Shannon Stone, Rangers Fan Who Died From Fall At Ballpark, To Get Statue As Memorial

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Texas Rangers fan killed last month when he fell from the stands at Rangers Ballpark while reaching for a ball will be honored with a bronze statue at the stadium.

The Rangers announced Monday that the statue will depict Brownwood firefighter Shannon Stone and his 6-year-old son Cooper at a Rangers game. The statue likely will be in place for next season outside the park's home plate gate.

Rangers CEO and President Nolan Ryan said it's a fitting tribute to honor Stone, who fell as he reached for a foul ball tossed his way by Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Stone's wife, Jenny, said her family was "touched and grateful" and hoped the sculpture would be a reminder of "the importance of a family's love – love of each other, love of spending time together, and love of the game."

Comments

[N133]

04:51 PM on 08/17/2011

As soon as he passed away people started mentioning that the railings were not very high--there is a difference between stupidity and someone placing too much trust in a common safeguard! The guy was at the game with his kid, was not drunk or stoned, and should not have been able to fly over the railing so easily. I'm not sure if a statue would be my idea for dealing with it, but this isn't about stupidity, it's about misplacing trust in an environment which can be dangerous.

Also, everyone's comments about the Darwin Awards are totally insensitive and actually far from the original intent, which is death by grossly stupid behaviors. Such as...feeding cold-cuts to bears or trying to have the cruise control auto-pilot a winnebago?? Falling over a railing is not in the same league; all the pithy comments on this board are pithy for pithy's sake and are insufferable, NOT clever.

[james4truth1066]

02:17 PM on 08/17/2011

I'm sorry for the fans death, but this maybe the first 'real' Darwin award that is immortalized in Bronze.

[N133]

04:47 PM on 08/17/2011

It's a simple tragedy not an emblem of stupidity. There is a difference.

[dgrussell]

01:15 AM on 08/17/2011

I don't mean to be insensitive. The whole situation is very sad and tragic, especially for his son. But Mr. Stone died as a result of his own mistake. I don't see the logic in erecting a statue to commemorate that. Now, if he served the fire dept. valiantly I could see erecting a statue for that. But this seems to be honoring a fatal mistake..... seems odd to me.

[20thCentury Man]

11:33 PM on 08/16/2011

Put it right next to the Alamo.

[KIVPossum]

03:39 PM on 08/16/2011

You got to be kidding? A statue for someone who threw their life away over a ball?

Didn't some kids go over Yosemite falls this month - let's build a momument to them. Oh, and that woman that stood on the railing at Niagara.

[Valois]

03:28 PM on 08/16/2011

why does he need a statue? They're literally building a statue to honor stupidity.

[TheFabOne]

01:36 PM on 08/16/2011

I hate to admit it, but I agree with some of the other posters on here.

A statue? I think it's an overreaction.

While I can see the mourning period of this organization, for this guy to get a statue when other ex-players for that team don't have statues........it's a bit much.

[Chris Eng]

12:32 PM on 08/16/2011

This is the biggest overreaction I've seen in quite some time. A statue?? Really?? Sure, it was tragic that he overextended himself and ended up dying as a result...but most stadiums I've been to don't have many statues, maybe just a couple to honor the biggest stars of their past.

Just give the kid a college scholarship or something. You know, something useful.

[Joel Kent Melville]

12:24 PM on 08/16/2011

instead of doing this why not give the family a few million bucks...

[cybolt]

12:48 PM on 08/16/2011

One doesn't preclude the other.

[KIVPossum]

03:40 PM on 08/16/2011

Why give the family a penny? The team didn't ask the man to jump over the rail. Pshew, the team should ask the family for clean up costs.

[Knothare1230]

05:28 PM on 08/16/2011

Better than Statue a couple bucks the family's way could help cover his funeral cost. Maybe not a million but it would help better.

[pleasantlyny]

12:04 PM on 08/16/2011

A stautue? For what? Give his kid some money, say sorry and keep it moving. maybe a small placard... buy a statue?

[Jason Shields]

10:12 AM on 08/16/2011

No, no, no. While it was a tradegy, especially having to have a son watch his father die, this man was an idiot. He had fallen at a previous game and still didn't learn his lesson. You don't reward stupidity with a statue.

[Joel Kent Melville]

12:23 PM on 08/16/2011

thats not very nice dude. your too judgemental he was a guy at a game trying to catch a ball show some respect....... -_-

[cybolt]

12:51 PM on 08/16/2011

The words are kind of harsh but the sentiment is understandable. Isn't erecting a statue to someone an act of remembering them for something they DID? Something they accomplished? In this case, is the team paying remembrance to a guy who *did* something stew,;-pid.

[akrazyrunner]

09:37 AM on 08/16/2011

A Statue outside the ballpark is a nice gesture, but how about doing something so another fan doesn't fall?

[peacefulgolfer]

10:22 AM on 08/16/2011

They've already replaced the railing in the stadium with a higher one...did that about a month or so ago...I can understand honoring his memory during a game or something, but this doesn't make any sense...a statue? My heart goes out to the family, but a statue? Kind of much, IMO.