File Under: WTF?

Kansas man sues Royals over Sluggerrr's hot-dog toss

Everybody who takes in a Royals baseball game at the K knows that a foul ball could be headed toward their noggin at any moment. (Home runs? Not so much.)

But who would think to dodge an errant hot dog thrown by Sluggerrr, the team’s mascot?
A Kansas man sued the team this month, alleging that just such a flying sausage struck his left eye, detaching his retina and causing cataracts. A Royals spokesman at spring training in Arizona declined to comment.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, John Coomer was attending a night game Sept. 8 at Kauffman Stadium and was sitting about six rows up from the third-base dugout.

During a break in the action, Sluggerrr mounted the dugout and began blasting ’dogs into the stands with that awesome air gun.

He finished with the air gun and then began throwing food into the stands with his paws.
“While doing so, (Sluggerrr) attempted to throw a hotdog into the stands with a throw behind his back,” the lawsuit alleged. “Instead of throwing the hotdog at an arch high into the stands, (Sluggerrr) lost control of his throw, or was reckless with his throw, and threw the hotdog directly into plaintiff, who was sitting a few feet away.”

Court records said Coomer has since undergone two surgeries and has suffered permanent vision impairment in his left eye. The lawsuit does not ask for a specific dollar amount but noted that Coomer’s damages exceed $25,000.

A lawyer representing Coomer said Tuesday that neither he nor his client would comment on the lawsuit.

The Royals have not formally responded to the lawsuit in court, but the case is set for mediation on June 1, according to the case docket.

I'm sorry about the man's detached retina, and I know from hearing firsthand accounts how painful that can be. But on the back of every baseball game ticket there is a reminder for the spectators to be alert for any objects that could come zooming toward them. Out of courtesy, I think the Royals should pay for the guys medical bills and maybe give him a set of free season tickets, but I say the guy should have been paying attention. What if that had been a baseball coming toward him at over 100 miles an hour or half of a bat that had broken in two?