Fan dies at Ranger game

[Spark]

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 left field. 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








By Adam S. Levy - Radar Staff Writer

Tragedy struck in Arlington, Texas on Thursday, where a firefighter who brought his son to the Rangers-A's game fell to his death while reaching for a ball tossed at him by American League MVP Josh Hamilton.

Here’s how the sad series of events unfolded: Oakland infielder Conor Jackson hit a foul ball towards left field that the All-Star slugger Hamilton picked up and tossed toward fans in the stands, a common practice among players. The man caught the ball, but lost his balance, falling over a railing about 20 feet onto concrete.

Watch the video on RadarOnline.com (Warning: video is disturbing).

The fan has been identified as Shannon Stone, 39, of Brownwood, Texas. Stone had been a firefighter for 18 years, local officials said.

"He went straight down," fan Ronnie Hargis, who was sitting next to Stone, told the AP. "I tried to grab him, but I couldn't. I tried to slow him down a little bit."

PHOTOS: Celebrities Who Died In Bizarre Circumstances

A's pitcher Brad Ziegler said following the fall, the still-conscious Stone, while on a stretcher, was telling others in attendance to make sure his young son was cared for as he was carted off.

"He had his arms swinging,” Ziegler said. “He talked and was conscious. We assumed he was OK.

“But when you find out he's not, it's just tough."

While Stone was conscious after the fall, he "went into full arrest" during his ambulance ride to the hospital, according to Arlington Fire Department authorities, and died at a Fort Worth hospital less than an hour later.

"We had a very tragic accident tonight and one of our fans lost their life reaching over the rail trying to get a ball," Rangers president Nolan Ryan told reporters following the game. "As an organization, and as our team
Ryan said that Hamilton is "very distraught over this, as the entire team is," while Rangers manager Ron Washington said, "It's sad, it's very sad."





Baseball Fan Falls 20 Feet To His Death After Lunging For Souvenir Ball | Radar Online

[jcindaville]

Just awful, that is so sad.

[bryce]

Miserable..

[ToDaClub]

Was wondering how old the boy was....

..ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan says grief counseling has been made available to players following the death of a fan who plunged over an outfield railing trying to catch a baseball.

Ryan spoke Friday, the day after 39-year-old firefighter Shannon Stone fell during Thursday night's game in Arlington, Texas, as he reached for a foul ball tossed to him by outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Stone was at the game with his 6-year-old son, Cooper.
Ryan says he spoke with the firefighter's widow by telephone. He says Jenny Stone told him that "she's very concerned about her son and the impact that this is having on him."
...

Poor Kid is gonna have a tough time.

[tech fan]

This is so terrible man.An Oakland a's relief pitcher said the guy was talking and saying please get my kid he is up in the stands by himself.He was probably doing what we all would have done and try to catch the ball for his son.Very sad to hear

[Spark]

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.

[Spark]

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.

[flarendep1]

This is so sad.

The poor kid.

[tech fan]

I FEEL BAD FOR HAMILTON ALSO.THE DAY AFTER THIS HAPPENED HIS COACH ASKED IF HE WANTED THE DAY OFF AND HE SAID NO.THIS IS NOT A JOKE REALLY HAPPENED IN THE 6TH INNING HE HIT A FOUL BALL INTO THE STANDS AND HIT A SPECTATOR IN THE HEAD.THEY SAID THE SPECTATOR WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION AND NEEDED STITCHES TO CLOSE THE GASH.REALLY GLad TO SEE HIM HIT THE WALK OFF HR TODAY TO WIN IT. THE KID NEEDED A GOOD BREAK

[Spark]

BROWNWOOD, Texas — Front-office executives from the Texas Rangers and firefighters from across Texas were expected to arrive in Brownwood today for the funeral of the 39-year-old man who fell to his death trying to catch a souvenir baseball tossed by his son's favorite player.


Shannon Stone was to be remembered at a memorial service today at the First United Methodist Church, followed by a procession to the cemetery that was expected to include more than 100 fire trucks.

Stone took his 6-year-old son, Cooper, to a Rangers game about a three-hour drive away in Arlington on Thursday night. They stopped to buy the boy a new glove, and sat in left field, behind Cooper's favorite player, Josh Hamilton. Hamilton threw them a foul ball, but Stone fell headfirst about 20 feet onto concrete.

[DAREALDEAL]

prayers are with him.....will the family sue? a toddler fell like that here at staples and the family is suing the owners...

[ToDaClub]

prayers are with him.....will the family sue? a toddler fell like that here at staples and the family is suing the owners...

I don't get it, why is it the Lakers or Rangers fault? Both are just accidents, nobody pushed anyone, if I remember, the parents of the todler didn't know for a couple minutes cause they weren't watching him. Were the Lakers suppose to supply child care for everyone on the suite levels? They are accidents, and a jury will probably award them money. But in my opinion its wrong!