Top 5 Things Not To Do At Live Baseball Games

Baseball fans are among some of the rowdiest in all of sports. Now, don't get me wrong; most sports fans are roudy, but baseball fans and soccer fans seem to make it on the most highlight reels for disorderly conduct such as television shows like Most Shocking on TruTV. All jokes aside, there are many things to enjoy about watching a baseball game at the ball park; likewise, there are also many things that you can do to ensure a butt whooping by the fans. This is a list of the top five things not to do at a live baseball game.

5. Do not drink and drive: The fact of the matter is that many baseball fans do not only consume peanuts and Cracker Jacks after they turn 21 (or some may not even be 21). There are a good number of baseball fans that will indulge in a cold beer, or maybe a few cold beers, before the game is over. Some fans make the mistake of driving in the heavy after-game traffic following drinking these few cold beers, and I know of a couple of stories in which that one guy causes a huge pile-up car accident right outside the park. Don't be that guy. If you drink alcohol, have your partner or friend drive, or wait the proper amount of time for your alcohol to settle.

4. Do not sit on the wrong team's bleachers: In many cases, there is no one set of bleachers for a specific team. Sometimes, where you sit is not under your control. However, there are things you can do to prevent a beat down if you are the one Boston Red Sox fan sitting in a sea of New York Yankees' fans: keep your mouth shut. It is common sense that when you are essentially by yourself in a swarm of the opposing team's fans, you should not provoke them. You don't want to be that guy who starts a fight and gets, not only thirty other fans kicked out of the ball park, but also yourself. Do not get into a fight at a baseball game; there are no winners or losers, but rather, a whole mess of pain and inconvenience. 

3. Do not try to catch a ball in the bleachers without a baseball glove: This should be a no-brainer, but it is always funny to see that one fan attempt to catch that foul ball that flies into the bleachers with no glove. That is the fan who obviously thinks that a baseball is made out of foam, and not pill (a combination of cork and rubber). The fact of the matter is that if you attempt to catch a ball with that type of material, coming in at that altitude, and gathering excessive speed, it is going to "hurt" if you catch it with your bare hands. So, if you are that sentimental fan who wants to catch that ball coming towards you, please bring a glove. No baseball is worth a broken hand. Don't be that guy who thinks they are made of metal.

2. Do not run onto the field of play for an autograph: There is only a couple of ways I could see being hated more by the fans at a baseball game than running onto the field of play, during the game, to get an autograph from your favorite player. Unless you are Flash Gordon or Superman, I would not recommend pulling a stunt like this. No true baseball fan likes some annoying guy messing up the game and making a scene that ruins what is supposed to be happening. It does not matter if he is your favorite player; some players take autographs after the game. If they don't get to you, better luck next time. Nothing is worse than getting pulled off of the field by security, getting booed at by everybody in the stadium, and losing the respect of every fan, no matter what team they root for, in the entire place. Don't be that looney guy.

1. Do not catch the ball, in the field of play, when you are not a player: I know the one name that comes to mind when I say this: Steve Bartman. He is probably one of the most well known Chicago Cubs fans out there, and he is known for interrupting a play from the stands by trying to catch a foul ball that was live. After that incident, the Marlins beat the Cubs 8-3 and Bartman became a pariah of all Cubs fans. That may be a bit of a sice since the ball was, according to the umpire, out of the field of play, but that Cubs outfielder was about to catch it. So, fans, unless you know the ball is not live, do not jump out to try and catch it. Even if you want to catch the ball really bad, do not obstruct a player trying to catch the ball. Bartman is still hated to this day by fans in Chicago. That is the #1 thing not to do at a live baseball game. Don't be a Bartman.