Ted S. Warren/AP Photo

Once knuckleheads pere and fils were subdued by Kansas City players and led off by police, and Royals first base coach Tom Gamboa was seen laughing despite the welt on his head, people could joke about the on-field attack by 34-year-old William Ligue Jr. and his 15-year-old son at Comiskey Park last Thursday. But to players and people responsible for their safety, the attack was a reminder of how hard it is to police a stadium ... What's particularly unsettling is that breaches are occurring at a time when security has never been tighter. But post-Sept. 11 measures are designed primarily to protect spectators; protecting players is another matter. Baseball has said it may become stricter about fans moving into field-level seats in late innings, after they've had a chance to tie one on. More drastic steps like metal detectors and barbed wire are too fan-unfriendly to contemplate just yet. Says Kevin Hallinan, baseball's security chief, who has prepared a report on the subject for commissioner Bud Selig, "The only positive [to the Gamboa incident] is that it was a learning experience."

-from "Safe at Home?" by Bill Syken, Sports Illustrated, Sept. 30, 2002