''People get killed by lightning strikes all the time,'' said Astros first baseman Lance Berkman, who yanked a chain from his neck as lightning flashed Monday and didn't wait for umpire Wally Bell's signal to flee the field upon the bolt that struck just outside the stadium in the bottom of the eighth. ''It's not likely to happen, but it's a heck of a lot more likely if you're standing outside in a lightning storm. It's one of those things where, when a tragedy ends up happening, it's because people don't have respect for it.
''I'm not trying to put this on [Cubs general manager] Jim Hendry or anything like that, but whoever is in charge of the Cubs and their operations here -- if it was me, when the tornado sirens went off the first time, I would have immediately said we're not playing this game. These games are important because teams are trying to make the playoffs, and everybody understands that. But at the same time, don't lose your mind.''
Bell, the crew chief, worked with Hendry and stadium operations manager Carl Rice to get the latest weather information and based his decisions on that.
I was able to see more-or-less real-time radar images from Chicago on Wunderground and I also had the benefit of being able to watch the game on the television. A nasty storm was going to roll through Wrigleyville and with all the lightning, there was no reason to have x-thousand fans and all the players out in the elements.
Berkman recalled the experience of former Astros second baseman Craig Biggio, who had a teammate killed by a lightning strike a few feet away from him during a high school game in New Jersey. Berkman said finishing the game Monday wasn't worth the risk and called for baseball to develop a policy for potential weather hazards.
I don't blame Berkman for being hesitant to come out for the bottom of the 8th and I don't blame him for high-tailing it off the field when the too-close-for-comfort bolt hit just outside the stadium. Wally Bell should have called the players off the field much earlier than he did.