Man almost falls to his death at the home run derby, just one week after another guy fell to his death trying to catch afoul ball. Are people really this frigging stupid? This guy would have dropped about 6 meters too, same distance as the guy who just died at a texas game. There is going to be major changes at stadiums after this happened twice in a week. Follow Yahoo! Sports on Facebook and be the first to know about the most interesting stories of the day. After what happened at the Home Run Derby on Monday night, we as a baseball-loving nation need to run a check on our priorities. Wherever "catching a baseball" ranks â and it's high, apparently â it ought to be made less important. Keith Carmickle â the man pictured above hanging on by his right arm, with his baseball glove dangling from his left hand â almost fell about 20 feet to a pool deck below at Chase Field after he chased a home run hit to center by Prince Fielder(notes). Thankfully, he didn't catch the ball. Or fall. But he almost went over completely. As the Associated Press reports, he was saved by his brother and a friend. "I thought: I've lived a good life," Carmickle said about dangling. Seated in a small section of seats above the right-field fence, Carmickle, of Kingman [Ariz.], and his group had already grabbed home run balls by Robinson Cano(notes) and Adrian Gonzalez(notes), and were looking to add another to their collection when Milwaukee's Prince Fielder came up in the second round of the derby. Trying to snare a towering shot by Fielder, Carmickle stepped up onto a metal table about 18 inches wide and reached down to catch the catch. He missed the ball, which hit the wall several feet below him, and the momentum carried him forward, headfirst over a short railing. Carmickle was headed for a hard landing when his friend, Aaron Nelson, grabbed his legs and his brother, Kraig, grabbed him around the arms. The crowd above and below gasping, Carmickle dangled briefly over a deck where a couple of cameras were positioned behind Chase Field's pool before his brother, Nelson and a few fans pulled him back to his seat. Carmickle's good fortune came on the same day as a memorial service for Shannon Stone, the man who fell at Rangers Ballpark on Thursday and died that day as a result of his injuries after trying to catch a ball. Stone's story must have slipped Carmickle's mind. If you don't think too much of the angle of the photograph, check the mishap from farther away:
Apparently. Those balls can be purchased for $15 - $20, without risk to life and limb. No, one purchased wouldn't have the "posterity" of one played for 1/2 an inning at MLB game. But these fools act like they're trying to catch a 10 carat diamond.
Yeah, im sure that guy must have felt pretty god damn stupid when he saw the souvenir shop on the way out and realised he could have bought one for 15$ On the plus side, the guy who actually died probably got all kinds of autographed memorobilia for his kid.... Dont know if you saw this comment from the guy who almost fell but.... "I thought: I've lived a good life," Carmickle said about dangling. So i guess in his mind it was all worth it if he would have just caught the foul ball.
Only reason i made a big deal of it was because a guy had died just one week ago from doing the exact same thing, you would think people would learn a lesson, and express a little restraint after that happened.
Obama to NAACP and Africa: Get rich or die tryinâ On the flip side, I'mma gonna catch that ball or die trying. So the guy died. This is not a new concept.
It just speaks to the fact that there are alot of middle aged marginally employed (unemployed) folks in this country living in upside down houses (or foreclosed squatters) that are probably "on the fence" about jumping off a bridge to begin with (so the idea of "going out" while trying to snag Prince Fielder's HR is probably not the worst outcome).
Also note the loose grip he had, one hand wasnt even trying to grab the leg.... Maybe he wanted him to drop, and he was smiling over the potential carnage. Maybe the guy who was falling bought the last round of beers, and it was the smiling guys turn to buy the next round. Hell i probably would have shoved him to get out of buying him acouple beers, particularly because he was being obnoxious and dancing on the tables just before he went off the edge.....
The ball wasn't even close and his buddies lowered him down. These guys were screwing around in bad taste while the media screwed the story.