Safety at the Ballpark

[steve B]

I "caught" a foul ball, first one ever, but at the local minor league park.
Then a week or two later, nearly caught one at Fenway. Both make for more positive and amusing stories.

The foul at the minor league park was a pure accident. The whole family wanted stuff from the concessions, and the park has one stand at the far end of the grandstand that has a really short line. I go, get in line, get our food, and as I'm walking towards the condiment wagon, the batter hits a long foul, and it's coming right towards us. The guy ahead of me by about 10 ft sticks out a hand, and deflects the ball right at me. As I stand there with my tray of drinks hot dogs pretzels... I froze, the ball hits my stomach and falls into the tray.
I barely felt it.

A couple weeks later I'm at Fenway, sort of between home and first, but way back where the back row of roof posts are. Sitting just left and behind one post almost obstructed view but not quite. We had a bunch of Yankee fans behind us, not a bad bunch actually. (Most are pretty good, know their baseball, and acknowledge however grudgingly when the other team does something great)
Again after getting some drinks, I'm sitting there, and a foul gets hit towards us. Fouls hardly ever go that far back. Everyone stands of course, so I stand up holding the drink tray that was on my lap. And the thoughts come very quickly as it appears the ball is headed right for me.
Wow, it's coming all the way back here
Uh oh, My hands are full and the darn drinks cost like $10...
If the ball hits me I might get a second foul in a couple weeks!
But if it's head high that's going to hurt..
It could hit the pole, but if I get hit in the head on a bounce it's still going to hurt.
And I'll probably spill the drinks anyway.
darn, it looks that it IS head high and I still haven't figured out how to free a hand..
DUCK!!!

So I did. I think the ball went back into the Yankee fans, but I'm not sure, and none of them were showing the ball around after.