James McPherson looked and listened after a foul ball disappeared over the metal roof of BB&T Coastal Field during Thursday night's Myrtle Beach Pelicans game.
Apparently unaware that foul balls often roll off the roof and back into the stands at the ballpark, 5-year-old son and namesake James Jr. didn't see his dad make a one-handed grab that drew applause from the crowd. He was even more surprised when his father handed him the baseball and told him the souvenir was his to keep.
"I used to run all over the ballpark trying to catch them when I was a kid and I never could get one," said the elder McPherson, who was vacationing from Charlotte, N.C. "I'm glad I was able to catch one and give it to him. Hopefully it's something he will keep to remember this trip, but he's 5 so he'll probably end up losing it."
That scene plays out in ballparks all across America on a nightly basis every summer.
Unfortunately, one incident earlier this month at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington turned tragic. While taking in a Rangers game from the front row of the left-field stands, father Shannon Stone, 39, reached out to catch a ball thrown by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton and flipped over the railing to his death. Stone's 6-year-old son Cooper was at his father's side when Shannon fell 20 feet head-first onto concrete.
Shannon was transported to an area hospital, but not before requesting that someone look after his son. Rangers officials, including team president Nolan Ryan, rushed to the boy's aid. Shannon died about an hour later.
"It was a complete tragic accident you wish could have been avoided," said Scott Brown, general manager for Class A Rangers' affiliate Pelicans and the father of three daughters. "By all accounts, the Rangers did everything they could, but all of our hearts go out to the family."
As someone who has spent his entire life around baseball, Brown knows the delicate balancing act teams must play between allowing fans to get the full game experience and safety.
Regardless of what steps teams take to avoid injury, it's an unfortunate reality. Foul balls find their way into the stands and fans find themselves in the path of danger, either from the ball itself or from fellow fans rushing to get a free souvenir.
The team tries to minimize the potential risk, but it's ultimately up to the fan to make the catch or duck.
"We're constantly educating fans with signs to be alert for foul balls. We have signage all over the ballpark, it's on the tickets and we do [public address] announcements," Brown said. "And our policy is if a foul ball or bat goes into the stands, we have an employee go to check on them."
Modern ballparks have been built to keep fans close to the action, and that was a focal point of the construction of BB&T Coastal Field in 1999. The openness of the stands and the close proximity to the action please fans, but also come with risks.
That was one of the first issues Greensons Baseball LP addressed when it purchased the club in 2006. A protective netting like the one behind home plate was placed in front of the first-baseline picnic area, which was the scene of many fan beanings, and also around the nearby children's playground.
The new ownership also added a small section of outfield bleachers behind the left-field fence, but a fall over the 61/2-foot wall would result in a landing on the dirt warning track. There are higher drop-offs in the ballpark - over the tops of walkways and bleachers - but no stadium is accident-proof.
"There's always a risk of someone being hurt and that's why we have EMTs on site anytime we open the gates," Brown said. "We also have options for fans who want to sit behind the protective net [behind home] so they can be close to the action and also be safe."
But going to a game out of foul-ball range wouldn't be the same for the elder McPherson and many fans who grew up bringing their gloves to the ballpark in hopes of going home with a piece of memorabilia.
And now he's literally handed it down to the next generation.
"I saw that story on the news and I felt awful for the kid and his father, who was a firefighter and has seen a lot more danger than a foul ball," the elder McPherson said. "People get hurt in strange ways every day, but it doesn't mean that you should stop living your life."
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