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godwulf
04-01-2015, 03:10 PM
I just received this email from the Diamondbacks.

When it gets to the point where I have to start taking off my shoes, I guess I'll be watching ALL the games on my big screen and buying my bobbleheads on eBay.



Arizona Diamondbacks Security Advisory Enhanced security measures, in compliance with Major League Baseball's league-wide security initiative, will require all guests to walk through metal detectors upon entrance to Chase Field starting April 3, 2015.

As you approach your gate, your ticket will be scanned. You will then be instructed to remove your cell phone and large metal objects and place in a bin on a table, along with your personal handbag or backpack. Pocket change will not be required to be put into the bin. Security will then check any bags and ask you to proceed through the metal detector.

The Arizona Diamondbacks strongly encourage fans to arrive to the ballpark early. While we are making every effort to ensure this procedure does not slow down entrance, we want to be sure you have ample time for security detection.

Thank you for your support! For more information, please visit dbacks.com/security (https://webmail.east.cox.net/do/redirect?url=http%253A%252F%252Flink.mlblists.com% 252Fr%252FUJZFA0%252FTBL50U%252FGCRZ9%252FEWDXVNU% 252FSLCPF4%252FJS%252Fh%253Fa%253D9055019%2526b%25 3D786897523).

yanks12025
04-01-2015, 03:27 PM
Fenway park and Yankee stadium have the metal detectors for certain games.

lengthwise1
04-01-2015, 03:37 PM
Coors Field had them at select gates at certain points during the season last season. They just sent a similar email, all games and all gates moving forward...

sox83cubs84
04-01-2015, 08:01 PM
While I don't believe the regular gates at US Cellular Field have the scanners, I do pass through one at the seniors/disabled gate where i normally go in.

Dave Miedema

godwulf
04-01-2015, 09:50 PM
Going to the ballpark has been getting to be less and less fun; this is just one more damn thing. Last year they went back to doing something they hadn't done for several years - restricting access to the second level, where all the good restaurants and one of the game day GU silent auctions are at, to those with "Suite Level" tickets; apparently the Suite owners decided they didn't like mingling with the riff-raff in the common use areas. Some of the ushers and customer service types are just downright rude and arrogant any more. If it wasn't for the GU auctions, the SGAs and - of course - the thrill that only seeing those great plays live and in person can truly give you, I would stop buying tickets all together.

johnsontravis@ymail.com
04-02-2015, 12:27 PM
It really isn't that big of a deal. It is super easy and quick as long as you planned accordingly. I did it a few times at Miller Park and it wasn't too bad. If that is deterring you from going to a game that's too bad.

Get in line earlier is all I can reccomend.

Chris78
04-02-2015, 06:07 PM
Does anyone know if bringing in baseballs to get signed at games will be an issue? I would assume it would not be an issue, but just thinking ahead.

godwulf
04-03-2015, 07:41 AM
I don't see how they could possibly keep you from bringing a baseball in to a ballgame - or really why they would want to try. For one thing, you can buy all sorts of souvenir baseballs in any ballpark's team shop, so what's the difference?

Of course, I feel the same way about bats, and I've heard about Major League parks (and even some Minor League ones) where you can't take a bat in, and can't keep one if it goes into the seats, even if the player doesn't want it. That's one positive thing I'll say about Chase Field - they've never prohibited bats.

johnsontravis@ymail.com
04-03-2015, 11:53 AM
Does anyone know if bringing in baseballs to get signed at games will be an issue? I would assume it would not be an issue, but just thinking ahead.

No baseballs can't possibly be an issue. Though with these security measures a bat may be prohibited everywhere...Though you would have to check with each team specifically.

Really all this is to prohibit guns, knives, air horns, I guess beer smuggling, God forbid a bomb, and other related things.

From my understanding places like Miller Park are still allowing food and drinks to enter.

Juan Gris
04-03-2015, 12:58 PM
In spring of 2008, I tried to bring a baseball into an Obama function to have signed and security made me leave it outside. I can't see a baseball being turned down at a ballpark but you never know.

xpress34
04-03-2015, 02:00 PM
Going to the ballpark has been getting to be less and less fun; this is just one more damn thing. Last year they went back to doing something they hadn't done for several years - restricting access to the second level, where all the good restaurants and one of the game day GU silent auctions are at, to those with "Suite Level" tickets; apparently the Suite owners decided they didn't like mingling with the riff-raff in the common use areas. Some of the ushers and customer service types are just downright rude and arrogant any more. If it wasn't for the GU auctions, the SGAs and - of course - the thrill that only seeing those great plays live and in person can truly give you, I would stop buying tickets all together.

Jeff - be glad you could go there at all. The Rockies and Coors Field have NEVER allowed fans access to the '2nd Level' (i.e. Club and Suite Levels) without being ticketed for those areas.

You can go to the Mountain Ranch Club during the game to eat - IF you are holding a Season Ticket. Not available for those who by their tickets day of game, etc...

- Smitty

xpress34
04-03-2015, 02:04 PM
I am waiting for MLB to fall into the NFL mold.

Went to ONE Broncos game last year. Per NFL policy, the ONLY bags allowed in (besides HAND HELD Purses - or 'clutches') are CLEAR 12" x 12" x 6". Binoculars and Cameras can NOT be in cases. etc, etc.

The Rockies just mailed out to Season Ticket and Mini Plan holders a 12" x 12" x 6" CLEAR bag with a Rockies sticker on the side of it.

Foreshadowing? More than likely.

cjclong
04-03-2015, 02:38 PM
It's too bad, but we live in a dangerous world. In December 2000 I went to the Windows of the World restaurant in the World trade center and was annoyed when they searched me and checked out my camera before letting me on the elevator to the restaurant. Less than 9 months later we had 9-11.
Public events are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If people are searched or have to go through metal detectors they complain. Then if something like the Boston Marathon happens people say why wasn't there more security. For now we will just have to get used to it. (Of course this has nothing to do with keeping tickets holders off the second level. That has nothing to do with security and is another issue.)

mr.miracle
04-03-2015, 08:35 PM
I don't see how they could possibly keep you from bringing a baseball in to a ballgame - or really why they would want to try. For one thing, you can buy all sorts of souvenir baseballs in any ballpark's team shop, so what's the difference?

Of course, I feel the same way about bats, and I've heard about Major League parks (and even some Minor League ones) where you can't take a bat in, and can't keep one if it goes into the seats, even if the player doesn't want it. That's one positive thing I'll say about Chase Field - they've never prohibited bats.

You cannot bring any bats into Oriole Park nor can you carry one around the stadium if purchased during a game in the case of a game used bat you may take possession once you are ready to leave and must be escorted to the gate with it and you also cannot gain access to the Club Level unless you are ticketed to be on that level

Such is the world we live in today especially due to the necessary security measures that need to be taken in light of current world events

sox83cubs84
04-04-2015, 06:04 PM
You cannot bring any bats into Oriole Park nor can you carry one around the stadium if purchased during a game in the case of a game used bat you may take possession once you are ready to leave and must be escorted to the gate with it and you also cannot gain access to the Club Level unless you are ticketed to be on that level

Such is the world we live in today especially due to the necessary security measures that need to be taken in light of current world events

Both Chicago ballparks pretty much bans bats from being carried aound by fans as well. The Sox have occasionally made exceptions on Kids' Day for the autograph sessions, but otherwise, for both, a bat received from a player must be checked in (you get a numbered claim ticket) until you plan to leave.
Dave M.

godwulf
04-05-2015, 10:15 PM
It's too bad, but we live in a dangerous world. In December 2000 I went to the Windows of the World restaurant in the World trade center and was annoyed when they searched me and checked out my camera before letting me on the elevator to the restaurant. Less than 9 months later we had 9-11.

Yeah, amazing that something like 9-11 could have happened, isn't it? I mean, considering all the camera bag checking that had been going on? :cool:

Not trying to be a smartass here. No, wait - maybe I am.

godwulf
04-05-2015, 10:17 PM
You cannot bring any bats into Oriole Park nor can you carry one around the stadium if purchased during a game in the case of a game used bat you may take possession once you are ready to leave and must be escorted to the gate with it and you also cannot gain access to the Club Level unless you are ticketed to be on that level

Such is the world we live in today especially due to the necessary security measures that need to be taken in light of current world events

Because as we all know, one of international terrorism's weapons of choice is a baseball bat.

Kool-Aid, anyone?

mr.miracle
04-05-2015, 11:52 PM
Because as we all know, one of international terrorism's weapons of choice is a baseball bat.

Kool-Aid, anyone?

In Baltimore at least it is likely more an issue with half of the stadium attendees being completely drunk by the 4th inning and the potential damage that could be done by a drunk fan wielding a bat when a rival fan happens to walk by

Baltimore has to be one of the only stadiums in the league where alcohol sales per game have at times outpaced overall food sales which is just a staggering thought to comprehend

cjclong
04-06-2015, 09:50 AM
There are probably more ways to destroy and kill people at building and events than we have thought of. But we have to protect against those that we can anticipate. A bomb in the restaurant wouldn't have destroyed the Trade Center, but it could have killed many people in the restaurant. If people going through the gates aren't checked some day some one will walk right through with a bomb. Its a hassle and we understandably don't like it, but the inconvenience is out weighed when you consider the devastation that can be done to humans as happened at the Boston Marathon.

godwulf
04-06-2015, 11:05 AM
I'm sure that security precautions were taken before and during the Boston Marathon that year, but they did no good, did they? And if they had been more stringent, making the smuggling in of pressure cookers impossible, they'd have blown up somewhere else and perhaps killed even more people. A small plane could have crashed itself into the finish line before anyone could have lifted a finger to stop it, and there are a hundred other terrorist scenarios that might have been carried out against which no restrictions or searches would have been effective.

My point is simply that we can't make each other walk around all the time carrying transparent bags, emptying our pockets, taking off our shoes everywhere we go and passing through metal detectors every fifty feet. America is becoming a paranoid police state, and I don't like it.

As for the prohibitions on having bats in the stands, wouldn't a more comprehensive and sensible solution be to prohibit and punish public drunkenness at the park? At the first sign of intoxicated behavior, an usher alerts security and the drunk is put outside - problem solved. And a cop is waiting outside to ensure that he/she isn't going to try to drive home.

kellsox
04-06-2015, 06:58 PM
As for the prohibitions on having bats in the stands, wouldn't a more comprehensive and sensible solution be to prohibit and punish public drunkenness at the park? At the first sign of intoxicated behavior, an usher alerts security and the drunk is put outside - problem solved. And a cop is waiting outside to ensure that he/she isn't going to try to drive home.

Says the guy not liking a police state. I don't need bats being carried around by people in a 30,000 person crowd confined in a small space. I see enough fights in stands to not need another potential hazard being avail to people -drunk or not. Out of curiosity, how should stadiums screen fans??? I have read plenty of complaints

godwulf
04-07-2015, 12:06 PM
Says the guy not liking a police state.

You don't see the difference between escorting an obviously drunk individual out of the ballpark - in other words, acting to punish someone breaking the law - and treating everyone who walks into the ballpark as a potential criminal terrorist? Really?


I don't need bats being carried around by people in a 30,000 person crowd confined in a small space.

Bats are allowed at Chase Field - always have been - and in the fifteen years I've been going to games there, not a single violent incident involving a bat has ever occurred. Not even when the Dodgers are in town. :rolleyes:

Incidentally, any adult citizen can carry a concealed firearm on their person in Arizona, and even though guns in the ballpark are prohibited, but I can just about guarantee you that many pistolas have been carried into that place without incident.


I see enough fights in stands to not need another potential hazard being avail to people -drunk or not.

Maybe Arizona fans are just a little more mellow (or civilized) than people are where you live, but the only fight I can remember ever seeing at any of the hundreds of Diamondbacks games I've attended was a small shoving, beer-throwing fracas at Game 2 of the 2001 World Series.


Out of curiosity, how should stadiums screen fans??? I have read plenty of complaints

How about just doing what they've always done? Looking in bags to make sure you're not carrying in unauthorized food - that sort of thing.

xpress34
04-07-2015, 12:41 PM
Bats have always been allowed inside Coors Field as well (celebrating it's 20th Anniversary this year) and I have never seen an incident with a bat.

ballhawknet
04-07-2015, 12:44 PM
About ten years ago White Sox would not allow baseballs ... think it was the second day of the season . Told me " projectiles " were not allowed in . Took me 20 minutes to find someone with authority to over rule them . Only time it happened there .

2006 opening day reds was not allowed in with baseballs . President was throwing out first pitch . Then they proceeded to have batting practice and I had
my 6 projectiles :)

cjclong
04-07-2015, 01:19 PM
So you would recommend that there be no security measures taken at the upcoming Patriots Day April 20 Boston Marathon because it didn't stop the last one? Look at airline security, which I admit is a pain for all of us. There have been no more 9-11 successful terrorists incidents in this country on commercial airlines since that happened. Would you suggest since they didn't stop the first one they just say never mind and leave the gates wide open. I can guaranty that the number of successful terrorists attacks on planes here wouldn't be zero since 9-11 if they did that. I don't walk around taking off my shoes, going through metal detectors, and carrying transparent bags when I go to the mall, store, parks where I live. The places where we have to do these things are at stadiums, airports, etc, that are targets for terrorist. Out side of that I think most of us move around pretty freely. We can't protect everything, but that doesn't mean we protect nothing. We can argue about things like NASA surveillance, but I don't think brief checks at potential terrorists targets makes this a police state.

sox83cubs84
04-07-2015, 05:10 PM
About ten years ago White Sox would not allow baseballs ... think it was the second day of the season . Told me " projectiles " were not allowed in . Took me 20 minutes to find someone with authority to over rule them . Only time it happened there .

2006 opening day reds was not allowed in with baseballs . President was throwing out first pitch . Then they proceeded to have batting practice and I had
my 6 projectiles :)

Once I was hassled for bringng a baseball into the Wrigley Field bleachers, and it was in a Ball Cube (an item I planned to sell to a Wrigley ballhawk later. When I told them what the ball was (signed 1950's Milwaukee Braves team ball) and cited the value, surprisingly, they relented...not what I was expecting.

Dave M.

johnsontravis@ymail.com
04-07-2015, 07:54 PM
Everyone complains about things like this because it has never happened...why must we always wait to have a horrible incident to ban something. What on earth do you need a bat inside the ballparks for?

What if tomorrow a little kid is beat to death with a bat at Coors by some drunk person? Do you still stand by your statements thinking it is ok?

This isn't that big of a hassle and I will gladly go through it.

sox83cubs84
04-07-2015, 08:20 PM
Everyone complains about things like this because it has never happened...why must we always wait to have a horrible incident to ban something. What on earth do you need a bat inside the ballparks for?

What if tomorrow a little kid is beat to death with a bat at Coors by some drunk person? Do you still stand by your statements thinking it is ok?

This isn't that big of a hassle and I will gladly go through it.

I've gotta agree with you on this.

After the resumption of play following the 9/11 terrorist attack, I was outside Comiskey Park with a longtime buddy of mine who was an autograph chaser. He whined and moaned about the security clampdown then, mainly because he had to bring a smaller bag, and, subsequently, had to reduce how many items he could bring to get signed.

After the complaining about the status quo got to be too much, I finally told him, "Look, Tom, we've just had the worst terrorist attack in US history on our own soil, and stadiums are gonna do this to try an ensure that no one carries out an attack here". Unfortunately, he was so caught up in his reduced ability to get autographs that I had to repeat that thought 3 or 4 more times before it finally sunk in.

I'm not trying to belittle or criticize any previous posters on this thread, but at some point you need to realize that, in today's world, especially with the current terrorist appeaser we have running the country, that safety trumps the hobby 100 times out of 100. Sure, it's an imposition, and an annoyance, but I'd rather increase my ability to be safe at a sports stadium than to complain about having to make accomodations in my hobby pursuits because of recent history.

Dave Miedema

Phil316
04-07-2015, 09:26 PM
I'm sure that security precautions were taken before and during the Boston Marathon that year, but they did no good, did they? And if they had been more stringent, making the smuggling in of pressure cookers impossible, they'd have blown up somewhere else and perhaps killed even more people. A small plane could have crashed itself into the finish line before anyone could have lifted a finger to stop it, and there are a hundred other terrorist scenarios that might have been carried out against which no restrictions or searches would have been effective.

My point is simply that we can't make each other walk around all the time carrying transparent bags, emptying our pockets, taking off our shoes everywhere we go and passing through metal detectors every fifty feet. America is becoming a paranoid police state, and I don't like it.

As for the prohibitions on having bats in the stands, wouldn't a more comprehensive and sensible solution be to prohibit and punish public drunkenness at the park? At the first sign of intoxicated behavior, an usher alerts security and the drunk is put outside - problem solved. And a cop is waiting outside to ensure that he/she isn't going to try to drive home.

I agree 100%.

godwulf
04-08-2015, 07:24 AM
Everyone complains about things like this because it has never happened...why must we always wait to have a horrible incident to ban something. What on earth do you need a bat inside the ballparks for?

Have you forgotten what kind of a board you're posting on? I'd guess the majority of members here are bat collectors, and most of us like to get those bats signed, whenever possible. I'm having a difficult time believing you were even serious when you asked that question.


What if tomorrow a little kid is beat to death with a bat at Coors by some drunk person? Do you still stand by your statements thinking it is ok?

What if tomorrow somebody drives a car a hundred miles an hour into a line of people waiting outside the ballpark to get in? What if tomorrow somebody kills a child at the ballpark by cramming a foot-long chili dog down his throat? What if the lady who waves the flags up in the cheap seats all through the game goes berserk and beats somebody to death with one of the flagpoles? My God, how about all of those typed-up, testosterone-filled jocks down on the field - they've got bats! The place is a death trap!


This isn't that big of a hassle and I will gladly go through it.

It's Security Theatre. Glad you enjoy the show.

godwulf
04-08-2015, 07:32 AM
I've gotta agree with you on this.

After the resumption of play following the 9/11 terrorist attack, I was outside Comiskey Park with a longtime buddy of mine who was an autograph chaser. He whined and moaned about the security clampdown then, mainly because he had to bring a smaller bag, and, subsequently, had to reduce how many items he could bring to get signed.

After the complaining about the status quo got to be too much, I finally told him, "Look, Tom, we've just had the worst terrorist attack in US history on our own soil, and stadiums are gonna do this to try an ensure that no one carries out an attack here". Unfortunately, he was so caught up in his reduced ability to get autographs that I had to repeat that thought 3 or 4 more times before it finally sunk in.

I'm not trying to belittle or criticize any previous posters on this thread, but at some point you need to realize that, in today's world, especially with the current terrorist appeaser we have running the country, that safety trumps the hobby 100 times out of 100. Sure, it's an imposition, and an annoyance, but I'd rather increase my ability to be safe at a sports stadium than to complain about having to make accomodations in my hobby pursuits because of recent history.Dave Miedema

9-11 has been used for a lot of things; I think it's kind of sad to see it used to justify reducing the size of bags one can carry into the ballpark. It's an insult most people's intelligence.

I recall standing in line waiting to get into the park sometime in 2002, and I had one of those small vinyl cooler bags, the size of a six-pack; a female Security person told me that I couldn't bring it in because there was a ban on "coolers". I tried to get her to understand that the rule did not apply to what I was carrying, to no avail. So I transferred what had been in the bag to something else, folded up the "cooler" and put it in my pocket. I'm sure everyone was much safer as a result.

xpress34
04-08-2015, 09:10 AM
Everyone complains about things like this because it has never happened...why must we always wait to have a horrible incident to ban something. What on earth do you need a bat inside the ballparks for?

What if tomorrow a little kid is beat to death with a bat at Coors by some drunk person? Do you still stand by your statements thinking it is ok?

This isn't that big of a hassle and I will gladly go through it.

People - like us on this very board - bring bats and balls to the ballpark to get signed by the players. THAT is why people bring them in. I've never seen anyone show up with a bat, just to bring a bat to the ballgame.

This is a COLLECTOR's board.

That said, I have plenty at my disposal that i could hurt, maim or kill someone with - like the edge of a credit card. Held right, you can slit someones throat. Do we need to start banning credit cards and wallets too?

This is how asinine this argument is becoming.

I can't recall an incident happening INSIDE a ballpark where a fight happened and someone was killed. It's happened a few times OUTSIDE of ballparks in recent years.

I understand the safety aspect - 12 years military and former loss prevention - I am always very aware of my surroundings.

At a point though where does INDIVIDUAL responsibility come into play. ONE person does something stupid, so EVERYONE pays the price.

I'm actually surprised that the people who sit close that have been hit by bats and balls (NOT due to their inability to field them, but because they weren't paying attention to the game while sitting that close) haven't caused MLB to just screen in the entire field.

Then they can ban both bats and balls, male sure the players don't have to interact with the fans (since most hate doing it anyway anymore) and NO bats or balls will ever go into the stands again.

NHL did this after having one incident (at least one known incident) at the Columbus Blue Jackets game years back. The NHL had already been around for over 75 years - with many pucks leaving the ice and becoming souvenirs - when a little girl was struck by a puck and later died from her injuries. The NHL immediately netted in the ice putting up nets above the glass.

I'm not belittling her death, but a rather extreme measure for ONE incident out of all of the games played in over 75 years.

Just this season (and the video has been making the rounds) a woman at an NBA game was NOT paying attention (looking at her phone) and a missed pass sailed into the stands and smashed her in the face.

I can see a time soon - what with how our society is becoming more about making everyone else responsible for us instead of individual responsibility - that all sports will be 'boxed' (or netted) in so that you can still see it live, but NOTHING can come off of or go onto the playing field.

Just my .02

xpress34
04-08-2015, 09:13 AM
I'm not belittling her death, but a rather extreme measure for ONE incident out of all of the games played in over 75 years.

I meant to follow up on this.

There will be those that say one death is one death too many not to do something.

What about the people who die DAILY from cigarettes and such - we haven't outlawed those, we just put a warning label on them and leave it to individual responsibility.

sorklora
06-03-2015, 12:20 PM
I recently experienced something funny and odd. I went to the Astros and Rangers game in Houston with a game used Adrian Beltre rookie bat to get signed and had it in a bat tube. I couldn't get him arriving at the park, so I tool the bat in. Before the gates opened, security told me I could bring the bat in, but NOT the plastic bat tube. I was like, "what???!!"

So I had to go to guest services, drop off the bat tube, and walk around with the bat. I did get lucky and got Beltre to sign and inscribe game used on it and then picked-up my bat tube and took the bat back to the car before the game.

It was a meaningless hassle as no bat tube can do any damage, but just shows how mornonic the rules and security personnel are that commons sense doesn't prevail.

coxfan
06-04-2015, 02:17 PM
Politics don't belong on this forum, a point that has been made repeatedly in past posts. President Obama and both Bushes have put themselves and their families in permanent risk; in Obama's case for the killing of Bin Ladin. The Presidents' Bush have lifetime Secret Service protection for their actions against terrorism, and I expect that the Obama's will have the same. They all deserve respect and appreciation, and none of them deserves to be called "terrorist appeaser"

My wife and I are political independents partly because we are appalled by the prejudices that both left and right extremes have against each other. Let's keep politics out of GUU!

lengthwise1
06-04-2015, 03:01 PM
I recently experienced something funny and odd. I went to the Astros and Rangers game in Houston with a game used Adrian Beltre rookie bat to get signed and had it in a bat tube. I couldn't get him arriving at the park, so I tool the bat in. Before the gates opened, security told me I could bring the bat in, but NOT the plastic bat tube. I was like, "what???!!"

So I had to go to guest services, drop off the bat tube, and walk around with the bat. I did get lucky and got Beltre to sign and inscribe game used on it and then picked-up my bat tube and took the bat back to the car before the game.

It was a meaningless hassle as no bat tube can do any damage, but just shows how mornonic the rules and security personnel are that commons sense doesn't prevail.

If you buy a game used bat at Coors Field, it comes in a bat tube!

xpress34
06-04-2015, 08:47 PM
Politics don't belong on this forum, a point that has been made repeatedly in past posts. President Obama and both Bushes have put themselves and their families in permanent risk; in Obama's case for the killing of Bin Ladin. The Presidents' Bush have lifetime Secret Service protection for their actions against terrorism, and I expect that the Obama's will have the same. They all deserve respect and appreciation, and none of them deserves to be called "terrorist appeaser"

My wife and I are political independents partly because we are appalled by the prejudices that both left and right extremes have against each other. Let's keep politics out of GUU!

Coxfan - I completely agree. I'm guessing whatever you're referring to has been removed.