One of the great new aspects of modern ballparks is how close they put you to the action.
And one of the worst new aspects of modern ballparks is how close they put you to the action.
Fans in the front rows at spring training games and at many MLB and minor-league parks have as good a seat as the players and coaches in the dugout. And the scary medical situation for Braves minor-league coach (and former big-league infielder) Luis Salazar illustrates how important it is for fans to pay attention.
Salazar, 54, was hit by a Brian McCann line drive flush in the left eye last week in the Braves' dugout at their spring training complex at Disney World in Florida. Initially it didn't look good -- his breathing was shallow and he was unconscious while being airlifted to an Orlando hospital -- but Salazar was lucky. He only lost the eye, which was surgically removed Wednesday. He should be able to manage the Braves' Single-A team in Lynchburg, Va., this season after recovering at his Florida home for the next month or so.
"As the doctor told us from the very beginning, in the big picture, this is a really good outcome," Braves general manager Frank Wren said to MLB.com.
The Orlando Sentinel web headline calls it a "mishap," but that's not the right word. A mishap implies somebody did something wrong. McCann hit a line drive foul. Salazar didn't have time to react. Part of the game. Mike Coolbaugh (the minor league manager who was hit in the temple by a line drive in 2007) and a fan at a 2010 minor-league game in Texas weren't as lucky. They died from their injuries.
So when you're attending a game, remember Salazar and the others. Those close seats can be fantastic, but be ready for anything, especially flying pieces of broken bats and line drives.
Said Reds manager Dusty Baker, to The Sporting News:
"People want these intimate seats but they don't pay attention. I remember one day I saw a lady put her baby up [on the rail] and I said, 'Oh, lady! No! Take that kid down!'
And one of the worst new aspects of modern ballparks is how close they put you to the action.
Fans in the front rows at spring training games and at many MLB and minor-league parks have as good a seat as the players and coaches in the dugout. And the scary medical situation for Braves minor-league coach (and former big-league infielder) Luis Salazar illustrates how important it is for fans to pay attention.
Salazar, 54, was hit by a Brian McCann line drive flush in the left eye last week in the Braves' dugout at their spring training complex at Disney World in Florida. Initially it didn't look good -- his breathing was shallow and he was unconscious while being airlifted to an Orlando hospital -- but Salazar was lucky. He only lost the eye, which was surgically removed Wednesday. He should be able to manage the Braves' Single-A team in Lynchburg, Va., this season after recovering at his Florida home for the next month or so.
"As the doctor told us from the very beginning, in the big picture, this is a really good outcome," Braves general manager Frank Wren said to MLB.com.
The Orlando Sentinel web headline calls it a "mishap," but that's not the right word. A mishap implies somebody did something wrong. McCann hit a line drive foul. Salazar didn't have time to react. Part of the game. Mike Coolbaugh (the minor league manager who was hit in the temple by a line drive in 2007) and a fan at a 2010 minor-league game in Texas weren't as lucky. They died from their injuries.
So when you're attending a game, remember Salazar and the others. Those close seats can be fantastic, but be ready for anything, especially flying pieces of broken bats and line drives.
Said Reds manager Dusty Baker, to The Sporting News:
"People want these intimate seats but they don't pay attention. I remember one day I saw a lady put her baby up [on the rail] and I said, 'Oh, lady! No! Take that kid down!'
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