It's just a baseball.

Tragedy struck first. A few days later, it was just stupidity.

Baseball fans are already well aware of the fate of Shannon Stone the Texas Rangers fan who fell 20 feet from the stands while reaching out to catch a foul ball being tossed to him by left-fielder Josh Hamilton. The father was just trying to catch the ball as a souvenir for his 6-year old son sitting next to him. The events that occurred after he reached out for the ball have been heard around the sporting world.

Keith Carmickle was looking to catch his 3rd baseball of the Derby.

Despite the events at the ballpark in Arlington a mere week before the All-Star game and Home Run Derby, it seems some fans didn’t learn anything from the news. At the Derby, Keith Carmickle tood barefoot on a table next to a 20-foot drop, in hope of catching a baseball. He slipped, fell over the railing, but was saved by his brother as well other fans holding his 250lb. frame and lifting him back to safety. Afterwards, even Carmichael had to admit of his own lack of judgement and luck in surviving. It is absolutely crazy what people will do for a small souvenir.

These are just baseball They are the same baseballs people throw back onto the field when it’s a home run for the visiting team. The majority of foul balls caught by fans are likely hidden in closets or at the bottom of bins found in the basement. They are not big-ticket items; it’s not as though these balls are worth a lot of money. And when the rare big money ball does fall in the stands, as we saw a week ago with Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees hitting a home run on his historic 3000^th hit, Christian Lopez, just a regular Yankee fan, opted to give the ball to Jeter for nothing in return. Lopez just gave away the baseball the some marketers thought could get upwards of a million dollars if auctioned off.  In return, Lopez’ gesture has skyrocketed him into serious marketability in the New York area.

At the end of the day, it’s just a baseball. If a foul ball or home run is coming right at you, then of course you should try to catch it. The idea of jumping, running, or diving for a tiny souvenir is not worth the risk in the grand scheme of things. Fans should get up cheer, sit down and watch, and not get reckless over a baseball.