If you’ve been at an Ironpig’s game when it starts to rain, which seems like every other game these days, you know that the crowd surges to get under the grandstand. It has never failed to amuse me when civilized, educated people revert back to animal instincts and will do anything to get out of the rain. A little rain. Yes, the other night was more than just a little rain, but the way people push and shove and become totally unconcerned for anyone but themselves when a few drops start falling is sad.
A little harsh? Yeah, a little. Ever try to walk from one end of the grandstand to the other when it’s raining?
Normally the Club gate tunnel is less congested but still. Most people will flock towards the ends. You couldn’t push your way through with Bill Butlers grounds crew tractor.
Say, “Excuse me” and heads turn away.
Try to push your way through and you get pushed back.
Attempt to become part of the mass of people and it will either suck you in or spit you out.
Now, I understand there is that group of people who can not get wet. Small children, elderly folks and those who are ill. Yes, they should be out of the rain.
Really, I won’t go anywhere near the grandstand when it rains. What if I had to? What if I had to use the rest room? What if I had an emergency and had to seek help from medical personel located behind home plate? What if I needed to report a dangerous situation? I wouldn’t be able to get through. No one could.
Could there be an established emergency lane? If there is a good chance of rain, put up some of those ropes that would keep a designated area open for emergencies and have it monitored by a park employee. If security or EMT’s need to get somewhere in a hurry they wouldn’t have to push through a crowd to get there. Can we be proactive rather than reactive in this instance?
Just a thought… I’ll stick to sitting under my umbrella in the outfield when it rains. Hopefully others will too.
OinK!
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
yea I Agree on Friday night was Crazy i had to use the restroom and i can barley make it through the crowd it is like a riot under the grandstands
couldn’t agree more. since i sit in the stands, i have to deal with this every time and it is terrible. nothing can really be done about it. concourse is just too small.
I agree. When it started to rain harder, fans from section 103 started making their way up from their seats to get out of the rain. Hardly anyone would move for them ! Its possibly a hazard if someone has a severe emergency !
It does get so bad under there. Frankie freaked out at the home run derby. He’s claustrophobic and he couldn’t take it. There were just way to many people. The concourse is to small to fit that many people under. What can be done? I’m not sure, but hopefully someone comes up with something! It gets way to hot under there too. One of these hot days with rain, someone’s going to get sick and no one will be able to get to them.
Ditto what Heather said about the heat. My friend and I own 5 full season tickets which are all under the overhang so we stay reasonably dry during most storms. On many hot days there is still a breeze shooting through the concourse wind tunnel, but put all those people on the concourse and the breeze is blocked and is replaced by the smell of body odor and noise.
Now, when I see the rain coming and know a delay is imminent, I think I’m going to leave and go out in the parking lot and wait it out in my van with the AC and radio turned on. Unfortunately, when I return I’ll likely find 5 strangers sitting in our seats. And it’s not only rain delays that creates the problem. At the allstar game an elderly woman 2 sections down from me had a beer spilled on her by a guy standing directly behind her seat because he decided his view from the lawn seating area wasn’t good enough for him. There are always dozens of people standing right behind row Z even on nice nights. Seems like many people feel a $6 General Admission ticket entitles them to view the game from anywhere in the ballpark. Our usher is constantly chasing people from seats where they don’t belong.
The concession stands make a fortune during the rain delays so I doubt anything will ever be done. Money almost always wins out over courtesy. Maybe they could put a pavilion behind the lawn seats so all the people out there don’t have to move under the concourse when it rains. That would at least reduce the crowd surge a little. Better yet, why not invite a few lucky fans to wait out the rainstorm in the GM’s air conditioned office. 🙂
Friday night John Mayberry hit his first homerun since Domonic Brown joined the Ironpigs.
The Ironpigs are now 12-7 since Cody Ransom was promoted to the Phillies.
ROAST BEEF
Well, as long as you’re not letting extra people into the club level… 😉
Actually, I’ll go one better on the car idea. At the HR Derby, a bunch from the section next to mine left and went to Red Robin for some drinks and appetizers and came back when they heard it was starting. Twitter and text and portable web work well for this, as well as the little radio…
Great article, Kehl.
And people start getting angry when I start calling IronPigs fans a bunch of wimps entirely too comfortable with losing and overall ineptness.
Must have a lot of Wicked Witches of the West who will melt amongst the Park-goers!
Strictly conjecture, of course…