April 02, 2011

Giants Fan Attacked at Dodgers Stadium: After the opening day game at Dodgers Stadium Thursday, a San Francisco Giants fan was savagely beaten by two men in Los Angeles Dodgers attire outside the stadium and has been hospitalized in critical but stable condition. Bryan Stow tried to escape taunting fans and was head in the head, fell and kicked repeatedly, police said. "Everyone likes rivalries, but to me that's crossing the line," said Dodgers manager Don Mattingly.

posted by rcade to baseball at 10:39 AM - 15 comments

Geez, Don, ya think?

posted by wfrazerjr at 11:04 AM on April 02, 2011

L.A. Times article on the beating.

The victim is now in a medically induced coma and they may need to remove a frontal lobe. This is reminiscent of the Steeler fan beaten into a coma at an L.A. Raider game back in '91.

Too bad it wasn't a Dodger/Raider fan. Most of them were born without frontal lobes anyway.

For anyone who has been to a dodger game in the last few years, this is no surprise. The crowds have gotten worse and worse. And McCourt could care less.

posted by cjets at 11:37 AM on April 02, 2011

More examples of Dodger fan bad behavior. And video.

posted by cjets at 12:26 PM on April 02, 2011

in regard to cjets video...is no security at Dodgers Stadium?

Anyone that would beat someone into a coma over a baseball game needs to be removed from society on a permanent basis.

posted by dviking at 02:14 PM on April 02, 2011

I just don't understand some people! Does beating the opposing fan make your team any better or benefit your team in any way? Only makes you look like an ass and gives bad publicity to your team!!

posted by skydivemom at 02:43 PM on April 02, 2011

in regard to cjets video...is no security at Dodgers Stadium?

Looks more like they're the South Central Los Angeles Dodgers.

Hard to understand why that city can't attract or keep teams. Great family environment.

posted by dyams at 03:09 PM on April 02, 2011

Great family environment.

That's what really got me; there are kids sitting right behind these yahoos. That's a great set of values to pass on to the next generation.

posted by dfleming at 03:18 PM on April 02, 2011

You couldn't pay me to wear a Giants (or Cardinals) jersey in the upper deck of Dodger Stadium. There are a lot of bad news gangbanger dudes that hang out up there, and every game I've been to, there's usually a massive brawl around the 7th inning. Lots of alcohol, competition, and shit-talking. Not a good combination.

Anyway, you just have to be smart. Dodger Stadium is not a great place to be antagonistic in the parking lot. It's kind of sad, I guess.

posted by phaedon at 07:29 PM on April 02, 2011

in regard to cjets video...is no security at Dodgers Stadium?

The original post stated that it was outside the stadium. I don't know of any team that tries to police behavior outside the stadium -- AFAIK they all leave that to the cops.

That's not to say that there aren't things the teams can do to deter yahoo behavior, by how they regulate conduct inside the ballpark, and what they say publicly about actions taken outside the ballpark. If a team makes it plain that they regard behaviors such as fighting, taunting, wearing shirts with fighting-words slogans, vandalism, etc. as a disgrace, that can have a lot of influence. But they have to say it strongly and unequivocally, and they have to back it up with policies inside the park (such as tossing or refusing entry to troublemakers).

As for this specific incident, it sounds like they don't know much of anything about the assailants except that they were wearing Dodgers gear -- they may have been at the game, they may not have. It sure is a sickener, though. I hope it will give every fan who nurtures the idea that it might be fun to mix it up with the opposition some indigestion-provoking food for thought.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 08:54 PM on April 02, 2011

And after the assault, the two d-bags jumped into a car with a woman and a child. There's a nice family day...caught a game, chowed some Dodger Dogs, beat a guy into a coma in the parking lot. Stay classy, asshats.

posted by The_Black_Hand at 01:07 AM on April 03, 2011

Phaedron, in the LA Times article they say it was an unprovoked attack. I get that you think a part of this is knowing the crowd and whatnot, but for an out of town or irregular baseball fan, those are hard things to know.

posted by dfleming at 08:59 AM on April 03, 2011

TJ Simers: Dodgers can't ignore safety issue.

posted by cjets at 11:48 AM on April 03, 2011

lbb, I was talking about cjets video, which clearly was inside the park. That being said, if the parking lot is owned by the team then they still have an obligation to ensure fans' safety. Even if they don't, if you have an event with large numbers of people, the city normally makes you contract out for security. Every park I've been to has had some level of police/private security present in the lots.

(I have no idea on this park, but I know that the Ranger's organization did own their lots. Seems as though the Hick's group still controls now, which seems like a disaster waiting to happen)

posted by dviking at 01:57 PM on April 03, 2011

dviking, I was being a bit of a devil's advocate there. I'm really not a fan of the practice of ballpark security simply tossing misbehavers out on the street (where they can buy more and cheaper booze and become somebody else's problem). I have a strong opinion on what responsible behavior would look like, and that's definitely not it. Yes, it's true that they can't be held responsible for actions that take place off their property -- legally. For practical purposes, however, I think there's a lot they can do, and morally, should do. And McCourt could have done more in this case, starting with a statement that didn't boil down to, "Not our fault! Not our fault!" and by being the one to offer the reward.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 06:38 PM on April 03, 2011

What a sad, disgusting story.

posted by insomnyuk at 09:01 PM on April 03, 2011

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