Such a tragedy occurred July 7, when a man named Shannon Stone fell to his death at Rangers Ballpark at a game he was attending with his son. Shortly thereafter, nearly everyone — myself included — insisted there shouldn't be a public uproar against the Rangers brass or an investigation into the safety standards at the ballpark. It was one of those unfortunate things, a lone death in the 17-year history of the park, and should only have been viewed as an isolated, freak accident.
In large part, the baseball world agreed. Stone's death has been overshadowed by the ongoing, excruciating tale of Bryan Stow, the Giants fan beaten into a coma at Dodger Stadium on opening day, and the mass chaos in San Francisco at the 49ers-Raiders preseason game.
The most concerning thing taking place at Rangers Ballpark this season was the tenant's battle for the American League West pennant.
That was before Saturday, when a second fan was reportedly knocked unconscious after falling 21 feet from a stairwell while leaving the park. Unlike Stone, this fan appears to have been lucky; his condition is improving and there was only a small amount of blood on the ground where he landed, The Associated Press reports.
One fan falling is an accident. Twice is a disturbing trend that calls into question what is going on in Arlington.
Shall we make it three?
Those with firm memories might remember that a third fan, Tyler Morris, fell 30 feet from the second deck in July 2010. Morris survived but suffered a fractured skull. Maturely, he didn't blame anyone but himself or file charges against the team or the park.
I've never been to Rangers Ballpark in any of its iterations — The Ballpark in Arlington, Ameriquest Field — so I can't accuse it of dangerous architectural design or the fans of being unusually foolhardy. Details of the incident are sketchy. Whether there is some obvious oversight that can be addressed to fix the problem of fans toppling to a serious injury or worse isn't clear. All that's certain is that the enhanced safety measures put in place after Stone's fall haven't worked.
Alcohol is no excuse for the man's fall Saturday, if it was involved in the fall at all. (Authorities have not said.) News flash: Fans imbibe at sporting events, and a venue should be built to keep safe the folks who have a few too many adult beverages.
Twice in the span of 52 days, a fan has fallen at Rangers Ballpark and had to go to a hospital. One died. One looks like he will live. Some may see that as a blessing, but a 50 percent fatality rate is not great odds. The Rangers can do better than that.
