Is it just me, or is it very sad that the Giants allowed their kids in the dugout for game 7, knowing that a potential outcome was a loss. The sadest sight I ever saw in baseball was those kids crying. They are too young for that.

It also made me very mad at the Giants for allowing it.

I would like to see more of it. I think it is great that adults are willing to share times with children, even the lowest moments. It is part of learning how to be an adult. I agree that it is sad, but I have seen kids crying in little league dugouts too. I think your intentions are good though.

Kids are fine in the dugout just as long as they don't take away from the game. You just knew once Dust Baker's kid started bawling that Fox would lock a camera on him until Dusty took him away.. why do that? The Angels won. There were 50-some odd thousand happy fans in the stands (a lot of them kids!!) but no, you have to show the 3 1/2 year old
crying for "perspective."

Don't blame the Giants for a situation they've had all season - blame the media for blowing it up into a story, taking away from what was a fantastic World Series.

Originally posted by tcjsavannah

Don't blame the Giants for a situation they've had all season - blame the media for blowing it up into a story, taking away from what was a fantastic World Series.


Agreed!

Well, I didn't really have a problem with the kids in the dugout per se. After all if my dad had been a major leaguer when I was a kid and I'd had the chance to be in the dugout during a game (especially the World Series) I would have been awestruck. (Hell, I'd be awestruck now!)

But I think having a 3-and-a-half year old (even though he was Dusty Baker's kid) in the dugout is asking for problems. Dusty Baker was busy managing a World Series game for crying out loud and didn't have time to babysit his son at the same time. The older kids wouldn't be such a problem, but a child as young as Baker's son is just too unpredictable.

The other issue comes to safety. Not all ballparks (in fact very few) have fences in front of the dugouts to block stray foul balls. I mean what if one of those screaming line drive foul balls went straight into the dugout and hit one of those kids? As young as most of them were they just wouldn't have near the reflexes to get out of the way.

So it's not a "bad idea" per se, but it does present some not so good counterarguments.

How about when J.T. Snow grabbed Darren Baker as Darren was heading towards home plate?? I know they are called ball boys and bat boys but if you get SI and read the article by Rick Reilly on being a bat boy, it isn't all its cracked up to be and the kids aren't 3-5 they are seniors and college students. Keep players in the game and kids in the stands

Originally posted by WildFire444
How about when J.T. Snow grabbed Darren Baker as Darren was heading towards home plate??

Yeah, that's what I mean.

Darren Baker was just too young to realize that he was getting himself into harm's way.

It would have been really awful if one of the players had inadvertantly run into him. Or what if there had been a play at the plate and he got in the way?

And you're right about the bat/ball "boys". Those young men are usually at least teenagers and are old enough to know when it's safe (and appropriate) to run out on the field and get a bat or ball.