With multiple reports of recent injuries caused by foul balls during baseball games, things are about to change – count on it. 

As a longtime season ticket holder for the Dodgers Advanced Single-A affiliate Rancho Cucamonga Quakes at LoanMart Field, I have become accustomed to a nearly full-net stadium. For as long as I can remember, LoanMart Field has had netting that extends around (nearly) the entire seating areas.

Previously, protective nets were just behind home plate and generally ended before the dugouts at most fields. Now the nets at several MLB parks extend to the end of each dugout, in hopes of protecting fans from line drive foul balls. The tallest net is, of course, the one directly behind home plate, which I purposefully do not sit behind. Above each dugout are shorter nets that rise up approximately six feet and extend down the length of the dugouts. 

Although this large amount of netting protects fans in the lower seating bowl from foul balls, they do not guarantee the safety of those in the upper seating sections, or protect them from popped-up foul balls. Even people seated in the net-protected luxury suites or in the press box are not immune from an occasional foul ball liner. Usually once (or more) per game, a foul ball will find its way over the net and into the (thankfully) shatterproof windows, causing a loud thunk.

On Aug. 29, 2018 and after additional netting had been added at Dodger Stadium, lifelong Dodger fan Linda Goldbloom was celebrating her 79th birthday and 59th wedding anniversary at a game between her beloved Dodgers and the San Diego Padres when she was struck in the head by a foul ball. Although she was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital by paramedics, she died several days later from what was officially documented as “blunt force trauma and acute intracranial hemorrhage.”

Although the Dodgers took some heat for not releasing the information of Goldbloom’s foul ball-related death to the media until February 4, 2019, such a delay is not uncommon, as it often takes the L.A County Coroners Office several months to complete their investigation and notify the original reporting law enforcement agency as to the official cause of death; in this case the Los Angeles Police Department. There were also on-going legal matters which were eventually resolved.

Additionally, and this one hits close to home (no pun intended), my mom was struck by a foul ball during a spring training game between the Dodgers and Cleveland Indians at Goodyear Ballpark in 2015. We had gone there to celebrate my 20th birthday.

In the fourth inning, a ball was popped up foul and was immediately lost in the bright Arizona sun by just about everyone, including us. The next thing I know, former Dodger and then Cleveland Indians third baseman Juan Uribe is staring at us and I knew to duck. My mom did her best to get out of the way, but the ball ended up hitting her in the side, knocking the wind out of her. Once paramedics realized that she was having difficulty breathing and couldn’t exactly talk, they raced her to a nearby hospital. About four hours later and with a souvenir ball that had been tossed to us by a kind umpire, we finally left the hospital.

To get to the point of this story, the only way that my mom would not have been hit would have been if the netting not only covered the entire seating bowl, but also if it had extended upwards to the overhang. In other words, the only sure way to prevent such injuries would be to completely encapsulating the seating areas which, quite frankly, would be ridiculous. 

Years later and understandably so, she still frantically asks where a foul ball is headed if it is hit anywhere near us. And in case you were wondering, we weren’t distracted with our cellphones or by conversation and we were concentrating on each and every pitch … and it still happened. 

Which brings me to my next point.

With each advancement in technology, many fans are more interested in what’s happening on social media and spend more time staring at their cellphones than actually watching what’s going on down on the field directly in front of them. The same can also be said when fans are engaged in conversation with those around them and heads turned away from the action. 

I admit, I am guilty of both, as I’m sure most fans are, but I try to make it a point of doing neither when there’s a batter in the box and the pitcher has started his windup; just something to keep in mind.

Netting would provide more of a safe haven for socialization, but then again, if socialization is you primary intent, a local restaurant or a trip to the beach (etc.) might be a better choice, as there is far less risk if you’re not paying attention. 

Another very important area of concern is to please … please keep an eye on small children around you. By no fault of their own, youngsters – regardless of age – are very easily distracted at baseball games. It is up to us as responsible adults to plan ahead and try to keep them out of harms way. This could be as simple as having them sit in seats next to you but on the side furthest away from the batter. Although this most certainly isn’t a cure-all to end-all, it might be the difference in spending a great day at the ballpark or spending a very unpleasant day at the hospital.

Lastly, it’s not just foul balls that are a problem. There have also been moments where a fan’s error in judgement has caused injury. During a Texas Rangers game at Globe Life Park in Arlington, a fan fell over a protective railing trying to catch a ball that was thrown a bit short. Unfortunately, no amount of netting would have prevented this unfortunate situation. The same can be said for injuries caused by fans diving over seats and other people, or leaning over a stair railing to try to get to a ball. Their lust for a gamer (as game-used ball are often called) brings risk to not only themselves, but to those around them. 

All-in-all, I am not in favor of adding more nets at ballparks. A little more prudence on the part of fans is probably a more effective solution in reducing ball-related injuries. But everyone is entitled to their own opinions. For me, nets are hard on the eyes and create a problem when trying to take photographs through them. It almost makes me feel claustrophobic; like I’m trapped between the net and my seat. 

Sitting in the open without a net in my face just feels better, like I am more connected to the game and getting more air. Maybe it’s psychological, but I enjoy baseball best when there is nothing between me and the field.

I personally don’t want to see a stadium that is “nothing but net” (to borrow a basketball phrase). But even if Major League Baseball or teams themselves decide to add more netting, I implore you to please pay more attention to what is happening on the field rather than on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Have fun and don’t forget your glove!

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