a tear for this poor guy who died; I realize we are a very cold society. But the venom spewed was beyond belief.

Here are just a few comments on the story:

maomaothecat said: "the kid must be celebrating that his loser dad is finally gone, yeah!!"

Erik Bleaman said: "The man died but won Baseball Tonight's Web Gem of the Day!"

MC Wiggs siad: "i guess all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put him back together again"

When did we as a society become so cold? A kid just watched his father fall and later die and these trolls think it is a great time to try to be witty. Of course, these are guys that would never have the guts to say these kind of things face to face, only from the safety of a keyboard. I'm not asking for you to bawl like a baby; just a bit of compassion. Alas, those days are gone and instead we sink lower and lower. I wish I believed in karma so that I would be sure those people would get what they deserve in the end.

End of rant.