re: National League Umpire John McSherry dies on the field in 1996

Was sitting in left field of stadium the Rangers played in two stadiums ago (Arlington Stadium) one night when a fan seven rows in front of us died. EMT's came up to where a lady had slumped over. They hit her with the defibrillator paddles and worked on her for awhile. Then the family all got up and left with some police officers and Rangers personel. The EMT's looked back at the whole section and said, "She's going to be OK!", and everyone cheered, as they carried her out. Why did they send the family away, and why were they crying? Joy? Hell no, she was dead. The paper said she died after a heart attack on the scene. I guess the ambulance workers didn't want parents of kids sitting in the section to have to tell their kids the lady died.

The worst part of that happening for me was the friend I was with that night getting so drunk on his large Coke and a half pint of whiskey that at one point while the EMT's were working on her, he yelled out, "Sit down down there" followed by, "Some people will do anything to get on TV."

We were only there for three or four innings. He poured enough of that Coke out to get the whole half pint poured into it. It was gone after two or three innings and he fell asleep and started drooling.