Fan falls from Yankee stadium upper deck

brainsmile · 08-09-2005, 10:55 PM

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseba...orts-headlines

Fan falls from upper deck at Yankee Stadium

BY MICHAEL WEINREB
STAFF WRITER

August 10, 2005

It happened in an instant, according to Mike Spadafino. One moment he was hanging out with his friends in the front row of the tier boxes at Yankee Stadium, watching Derek Jeter attempt to complete a sacrifice bunt in the eighth inning, and the next minute his friend Scott Harper had fallen about 30 feet onto a net designed to catch foul balls behind home plate.

"It was just a stupid thing," said Spadafino, of Westchester, while waiting for his friend to emerge from the first aid room at Yankee Stadium. Harper, 18, is from Armonk. He and his friends insist it wasn't a premeditated leap, nor was it spurred on by drinking.

"No. Not at all," Spadafino said when asked if they were drinking. "One minute I was sitting next to my friend, and the next thing I know I saw him sitting down there [on the netting]."

Potential charges against Harper include reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct.

Spadafino said his friend was all right, though paramedics wanted to take him to the hospital to "check him out." Police said he was in custody and was taken to Lincoln Medical Center on 149th Street.

Shortly after the fall, and after the game had been stopped, Harper managed to regain his equilibrium, waving off authorities and crawling his way upward on the net to the stadium's second tier of seats, where he was taken away by police and paramedics.

One witness, John Michaels, said Harper and his friends had been flirting with disaster. "They were being rowdy," he said. "Being edgy."

It's not the first time a fan has fallen onto the netting . . . or even the second. On May 26, 2000, a 24-year-old Yonkers man fell onto the netting during a game against the Red Sox. On Aug. 23, 1989 -- again, the Red Sox were in town -- a man from Old Bethpage jumped onto the netting.

"I was hoping I wouldn't see it again," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "You can break your neck . . . I'm glad he was able to crawl out."

eSDee · 08-09-2005, 11:35 PM

Did you have to post it twice?

nickel · 08-10-2005, 07:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eSDeeLoco

Did you have to post it twice?

i was watching and saw this. the guy is lucky. he totally looked dazed - like he didn't know what had happened or how he was going to get down.
i mean look at the picture below. he has his hands over his mouth so we can't see him saying, "holy fvck!" over and over.

i liked how the fans cheered him on as he crawled back up the net, and then the security guards waiting for him pulled him up over the railing so hard and fast that someone mentioned he must've got an "atomic wedgie".

A fan sits suspended in the netting behind home plate at Yankee Stadium as he reportedly fell from the upper deck in the 8th inning during the White Sox-Yankees game.
(Newsday photo/Paul J. Bereswill)

that so rocks

BigJon · 08-10-2005, 10:09 AM

According to the new story...it says he did it deliberately. He wanted to test the net out.

attgig · 08-10-2005, 10:19 AM

these yankees fans.... punching podsednik, and how jumping onto netting?

nickel · 08-10-2005, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by attgig

these yankees fans.... punching podsednik, and how jumping onto netting?

yeh, you should see me at a game

now this is funny:

Quote:

That was the only exciting thing that happened today," Yankees owner George Steinbrenner said after Chicago's 2-1 victory.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050810/...ee_stadium_fan

ialsohaveadream · 08-10-2005, 11:51 AM

Well, apparently the fall wasn't enough to kick-start his brain...he's still a Yankee fan.

(I can't believe nobody got to that one yet!)

08-09-2005, 10:55 PM	#1
brainsmile Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: woah... why is welfareloser here with me so early in the morning and more importantly why am I wearing her clothes?!? Posts: 13,754	Fan falls from Yankee stadium upper deck http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseba...orts-headlines Fan falls from upper deck at Yankee Stadium BY MICHAEL WEINREB STAFF WRITER August 10, 2005 It happened in an instant, according to Mike Spadafino. One moment he was hanging out with his friends in the front row of the tier boxes at Yankee Stadium, watching Derek Jeter attempt to complete a sacrifice bunt in the eighth inning, and the next minute his friend Scott Harper had fallen about 30 feet onto a net designed to catch foul balls behind home plate. "It was just a stupid thing," said Spadafino, of Westchester, while waiting for his friend to emerge from the first aid room at Yankee Stadium. Harper, 18, is from Armonk. He and his friends insist it wasn't a premeditated leap, nor was it spurred on by drinking. "No. Not at all," Spadafino said when asked if they were drinking. "One minute I was sitting next to my friend, and the next thing I know I saw him sitting down there [on the netting]." Potential charges against Harper include reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct. Spadafino said his friend was all right, though paramedics wanted to take him to the hospital to "check him out." Police said he was in custody and was taken to Lincoln Medical Center on 149th Street. Shortly after the fall, and after the game had been stopped, Harper managed to regain his equilibrium, waving off authorities and crawling his way upward on the net to the stadium's second tier of seats, where he was taken away by police and paramedics. One witness, John Michaels, said Harper and his friends had been flirting with disaster. "They were being rowdy," he said. "Being edgy." It's not the first time a fan has fallen onto the netting . . . or even the second. On May 26, 2000, a 24-year-old Yonkers man fell onto the netting during a game against the Red Sox. On Aug. 23, 1989 -- again, the Red Sox were in town -- a man from Old Bethpage jumped onto the netting. "I was hoping I wouldn't see it again," said Yankees manager Joe Torre. "You can break your neck . . . I'm glad he was able to crawl out." __________________ ********************************** DCM #1 (Founder) "Nobody beats Vitus Gerulaitis 18 times in a row." - Vitus Gerulaitis on beating Jimmy Connors after 17 failed attempts.

08-09-2005, 11:35 PM	#2
eSDee Old Skooler Numba 1 Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Diego Posts: 10,063	Did you have to post it twice? __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 days ~ Willie Nelson 3 days I dread to see arrive 3 days I hate to be alive 3 days filled with tears and sorrow yesterday today and tomorrow

08-10-2005, 10:09 AM	#4
BigJon Vice Admiral Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: In the kitchen...skinning onions... Posts: 4,946	According to the new story...it says he did it deliberately. He wanted to test the net out. __________________

08-10-2005, 10:19 AM	#5
attgig Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: the burbs of baltimore Posts: 11,924	these yankees fans.... punching podsednik, and how jumping onto netting? __________________

08-10-2005, 11:51 AM	#7
ialsohaveadream Fleet Admiral Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: FL Posts: 8,077	Well, apparently the fall wasn't enough to kick-start his brain...he's still a Yankee fan. (I can't believe nobody got to that one yet!) __________________ Web log

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