There is one Opening day story that I needed time to digest.

After the final out of the Dodgers-Giants game at Chavez Ravine, three fans from Northern California were heading back to their vehicle in Parking Lot 2. They came down to Dodger Stadium to celebrate their World Championship ballclub on Opening Day, but were coming home a bit disappointed after the Dodgers won, 2-1.

Soon, two male Dodgers fans out followed them to their vehicle. These fans could have been anyone, but they were loaded for bear – shouting at them with expletives and anti-Giants chants. What transpired afterwards was uncharacteristic of baseball fans – regardless of where they live or whom they root for.

The three Giants fans were physically attacked as they arrived at their vehicle in Lot 2. One of the trio, Bryan Stow, has been in critical condition in a coma at a nearby Los Angeles hospital. A paramedic from the San Jose area, Stow took the brunt of the physical attack by these two male Dodger fans – suffering head injuries upon impact of kicking by the attackers.

The two suspects have been identified, but are still on the loose. The Los Angeles Police Department released sketches of the suspects, two Latino males. A reward of $25,000 has been posted for information leading to the arrest of these suspects.

The story could have stopped there. It hasn’t. This is not just a story about a rivalry gone badly amongst fans. There’s much more to this than just a fan from out of town lying in hospital in a coma after a moment of stupidity concluded on Opening Day.

For one, the casual observer must understand that the Dodger-Giant rivalry is as entrenched as the Red Sox-Yankees, Cubs-Cardinals and any other rivalry in the game and throughout sports. There are people who take this particular rivalry seriously. The potential for violence have always been present between these two clubs – the Roseboro-Marichal incident, for example – and it does spill into the fan base.

However, a rivalry is no excuse for extreme belligerence. Baseball is a place where you bring the family, your loved ones and your friends. There’s no amount of alcohol, weed or any other substance taken prior (or at) the game that will stop some idiot from calling out another person in the stands and starting something that would put a mark on their future.

An unfortunate turn of events in this incident was a rash of stereotypical commentary by fans inside and out of Southern California. Since the suspects happen to be Latino, you could imagine the racism that poured out in the moments after the Los Angeles Police Department released information on them. “Thugs” and “gang bangers” are what I read and heard not only about these suspects, but also of a larger and integral fan base boosted from the days of Fernando Valenzuela’s arrival to the big club.

To set the record straight, Los Angeles was once ruled by Spain, then Mexico before the U.S. expanded to the Pacific. The Latino community remains an integral and vital part of the Southern California community – producing great leaders, artists and athletes for the world. If we allow this racial stereotyping to characterize Dodgers fans attending the games and financially supporting the ballclub – then you made a larger incident out of this than it should.

Furthermore, is Dodger Stadium safe after a game? In 1982, I attended a game there with a friend and had a Giants jersey on. I recalled the incident in a previous post earlier this year. It continues to serve an example that, truly, this is not an isolated incident (and my antagonist was Caucasian and heterosexual, BTW). It used to be that Giants fans were more violent than Dodger fans – especially at Candlestick. As we seen in various locations (namely The Bronx and Philadelphia) – a newer ballpark will do wonders to hooliganism in baseball. That is by scale, of course.

It did come as a shock when Dodger fans recently pointed out the lack of security after the game at the Stadium. If security details were prevalent on the property and the perimeter prior to the first pitch, what happens if they’re not around afterwards? Do they go home like everyone else? Is that how Frank McCourt pay these people? Keep in mind, there’s a lot of acreage to cover in Chavez Ravine, it would make sense of security remained a couple of hours after the game is over – as in most places around the country.

This has been a wake-up call for all of us who attend games and would rather have the best experience from start to finish. Would it quell the rivalry? There are still fans that will hate the other side, but understand now the line between being hooligans and manifesting that hooliganism into violence – verbal, physical or otherwise.

It is my hope that the LAPD catch these guys, that Bryan Stow recovers from his condition and the Dodgers (and any ballclub with a similar situation) address security issues at the Stadium. Perhaps a greater lesson for all of us to keep our passions for the game and the teams we love alive, but understand its limits upon our fellow fans.

It is worth repeating that violence is never the answer – no matter how it is manifested and to whom it is directed to.