Soapbox Time

In the aftermath of Braves coach Luis Salazar losing his eye in a horrific foul ball incident, I want to discuss something that I've preached about for a long time.
People who go to baseball games need to pay attention. Absolute close attention. Especially people sitting behind the dugouts and down the foul lines.
Foul balls that come screaming into the stands can be lethal. How we don't see more incidents of people being seriously injured or even killed is a miracle. I cringe when I see people, especially young kids, looking all around at everything but the game.
I firmly believe teams, at all levels, should extend the screen behind home plate. The protective screens should go from first base around to third base. Maybe a little bit further.
While some people might see it as a distraction, I would have to politely disagree. After five minutes you won't even notice the screen is even there.
I hope baseball doesn't wait until there is a fatality to act on this. The NHL put screens up above the glass a few years ago after the death of a young girl who was hit in the head by a puck. In retrospect, it would have been nice if the NHL had the foresight to put the screens up before that sadder than sad tragedy.
I'm a person who pays attention to the games. I have pretty good reflexes and I think I would have a good shot to get out of the way of a foul ball rocketing towards me if I were sitting close to home plate. However, I don't like sitting in those seats because I feel it is too dangerous. Call me a wimp, call me a wuss, I don't care. Those seats are too close to the action not to have protective screening.
I prefer to sit further away. When I go to Coors Field I sit in the press box and still pay attention to balls that come flying up there. But I also like to wander around from time to time since sitting in the press box can be somewhat boring. I enjoy walking around Coors Field but I won't sit in a seat behind the dugouts.
If I owned a Major League team, or had some influence, I would extend the screens from home plate out towards the bases. In this age of texting and cell phones, too many people are not watching the game. It could have a catastrophic result.