Gibbons cries foul after ball hits wife

By DAVID GINSBURG, AP Sports Writer

BALTIMORE - The odds of such an occurrence seem insurmountable, yet Jay Gibbons pulled off the unimaginable feat: He hit a foul ball that injured his wife.

The scene occurred in the ninth inning of the Baltimore Orioles' game against Minnesota on Saturday. Gibbons fouled a ball straight back over the screen and into the rib cage of his wife, Laura.
"She's just a little bruised up. She's going to be OK," Gibbons said Sunday.

Long before the matter became personal, Gibbons had asked team officials to do something about making it safer to sit in the seats behind the plate. He contended that the 20-foot screen just doesn't offer enough protection from hard-hit foul balls.

"It's something you think about every day here. Obviously, it's something I've talked about (to) deaf ears," said Gibbons, Baltimore's designated hitter and player representative. "I've got players coming to me every day saying that one of their family members got hit or almost got hit. I had an usher take one for my wife the other day."

Gibbons has suggested that the screen be raised or that the team insert an overhead screen that would extend to the back of the lower deck.

"If they're worried about the sight line, which I've heard, all they have to do is throw a net straight back. One of these days, somebody's going to get hurt really bad. That's all I've got to say," Gibbons said. "I'm confused on what's going on (and) why it's so hard just to make an adjustment. It's just a matter of time where a kid's going to get hit."

Gibbons has also inquired about the possibility of a day care center, so the players' wives don't have to put their kids at risk.

"It's either come to the game and play Russian Roulette with your 3-year-old or stay home," Gibbons said. "That's what we're dealing with. Or move the family section, but then you've got other fans that are endangered."

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(My sister has friends that were vacationing in FL last year and went to a minor league game, and the wife was hit in the head, suffered a concussion, and actually had to have fluid drained, so while I'm posting this story because of the irony of who Gibbons hit, I realize it's a very serious issue in ball parks... especially when folks aren't paying 100% concentration to the game!)