MLB Security Measures

[godwulf]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.