7
2011
A Tragedy That Hits Home
An article by 
Last night while checking my e-mail once more, a story flashed across the screen that caught my attention. As a die-hard sports fan this story really hits home and I think we can all relate to it. However its inconceivable why such a tragedy had to occur.
Bryan Stow, a father of two, a paramedic and a San Francisco Giants fan, attended the home opener at Dodger Stadium last Thursday with some friends. As they were leaving the game something happened that will forever change the life of Bryan and his family…
Of all the people who were walking from Dodger Stadium to the parking lot Thursday night, Stow was the most likely to turn away from a fight. According to Los Angeles police, that’s what he did after two men wearing Dodger blue began to taunt Stow and two of his friends – all decked out in San Francisco Giants colors — following the season opener, which the Dodgers won, 2-1. Stow’s two friends outran the bullies, but the assailants caught up with Stow, punching him in the back of his head until he fell to the pavement.
They kicked him again and again, witnesses told police, with most of the blows aimed above his shoulders. As he lay on the asphalt, bloodied and unconscious, the perpetrators fled in a four-door sedan driven by a woman. A boy was also in the car, according to reports. The victim’s friends returned and found Stow on the ground, blood seeping from his head.
Six days later, Stow remains in a medically induced coma at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, suffering from brain injuries. Doctors have removed a portion of his skull to reduce swelling; they say he has a severe skull fracture and bruising to his brain’s frontal lobes.
A man who dedicated his life to saving others now fights for his life simply for being a fan of the wrong team. As Bryan lays in a coma, these bullies got away scot-free. A reward of $100,000 is being offered and the authorities hope that money talks and the men are caught soon.
The Giants will host the Dodgers on Monday and both teams have asked fans to refrain from any violence.
“We’ll ask fans to come together and have the two teams join before the game to remind people what respectful rivalry is,” Giants spokeswoman Shana Daum said. “The rivalry should stay on the field.”
While we enjoy the game of baseball and things get heated against rivals, we should all remember to respect others. In a frightening world of war and terrorism, the last place we need to worry about being attacked is at a ballgame.
A Website set up for Bryan Stow: http://support4stow.blogspot.com
Our prayers are with Bryan Stow (Facebook): http://www.facebook.com/pages/Our-prayers-are-with-Bryan-Stow/193247974046088
About the Author: Kelly Horn
MMO's graphic/web designer, the former Met Carlos Beltran's biggest fan, and one of the few but proud Oklahoma Mets Fans
11 Comments + Add Comment
NL East Standings
| Team | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Braves | 42 | 30 | .583 | - |
| Phillies | 35 | 37 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Nationals | 34 | 36 | .486 | 7.0 |
| Mets | 27 | 40 | .403 | 12.5 |
| Marlins | 22 | 48 | .314 | 19.0 |
Last updated: 06/19/2013
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They should be shot, repeatedly
I can’t believe they haven’t caught these thugs yet.
This is LA, as in la la. It will be a miracle if they catch those two monsters.
That’s because it’s LA…home of one of the WORST police forces in the country.
If you’re a Mets fan in Philadelphia, would this make you think twice about wearing your team colors to Citizens Bank Park to see your team? After all, fans in LA generally don’t have a bad reputation like some of the thugs in Philly. I wouldn’t have been surprised if this sort of thing had happened in the City of “Brotherly Love”, but it just goes to show there are out of control morons everywhere. This was a completely senseless act of not only violence, but stupidity. I mean, what could possibly have caused these “fans”, if you want to call them that, to attack another teams’ fan after THEIR team had won? And even if they lost, what would have provoked such behavior? I hope they find these lunatics and beat them as badly as they beat this innocent SF fan.
Very sad indeed, Kelly.
I will tell you that I have seen ballgames in many stadiums and without a doubt, the worst fans are Dodger fans.
They arrive late, they leave early, they dont even watch the game and they dont even understand the game.
But worst of all, they are totally obnoxious. I saw the Mets there in 01 when we were defending NL Champs. We swept the weekend series. Piazza had a huge weekend. It was great.
However, I will never ever again go to Dodger Stadium.
I’ve also seen games in Anaheim, just down a ways from LA–and the fans there were totally cool.
How worthless does your life have to be to nearly beat a man to death simply for wearing the other team’s jersey?
Unfortunately, you get this kind of attitude anytime a large group of people gather. Add alcohol and a perception of “us vs them” and they don’t even need an excuse to be animals. Just like when those White Sox fans attacked the Royals first base coach a few years ago.
It has little to do with the game and everything to do with some people just being wastes of life.
True shame is brought to the game. Unfortunately, some people can´t tell their own lives apart from activities that are meant for entertainment. They confuse their own frustrations for universal truths. This, my friends, are what we call “loosers”. They should be judged and punished for what they are: criminals.
Very sad indeed. I heard Francesa say that MLB should increase the reward even more than it currently is which at this time escapes me.
If anyone is interested Yahoo Sports has a video from April 1st that reports the incident.
http://sports.yahoo.com/video/player/mlb/News/24756240
Disgusting. I hope everyone should beat them up.
Absolutely ridiculous. I cannot believe that the group of thugs got away, even when there are thousands of witnessess both in the parking lot, and in the stadium.
I hope this guy makes a full recovery.