ARLINGTON, Texas — An artist has been selected by the Texas Rangers to create a statue honoring fallen Brownwood firefighter Shannon Stone.Bruce Greene, known as one of the nation’s top Western artists and sculptors, was named by Rangers President Nolan Ryan on Tuesday.Stone died July 7 after falling about 20 feet at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington while trying to catch a baseball thrown into the stands.Stone was trying to catch the ball for his 6-year-old son, Cooper, who was beside at the time of the accident. The ball was being thrown into the stands by Rangers star Josh Hamilton, Cooper’s favorite player.The statue, to be entitled “Rangers Fans,” will depict Shannon Stone and Cooper attending a Rangers game. The bronze statue will be located outside the Home Plate Gate at the ballpark, according to mlb.com and texasrangers.com.Greene’s studio is located on his ranch near Clifton, Texas. His paintings and sculptures are exhibited in a number of museums and galleries throughout the nation, including the Texas Rangers Museum in Waco, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, and the Phoenix, Ariz., Art Museum.Greene may be best-known for his “Immortal Ten Memorial,” located on the Baylor University campus, a sculpture completed in 2007 on the 80th anniversary of a deadly bus crash near Austin that took the lives of 10 Baylor players, coaches and fans.The statue honoring Shannon Stone will be the third sculpture at Rangers Ballpark. Full-size bronze statues of Nolan Ryan and Tom Vandergriff were dedicated in 1997 and are in the Vandergriff Plaza, located beyond centerfield in the ballpark.

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ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – The Rangers are erecting a statue of Shannon Stone, the Texas firefighter who died after falling over an outfield railing at a Texas Rangers game in July.

The 39-year-old Stone, a Brownwood Fire Department firefighter, had taken his 6-year-old son Cooper to the ballpark in hopes of catching a ball. The Rangers said Monday the life-size statue will be created by sculptor Bruce Greene, who is based in Norse, Texas, and will be placed outside the home plate gate at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Greene created the Immortal Ten Memorial at Baylor, which honors 10 players, coaches and fans of the school’s basketball team who were killed in a 1927 bus crash.

There currently are statues of Ryan and former Arlington Mayor Tom Vandergriff at the ballpark’s center field plaza.

The Texas Rangers will honor firefighter Shannon Stone, who was killed at the park earlier this year, with a bronze statue that should be in place for the 2012 season.

The statue, which will also feature Stone’s six-year old son Cooper, is tentatively titled Rangers Fans and will likely be on display by the home-plate entrance at Rangers Ballpark.

“We feel that this statue will be a most fitting tribute,” Rangers president Nolan Ryan said. “It will not only serve to honor Mr. Stone’s memory but also recognize Rangers fans and baseball fans everywhere. I have discussed the project with Jenny Stone, and she and the Stone family will be involved in the design and creation of the statue.”

Jenny Stone, Shannon Stone’s widow, said in the statement that the family was appreciative of Ryan and the Rangers. The statement also said that the family hoped the statue would be “a reminder of the importance of a family’s love — love of each other, love of spending time together, and love of the game.”

Stone was killed in a fall from the stands in left field while trying to catch a ball thrown by Rangers outfielder July 7 during a game. He was a 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood who was at the game with his son.

Since Stone’s death, the Rangers have made plans to raise all the railings on the front rows of seats at the ballpark to 42 inches. There are also new signs warning against leaning on the rails and a public-service message is played before every game.

The statue will be the third at the ballpark. Statues of Ryan and Tom Vandergriff were dedicated in 1997 and are in Vandergriff Plaza just inside the centerfield entrance.

(07-19) 15:30 PDT Arlington, Texas (AP) –

The Texas Rangers plan to make all the protective railings at their stadium the same height, raising some as much as a foot to make their stadium safer following the death of a fan during a recent game.

Rangers executive vice president Rob Matwick said Tuesday that the team’s intention is for all rails in the front of seating sections to be 42 inches throughout Rangers Ballpark.

Architectural and engineering studies are already under way at 17-year-old Rangers Ballpark to determine how to do the work.

Railings around the ballpark now are 30 or 34 inches in most areas, with 42-inch rails already at the base of aisles that lead to the front row. City building requirements are that guardrails must be at least 26-inches high.

“Part of the goal is to not only raise it, but to raise it to the highest standard that exists in the United States at this time, and to do that uniformly on all the front rows around the ballpark,” Matwick said.

Shannon Stone, a Brownwood firefighter, died less than an hour after he tumbled headfirst over a rail out of the seats in left field during a game July 7. Stone fell about 20 feet to concrete behind the outfield wall after reaching out to catch a ball tossed his way by All-Star outfielder Josh Hamilton.

Matwick said the railing in the area where Stone fell is 34 inches.

The day after Stone’s fatal fall, the Rangers were already in contact with city officials, as well as ballpark contractors and architects, about how to ensure safety for fans attending games played in the American League champion’s stadium.

Because it will take time for the rails to be changed, the club is taking some immediate steps to remind fans to be careful.

The most prominent is adding yellow signs on the rails that read, in all capital letters, “DO NOT LEAN, SIT ON, OR STAND AGAINST RAIL.” The same warning will be made before each game over the public-address system and on the scoreboards. Plus, stadium workers will more closely monitor the rails.

Security personnel were placed at the base of each aisle in left field the next game after Stone fell. Matwick said the plan is to keep those personnel in place in the immediate future, meaning there will be an extra six of seven workers in that area each game.

The Rangers’ next home game is Friday night.

“The Rangers have continually updated us regarding their new safety initiatives and we are fully supportive of their efforts,” MLB spokesman Pat Courtney said. “We have encouraged our clubs to review stadium operations over the second half of the season to continue to ensure a safe environment for our fans.”

Rangers Ballpark workers on Tuesday were placing the yellow stickers on rails along the front rows. There had already been such warning signs in place, but mostly at the base of aisles. Now there are numerous signs along the rail in each section.

Matwick said the team is hopeful that the architectural and engineering studies will be completed in “probably a few weeks.” He said the process has already begun to measure each rail section to verify exactly what is in place.

No work on the railings can be done until the studies are completed. Those will help determine if new railing will be needed or if current railing can be updated at the stadium that opened in 1994.

“We need to check and make sure that the way that the rails are currently anchored can support additional structure on top,” Matwick said. “It’s just a question of whether it can be done in existing structure or whether it has to be retrofitted. It’s not a question of whether or not it can be done, just a question of whether or not we have to retrofit. That could potentially take some more time, we just don’t know that yet.”

Matwick said the team’s goal would be to start the work on the railings “during the season if we absolutely can.” He said it was difficult now to determine when that would be or when the work could be completed.

“The safety of our fans is our top priority,” Rangers president Nolan Ryan said in a news release. “The initiatives we are announcing today for Rangers Ballpark in Arlington will help to ensure that we meet that priority.”

Ryan was released Tuesday from a Houston hospital after being tested for a heart ailment.

A woman posing for a photo fell over a rail following the first regular-season game at the stadium in 1994, and last year a man trying to catch a foul ball fell over a rail on the second deck. Stone’s fall came one year and one day after the previous accident.

Some rails were raised following the 1994 fall, but none after the 2010 incident though the team reviewed the railings.

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Texas Rangers wouldn’t have minded sitting through a lengthy rain delay. Not if they’d won.

Carlos Quentin spoiled things for the Rangers with his first three-homer game as Texas fell to the Chicago White Sox 8-6 on Tuesday night in a game that was halted for 2 hours and 58 minutes by heavy rain and hail that sent fans scurrying for cover throughout the ballpark.

“It’s tough because we lost, but if we would have won the game we would have been happy that we played,” Rangers outfielder David Murphy said. “It’s just because of the result. It’s tough but we’re not going to make that an excuse…. It’s not like we were flat. It’s just every time we did something they counterpunched. That was a difficult thing.”

Quentin became the fifth major league player in 13 days to homer three times in a game, joining Carlos Beltran, Jose Bautista, Jason Giambi and Corey Hart, who did it Monday night.

Quentin hit two off starter Derek Holland, and the third in the ninth off Dave Bush.

Umpires suspended play at 8:23 p.m. before the storm actually hit to allow the infield to be covered by the tarp. Rain began falling about 10 minutes later, and hail followed accompanied by winds gusting to more than 60 mph.

Fans were at first evacuated from the upper deck to the lower seating bowl. Later, they were moved from the stadium concourse as a precaution against the hail and potential tornadoes, retreating to the tunnels beneath the ballpark.

No tornadoes were reported near Rangers Ballpark, and stadium operations director Rob Matwick said fans were “as safe as they can be” under the conditions.

The game resumed in the bottom of the fourth with the White Sox ahead 4-2.

Texas tied it at 4 with a two-run fifth on Elvis Andrus’ RBI double and Michael Young’s sacrifice fly.

But Adam Dunn, in a 3-for-33 slide, hit a leadoff homer in the sixth off Brett Tomko (0-1) to put Chicago back in front. Brent Morel’s RBI single later in the inning made it 6-4.

Mitch Moreland’s run-scoring single in the sixth off Chris Sale got the Rangers within 6-5, but Dunn’s RBI double in the seventh restored Chicago’s two-run pad.

Moreland scored from third on Andrus’ double-play grounder in the eighth to close the gap to 7-6, but Quentin’s third homer of the night with nobody on in the ninth made it 8-6.

“It was long, obviously,” Young said. “It would have been fine if we’d gotten a ‘W.’ But their bullpen did a good job and Quentin had a big night.”

The teams had a short turnaround before Wednesday’s series finale scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

“Go back to the house, get some sleep and come back ready to play,” Young said.

Tony Pena (1-1) allowed two runs and three hits in one inning but earned the win.

When play got back under way, both starters were done for the night.

Chicago’s Jake Peavy, who allowed two runs and five hits in three innings, was replaced by Will Ohman.

Tomko came in for Holland, who gave up four runs and four hits in four innings.

Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, in his second game since missing 36 with a broken bone in his right shoulder sustained on a headfirst slide, slid headfirst into first on an infield single in the eighth. Hamilton then dove headfirst into second on a stolen base, and into third on a wild pitch before he was stranded there.

“Josh is fine,” said a supportive Rangers manager Ron Washington. “He’s just playing baseball. It’s his insticts. I don’t expect him to change.”

NOTES: Rangers RHP Brandon Webb allowed four runs — one earned — and six hits during a 79-pitch outing in extended spring training in Arizona. Webb struck out five, hit two batters with pitches, and didn’t issue a walk. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner is on the 60-day disabled list recovering from right rotator cuff surgery, with no timetable for his debut with the Rangers. … The wind was blowing so hard in the bottom of the third that White Sox CF Alex Rios raced in to catch Nelson Cruz’s flyball after Rios initially took a few steps back on the drive. … Rangers 35-year-old RHP Yoshinori Tateyama made his major league debut, becoming the fourth Japanese native to pitch for Texas. Tateyama got two outs in the seventh, allowing one hit and one run.

May 25, 2011 (ARLINGTON, Texas) —
The Texas Rangers wouldn’t have minded sitting through a lengthy rain delay. Not if they’d won.

Carlos Quentin spoiled things for the Rangers with his first three-homer game as Texas fell to the Chicago White Sox 8-6 on Tuesday night in a game that was halted for 2 hours and 58 minutes by heavy rain and hail that sent fans scurrying for cover throughout the ballpark.

“It’s tough because we lost, but if we would have won the game we would have been happy that we played,” Rangers outfielder David Murphy said. “It’s just because of the result. It’s tough but we’re not going to make that an excuse…. It’s not like we were flat. It’s just every time we did something they counterpunched. That was a difficult thing.”

Quentin became the fifth major league player in 13 days to homer three times in a game, joining Carlos Beltran, Jose Bautista, Jason Giambi and Corey Hart, who did it Monday night.

Quentin hit two off starter Derek Holland, and the third in the ninth off Dave Bush.

Umpires suspended play at 8:23 p.m. before the storm actually hit to allow the infield to be covered by the tarp. Rain began falling about 10 minutes later, and hail followed accompanied by winds gusting to more than 60 mph.

Fans were at first evacuated from the upper deck to the lower seating bowl. Later, they were moved from the stadium concourse as a precaution against the hail and potential tornadoes, retreating to the tunnels beneath the ballpark.

No tornadoes were reported near Rangers Ballpark, and stadium operations director Rob Matwick said fans were “as safe as they can be” under the conditions.

The game resumed in the bottom of the fourth with the White Sox ahead 4-2.

Texas tied it at 4 with a two-run fifth on Elvis Andrus’ RBI double and Michael Young’s sacrifice fly.

But Adam Dunn, in a 3-for-33 slide, hit a leadoff homer in the sixth off Brett Tomko (0-1) to put Chicago back in front. Brent Morel’s RBI single later in the inning made it 6-4.

Mitch Moreland’s run-scoring single in the sixth off Chris Sale got the Rangers within 6-5, but Dunn’s RBI double in the seventh restored Chicago’s two-run pad.

Moreland scored from third on Andrus’ double-play grounder in the eighth to close the gap to 7-6, but Quentin’s third homer of the night with nobody on in the ninth made it 8-6.

“It was long, obviously,” Young said. “It would have been fine if we’d gotten a ‘W.’ But their bullpen did a good job and Quentin had a big night.”

The teams had a short turnaround before Wednesday’s series finale scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.

“Go back to the house, get some sleep and come back ready to play,” Young said.

Tony Pena (1-1) allowed two runs and three hits in one inning but earned the win.

When play got back under way, both starters were done for the night.

Chicago’s Jake Peavy, who allowed two runs and five hits in three innings, was replaced by Will Ohman.

Tomko came in for Holland, who gave up four runs and four hits in four innings.

Rangers slugger Josh Hamilton, in his second game since missing 36 with a broken bone in his right shoulder sustained on a headfirst slide, slid headfirst into first on an infield single in the eighth. Hamilton then dove headfirst into second on a stolen base, and into third on a wild pitch before he was stranded there.

“Josh is fine,” said a supportive Rangers manager Ron Washington. “He’s just playing baseball. It’s his insticts. I don’t expect him to change.”

NOTES: Rangers RHP Brandon Webb allowed four runs — one earned — and six hits during a 79-pitch outing in extended spring training in Arizona. Webb struck out five, hit two batters with pitches, and didn’t issue a walk. The 2006 NL Cy Young Award winner is on the 60-day disabled list recovering from right rotator cuff surgery, with no timetable for his debut with the Rangers. … The wind was blowing so hard in the bottom of the third that White Sox CF Alex Rios raced in to catch Nelson Cruz’s flyball after Rios initially took a few steps back on the drive. … Rangers 35-year-old RHP Yoshinori Tateyama made his major league debut, becoming the fourth Japanese native to pitch for Texas. Tateyama got two outs in the seventh, allowing one hit and one run.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)