What if it happened at Fenway? Why wouldn't it happen at Fenway, or another ballpark? "It's never crossed my mind before," Sox ace Jon Lester said. "But with just the stuff that happened yesterday, guys have thought about it, we talked about it."
CLEVELAND — There were 37,449 fans at Fenway Park on Monday, a sellout crowd packed into a tight ballpark. Even if some players had not considered the scenario before the Boston Marathon, many have now.
What if it happened at Fenway? Why wouldn't it happen at Fenway, or another ballpark?
"It's never crossed my mind before," Sox ace Jon Lester said. "But with just the stuff that happened yesterday, guys have thought about it, we talked about it. We talked about just the chaos of what would happen if one of those bombs was at Fenway that went off. It's a scary deal. But at the same time, goes back to 9/11: we can't live in fear, you got to live your life."
Jarrod Saltalamacchia had the same thought.
"We were definitely asking about it as far as, if they're going to hit the Boston Marathon, why wouldn't they have gone a mile down the road basically? Gone there too?" Saltalamacchia said. "And it's a possibility, in this day and age. Anything can happen, regardless of what kind of security you can put up."
Stadium security across major league baseball was tightened after Sept. 11, 2001. Security is not uniform, though. Parks have their own policies, because individual clubs should know their markets best the thinking goes. Teams subscribe to programs and best-practice training, as well.
Indians skipper and Fenway favorite Terry Francona, like many Sox players, made clear they don't go through their lives, playing or otherwise, in fear.
"You kidding me? I can barely get to the ballpark as it is," said Francona, who recently got lost on his way to Progressive Field in Cleveland. "I don't have time to be afraid. I hope that's never the case. I'd be disappointed if that happened."
Saltalamacchia believes security does a great job. Fellow Sox catcher David Ross said he always feels safe at work, because you can't go through life scared. But he has a bit of a fatalist attitude, as well.
"It's awful what happened. I just refuse to my life like that," Ross said. "MLB does a great job, security around baseball parks are great and you can't totally ever be all safe. I try to really go on my faith and just, you know, if it's going to be my time, it's going to be my time. That's the way I look at it.
"They could do anything, really. If you really think about it, anything could happen. If somebody really wants to get you, they're going to get you. You can't really plan for every worst case scenario."
In Toronto on April 7, the Red Sox romped to a 13-0 win. A pair of fans ran on the field in Toronto at Rogers Centre, an occasion that isn't all that uncommon. One tried to shake Will Middlebrooks' hand at third base.
One Red Sox player noted that occurrence when talking about the subject of ballpark safety Monday — what if the fan who wanted to shake Middlebrooks' hand had something else in mind? Forget an explosive, knives and guns could be snuck into a ballpark too. Royals first-base coach Tom Gamboa was assaulted by fans in 2002.
Middlebrooks hadn't really considered the possibility until it was raised to him.
"That's scary. I feel like it would be pretty easy," he said. "It's really scary. I had never really thought about that to be honest."
A larger attack, though, the Red Sox third baseman had contemplated. He mentioned a possibility reminiscent of a scene in the most recent Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," when a pro football field is collapsed using explosives.
"I've always thought about it, big sporting events," Middlebrooks continued. "It's nationally televised. Super Bowls. They're nationally televised, so many people one place. Scary man. All you can do is have as much security as possible. There's only so much you can do."
MLB's vice president for security, Bill Bordley, said Monday in a quote provided by the league that "the safety of everyone that comes to our ballparks is always our top priority and we will continue to do everything to ensure a safe environment for our fan." Bordley has not been made available for interviews.
“Fan safety has been and will continue to be of paramount importance," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said in a statement Tuesday. "The club's security personnel will continue to work vigorously with major league baseball security, and federal, state, and local law enforcement authorities to maintain and reinforce the high level of security already in place at Fenway Park.”
Dan Mullin is MLB's senior vice president of investigations these days. A longtime New York City cop who retired as a deputy chief, he served as the league's senior director of security operations before that. In a 2009 industry newsletter, he gave some general answers about how MLB's security process works.
We try to direct as little as possible and prefer a collaborative process. We have a Stadium Operations Advisory Board that consists of some of our most senior stadium professionals. Prior to opening day, we have a lengthy conference call to discuss opening day procedures and review concerns. Issues like employee background screening, bag checks, crowd control and alcohol management are frequent topics.Safety training is critical for stadium managers. Two years ago, MLB, in partnership with IAAM (International Association of Venue Managers) and the other professional leagues, produced “24/7,” a first-rate training video specifically targeted at game day employees. We also host an annual three-day seminar for our stadium managers, drawing on their collective expertise as well as bringing in outside safety and security professionals. The managers take an active role in setting the agenda and keeping it topical. MLB has also taken a leadership role in the TEAM coalition, to promote effective alcohol management. At the end of the day, individual clubs bear the ultimate responsibility for keeping their staffs on top of their game.
There is a level of fear for Red Sox players, but there is also a level of fear nationally. Suspicious packages were reported across the country Tuesday. Ballplayers don't pretend they're immune.
It's existential, it's unnerving and it's the world at present.
"One hundred percent," Gomes said. "And it is out of your control. I don't think there's anything I can do personally to feel safer. The way (terrorists) are doing it, the way they're doing it these days, it ain't (freaking) hand-on-hand combat."
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