Giants fan beaten at Dodger Stadium appears to have brain damage

[RamboLiberal]

A San Francisco Giants fan attacked outside Dodger Stadium last week appears to have suffered brain damage and remains in a medically-induced coma.

Bryan Stow, 42, suffered a severe skull fracture and bruising to his frontal lobe when he was attacked Thursday, said Gabriel Zada, among the doctors who have attended to Stow at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

Doctors, police and Stow's relatives held a news conference to update his condition Tuesday as efforts to find his assailants increased.

The Dodgers, who took some criticism for their terse response to the incident, announced Tuesday they are offering $25,000 for information leading to the arrest of Stow's attackers, and the L.A. City Council voted to offer $50,000, bringing the total to $100,000.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2011/04/giants-fan-beaten-at-dodger-stadium-has-significant-brain-damage/1

The family of Giants fan Bryan Stow issued a call for civility among rival sports fans and asked people to help catch the two suspects.

At a news conference Tuesday outside County-USC Medical Center, where Stow remains in a coma due to a brain injury he sustained during a beating at the Dodger Stadium parking lot on opening day, the family thanked the public for their support and prayers. Stow is a father of two and a paramedic who made a road trip from Santa Cruz to attend the game.

"To know that people who have never met Bryan could care so much about him and his well-being has truly been overwhelming," said his cousin, John Stow, who wore a Giants hat and jersey as he spoke. "Though this has been a terrible tragedy done by cowardly people, it is reassuring to know that good people are speaking out and are appalled. We would like to use this as a rallying cry to stop unnecessary violence in our greatest pastime and all other sports, not only here but abroad."

He added: "This would be one of the greatest gifts you could give to us, especially Bryan. So I ask for one last thing on behalf of Bryan -- that we all enjoy a safe and competitive and exciting year of baseball and a successful Giants home-opening weekend at AT&T Park."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/family-of-injured-giants-asks-for-civility-help-catching-suspects.html

Los Angeles police said that the suspects accused of beating a San Francisco Giants fan at the end of Dodgers' opening game last week might have fled the scene in a vehicle with a 10-year-old boy.

-----

LAPD Sgt. Sanford Rosenberg, watch commander at the Northeast Station, said the victim was one of three Giants fans who were attacked in the parking lot by two men wearing Dodgers clothing. The apparently unprovoked attack occurred about 8:30 p.m. in Parking Lot 2 when the two assailants approached the Giants fans.

The two men attacked the Giants fans, kicking and punching them and shouting expletives about the Giants as they delivered the blows, Rosenberg said.

The incident was witnessed by several fans, he said. The assailants fled as people tried to assist the injured man, he said. Police said the incident was captured on security camera video and witnesses have provided details about the assailants, including a distinctive tattoo.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/04/suspects-in-giants-fan-beating-fled-in-car-with-10-year-old-boy-police-say.html?lanow

WTF is wrong with people that you can't even go to a damn baseball game wearing the colors of the visiting team! Hope they catch & prosecute the b*stards!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I hope they catch those bastards too...

The whole business is just horrifying.

Recommended.

[Drale]

2. Dodger fans are the worst

I had beer thrown at me at my cathedral Wrigley by a Dodger fan because I cheered when the Cubs took the lead.

[JuniperLea]

13. So naturally, ALL Dodger fans are just like that...

Pathetic lack of reasoning there.

[Drale]

15. I don't know but

I can only tell you my experience.

[JuniperLea]

30. So, you've had experience with all Dodger fans?

That's a mighty broad brush.

[Cali_Democrat]

17. I've been to Wrigly field

Many of your fans aren't angels either. Stereotyping a whole fan base because of this incident is absurd.

[Cid_B]

31. Except for Philly fans of course...

:eyes:

[Wait Wut]

34. Are so.

We rule. All Chicago fans of all Chicago teams rule. We're teh awesome. You must've been rude or sumthin'. :sarcasm:

No need to thank me for clearing that up for you.

---------

On another note: No, I don't stereotype...period. Not even Republicans or teapers. Catch these SOBs. You know damned well they're bragging to someone. NYers can't keep their mouths shut about anything. (See what I did thar?)

Sick of hearing about people getting beat up for stupid shit. Happened to some 20something kid in my town two weeks ago. He's in bad shape for a misunderstanding. Idiocy.

[Lucian]

3. The guy got attacked because he was a fan of the opposite team?

:wtf:

How idiotic is that? This is the reason, among others, why I loathe professional sports.

[onenote]

12. This was a horrible, but isolated incident.

More than 130 million people attend over 5000 professional sports contests in the US every year (and that's just counting major league baseball, the NBA, NHL, and NFL). Compared to a lot of countries, professional sports fans in the US are pretty well mannered when it comes to rivalries. Sure, I've taken some heckling when I've attended a football or baseball game in Philadelphia wearing a jersey of the opposing team, but I've never been physically assaulted.

And thuggery and overzealous fans are hardly limited to professional sports.

Seems like a poor reason to "loathe" professional sports.

[Lucian]

14. I said one reason, among others.

It helps to read everything instead of the stuff you want to see.

[onenote]

21. actually you said "the" reason, not "one" reason

which is what threw me off. But I concede the point that you said it was "the reason, among others" thus indicating it was the "only". So I apologize.

[RamboLiberal]

16. True - but too often the louts are allowed to destroy the fun

for the rest of the fans. Many teams inside the stadiums have gotten stricter in giving fans ways of reporting and throwing the drunken louts out.

Nothing new. Saw these kind of louts back at Pirates games in the 70's/80's. And Steeler games as well in the 90's.

Actually now the Pirates are so pathetic the crowd is pretty much laid back and behaves at the couple of games I've attended at PNC.

[onenote]

20. fan behavior, particularly drunkeness is definitely a growing problem

although in my experience, it rarely manifests itself as physical altercations with fans of opposing teams. To the extent I've seen fights break out its more often been a case of a drunk fan saying something to, spilling something on, or otherwise bothering another spectator without regard to what team that other spectator supports.

[JuniperLea]

22. Dodger Stadium has a phone number you can call or text...

From the stands if anyone is "hampering your enjoyment of the game." I've not used it yet, but I'm going to put the number into my cell phone! I almost used it last weekend. They show it on the big screen several times each inning.

[JuniperLea]

25. Exactly

You can't gather 50,000 people together under any circumstances and expect them all to be Angels... speaking of Angels, there was a stabbing at Angel Stadium's opening series last year... and there were over 130 arrests at Dodger Stadium last year, as opposed to the 25 arrests this year.

People just don't think before spouting off... that's part of the problem! On DU and at games!

[Very_Boring_Name]

18. Have you ever seen that Jerry Seinfeld bit on how moronic sportsfans are?

They're only rooting for the clothes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WSD6Y2YWj4

[Johonny]

38. I've had Dodger fans tell me this is OK to do

that if you show up supporting another team expect a beat down. This was before the latest problem. I do not go to Dodger games. It clearly isn't the whole fan base or even a lot of it, but there is enough acceptance of this behavior to cause problems over and over.

[bluestateguy]

4. Dodger fans are a bunch of pigs

They have that same entitlement mentality that is so typical of LA fans.

[JuniperLea]

11. I still have my fingers....

As a resident of Los Angeles, and a huge Dodger fan, I find this highly insulting and absolutely against DU rules.

[Warren DeMontague]

5. Great.

Between this and the imbeciles rioting over their magic special book, More humans with a solid sense of what's important in life. :eyes:

[damntexdem]

6. When I went to games in SF in the 70s and 80s, ...

half the fans were for the visiting team. Well, a lot of us were immigrants to the Bay Area -- I went there as a Cubbie fan.

[demmiblue]

7. Chill out, boys, it is only a game.

Sickening. :puke:

[quinnox]

8. Dodger fans are wonderful and polite

I'm surprised to see people ragging on Dodger stadium fans. I used to go to Dodger ball games all the time when I was a kid and was always impressed by the friendliness of fans at Dodger stadium.

Now this was over 30 years ago, but still, I can't imagine it has changed all that much.

This was an isolated and unfortunate incident, but don't blame all the Dodger stadium fans for this.

[Drale]

9. I can only rely my experience

and that is being spit on by a Phillies fan in Philadelphia, and having a beer thrown at me by a Dodgers fan at Wrigley.

[JI7]

10. all fans are not the same, the scum who beat this guy are not wonderful or polite

[JuniperLea]

24. We don't really know how good a fan they are...

This could have been their first game for all we know. Labeling all Dodger fans as brutes because of these asshats is just wrong. I'm quite sure there are brutal jerks in all fan bases... every sport, every team.

[Upton]

35. Things have changed at Dodger Stadium

It may be a dirty little secret, nationally, where the perception is that Dodgers fans are ultra-mellow. You know, “they come late and leave early!” thing. Too cool for school.

In point of fact, Dodger Stadium has been filled with dozens, maybe even hundreds of thugs almost every game for years now. Obscenity-spewing, tatted-up gangsters, often-drunk, who can ruin a game for anyone in their vicinity.

They are particularly common in the pavilions and the top deck, but almost no part of the stands are safe, aside from the most expensive seats on the field level.

http://www.oberjuerge.com/http:/www.oberjuerge.com/new-incident-old-story-violence-at-dodger-stadium/

http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-simers-20110403,0,3093888,full.column

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/05/dodger-stadium-city-calls_n_845221.html

[JuniperLea]

37. Rubbish

I've been a Dodger fan all my life, and have attended games every season since the mid 60's. First, the LA Times has a hardon for anything Dodger bashing. They should be ashamed of themselves for their horrible "reporting"... and please note the irony quotes.

There is a number you can call or text to if anyone at Dodger Stadium is "causing a problem and hampering your enjoyment of the game," and security is there in a hot minute. Tailgating is NOT ALLOWED, and showing up to a game already three sheets to the wind is not allowed either. I saw two separate drunk assholes being rightfully hassled by the cops on my way in to last Saturday's game... and I applaud them for doing a great job.

There was a stabbing at last year's Angel opener, did you hear about that? No, of course not. There were over 130 arrests during the Dodger opening series in 2010, but only 25 in 2011... did you hear about that? No, of course not.

This is an isolated horrific event, and we all hope the culprits get the book thrown at them. But to demonize the Dodgers or Dodger Stadium, or the rest of the Dodger fans is ridiculous.

[JuniperLea]

19. I hope they catch these bastards too!

People need to chill the fuck out!

There has been a lot of horrible lies in the media about Dodger Stadium and Dodger fans. A couple of local radio asshats (Ken and John, I think... KFI) said Dodger Stadium was a mess, that there were broken beer bottles all over the parking lot... that it's dangerous and no one goes there anymore for fear of their life. Bullshit. No tailgating is allowed, and there are no damn beer bottles in the parking lot. I guess 50,000+ people = nobody. Jerks.

I went to a Dodger game this past Saturday, and there were six Giants fans sitting behind us... we all wore Dodger shirts, and were obvious fans. Now mind you, this after solid news reporting on the beating and many calls for civility. The Giants fans were totally obnoxious. I'm not talking merely cheering for their team, which is completely expected, and encouraged! I'm talking about constant slamming and talking shit about the Dodgers and their fans... namely, me, my boyfriend, my daughter, my sister, and my daughter's best friend... we ignored them much like we ignore smarmy pigs in any situation. There were a group of hard core Dodger fans sitting in front of us, and the louder and more obnoxious the Giants fans became, the louder the Dodger fans became... but no one threw a punch, or a beer for that matter. It was as if we all collectively arrived at the same conclusion... don't give the fuckheads the satisfaction of seeing how much they annoyed us.

There was no trouble. And I expect there to be no trouble at the next game I attend. And I expect the lies to continue.

[Logical]

23. This is a sad story. Wow, over a sport.

[onenote]

27. It is a sad story

And it would be equally sad imo if instead of being over sport, it had happened over a girl, or an ipod, or a "look" or any of the myriad reasons that bad people do bad things to other people.

[JuniperLea]

28. Well said...

This isn't about Dodger fans or Dodger Stadium... this is about some asshat who is unable to control his childish reactions.

[NYC Liberal]

29. Exactly. Anyone who would do something like this

clearly has longstanding issues that probably manifest themselves in all different situations.

[mwrguy]

26. Dodgers fans are the Teabaggers of baseball

[Initech]

33. I'm not gonna disagree with that but I'm not gonna totally agree either.

I've been to ballparks all over the country. I'll agree that Dodgers fans suck. I went to a Dodgers-Angels game at Dodger Stadium with my dad and my dad's friend, and using the restroom, my dad's friend - who was visiting from Kentucky and not affiliated with either team, mind you, he commented about how insane the fans were. I've also seen some of the worst at Red Sox and Yankees games. But as far as those three are concerned, Dodgers fans definitely suck.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

32. Honestly, I wouldn't mind if these two thugs were shot.

Two less idiots on earth.

[auntsue]

36. Please people it's fan not clan - -

Teams are rivals not enemies. We were in Chicago wearing Dodger gear and caught a few eyes - but when we said we were "from LA" folks said "Oh - okay then" same deal in Boston and Saint Louis - People have to get real abut this. I think iconic sportcaster Vin Scully is probably the only person folks would listen to -- he needs to talk - from his wonderful heart -- before and during each game - remind folks what's important.