Do you all remember the big brawl last season between the Dayton Dragons and Peoria Chiefs at Fifth Third Field? It made national headlines because a pitcher for Peoria threw a ball towards the Dragons dugout, missed badly, and struck a fan in the head. He was arrested and charged with two different assault charges.
Today, he was found guilty on one of the charges. Click the link for the story.
Why am I posting this on a Silver Hawks blog?
1) I was broadcasting the game as a color commentator, and it turned out to be the wildest night/week of my professional career. The next day I had calls from more national media outlets than you could ever imagine wanting me to comment (ESPN, Fox News, Inside Edition, Etc.), and more friends than I knew I had wanting to know if I was broadcasting. We were not going to comment as members of the Dragons staff, and I still won't comment now because it's not my place. My opinion on the court case and the brawl is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
2) It involved the Midwest League, so I find it to be an important story in that regards.
3) It's a painful reminder of how a game can get too serious. You wouldn't think we'd need to remind ourselves that this is a game that we play/watch because it's fun and it takes our minds off of the problems in everyday life. LIke anyone, I get caught up and wins and losses, and certainly want my favorite sports teams to win. But ultimately, it's still just a game, and we need to remember that from time to time.
From the seats, I get annoyed at times at the fans and their behavior. Some people forget that it is a game and their are children in the stands and yes, there will be alcohol at the stadium tomorrow, so don't try to drink it all tonight.
ReplyDeleteOn the field, a ball being thrown or hit is dangerous. A player throwing it understanding the danger it is, is a cause for concern even if he was just trying to "Scare" the other players.
Dave