The Colorado Rockies’ struggles over the last few years are no secret. They just had the worst 50-game start to a season for any team in the modern era, and while frustration is understandable, have you ever heard of a fan suing a team for poor performance, and citing that as the reason for his injury? Well, that has actually happened. It’s quite a strange season to be a Rockies fan.
Yes, believe it or not, a fan is taking legal action against the Rockies, blaming their poor play for his injury. In a lawsuit filed on Monday in Denver District Court, a Rockies fan, Timothy Roeckel, is suing the organization for getting hurt by a foul ball during a 2023 game at Coors Field.
Fans getting injured by flying balls isn’t unheard of, but the reasoning behind this particular case certainly is. Former Miami Marlins president David Samson couldn’t take it quietly.
On his show, Nothing Personal with David Samson, he voiced his frustration. “When you are actually alleging that your client got hurt because the team is so bad—and by the way, this is not even this year’s team. This happened two years ago. They were still pretty bad. But if you are alleging that, it’s shameful,” Samson said. And, he can’t be the only one who finds the case ridiculous.
Many fans would side with Samson’s take. Anyone who has attended a baseball game knows that every ballpark warns fans in attendance to be on the lookout for live balls that might come their way. This fan, however, blames the Rockies longstanding poor performance on the field for causing him to lose focus and the stadium’s layout for the injury.
But let’s be honest—the Rockies haven’t had a winning season since 2018. They weren’t winning back in 2023, and nothing’s changed since. Even their recent surprise win against the Yankees didn’t help much, and they currently sit at 9-43 at the bottom of the NL West table.
When Roeckel attended that game against the Yankees in July 2023, the Rockies were already well out of playoff contention at 35-58. But ironically, they won that game 8-7 in 11 innings. So if the court were to take team performance into account, which is unlikely, there’s little ground to stand on. As Samson said, it’s a shameful excuse for any fan.
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time this week that the former MLB president has shared strong opinions on a lawsuit.
David Samson warns of potential fallout for Reds in Darin Ruf case
It seems lawsuits are becoming a theme in MLB this week. This one, however, is not filed by a fan. Earlier this week, former Brewers slugger Darin Ruf filed a lawsuit against another MLB team—the Cincinnati Reds—accusing them of being responsible for his career-ending injury. And, coincidentally, this incident also occurred back in 2023.
Ruf suffered serious knee damage after colliding with an unpadded metal tarp at Great American Ball Park, leading to permanent and substantial deformities. Unlike the Rockies case, Samson believes this one may have real consequences for the Reds.
“What will happen here is Darin Ruf is using this lawsuit to begin a negotiation,” Samson explained on his show. He also weighed in on how the case is likely to unfold. “The Cincinnati Reds will alert Major League Baseball. They’re gonna take a look at their insurance. They’re gonna alert their insurance company, hire lawyers, and there’s gonna be a settlement here because Darin Ruf is gonna get money,” he added.
Samson may be right. Ruf never returned to play in MLB after the injury, all because of the Reds’ negligence. An unpadded metal tarp was all it took to end the career of a promising player.
Ruf was a rising star with more to prove, and had that injury not happened, he might still be on the field today. So, the Reds may have to compensate for the damages. And if Samson’s warnings are to be true, that is not going to be a small amount. The Reds are likely looking at a hefty payout.
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