Clearly, that doesn't suffice.

The Rangers baseball organization has come under some scrutiny since a fan trying to snag a foul ball fell from an upper deck last month. This must come under the label of "If you're that stupid, would you really read and/or understand a warning."

Nolan Ryan, the Rangers president, says that everything is up to code at the stadium. In an editorial, Bryan Brown (who just graduated from high school so he's obviously much smarter and experienced than Mr. Ryan) says, "Clearly, that doesn't suffice. If being up to code still allows fans to put themselves into a life-threatening situation, shouldn't a team make sure it goes further?"

That sounds good, Bryan, but let's analyze it. There are rails up on the stadium that exceed the required height. They have warnings printed on them. If I'm too stupid to put two and two together ("Hmm -- they must have put that rail there because it's a long way down to the lower deck, and it'll hurt if I fall off") then any other safety device they put up probably isn't going to help. If I make it through the ballgame, I'll probably walk out in front of a car on my way to the parking lot and get killed.

Then let's look at it from this viewpoint. We have speed limits. People violate the speed limits all the time and put themselves into life-threatening situations. To use your words, Bryan, "Clearly, that doesn't suffice." Does that mean we should drop the limits to 15 mph? Sleeping pills have warning labels on them. People sometimes use them to commit suicide. To use your words, Bryan, "Clearly, that doesn't suffice." Should we have to go to an emergency room or pharmacy and be restricted to one pill at a time?

See, Bryan, you need to learn -- just because it sounds good doesn't mean it's logical.

"It's baseball -- not life and death." The Dallas Morning News; July 10, 2010; p. 19A.