State and Federal Candidate Question and Answer Series

Check out The Daily News for a series of questions answered by the State and Federal Candidates. The first in the series is to run in the April 10 edition. 

Baseball Is Back: Top 3 Craziest Baseball-Related Lawsuits

Spring training is in the air, and so are the aromas of roasted peanuts, hots dogs, and ice cold beer that could rival the cost of your mortgage (and for some fans, the cost of several years of Marlins season tickets). When you think of baseball, lawsuits probably don't come to mind, but as with most things in life, if it exists (and it's fun), so does the possibility of a lawsuit. Below are a few of the more unusual lawsuits involving our national past time: 

1. Flying Dog to the Eye: The Kansas City Royals and their mascot, Sluggerrr, found themselves embroiled in a tort lawsuit with fan, John Coomer after a September 2009 Royals game. Coomer claimed that he suffered permanent eye damage, specifically, a torn retina, after Sluggerrr hurled a 4-ounce hotdog at the man and nailed him in the eye. Coomer incurred thousands in medical expenses, and wanted the Royals to be held responsible for its mascot's actions. However, there is a legal standard in professional sports, known as the "baseball rule," that protects teams from being sued by injured fans on the field, court, or rink. The Royals argued that had Coomer been paying attention to his surroundings, which includes fly balls and flying hot dogs, he would have avoided being struck. The court agreed, and the baseball rule lives on. 

2. How to Keep Fans 101: Sue Them: The Florida Marlins are on the low-end of the pole for fan attendance. Their solution? Sue the people that pay their players' salaries. In 2012, the team opened their new stadium, and offered season tickets in 4-season bundles. So, a fan would have to buy season tickets at the start of 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 seasons. Included are perks such as pregame and post game buffets, and private parking. Fan Kenneth Sack paid $32,000 for the 2012 season, but claims the Marlins refused to deliver on what they promised. No private parking and below average food caused Sack to refuse to buy the remaining years of season tickets. Up in arms, the Marlins sued him (and other fans). Sack had a chance of winning the case, but his attorney did not respond to any mediation date correspondence, and missed the Marlins motion for default hearing. The judge granted the Marlins a $97,000 default judgement. 

3. Brain Injuries and Metal Bats: While pitching in a youth baseball game, a New Jersey teenager suffered brain damage after being struck by a line drive. Using a metal bat, the batter belted a line drive toward pitcher Domalewski, striking him in the chest. He clutched his heart; the ball had hit his chest at the exact millisecond between heartbeats, throwing him into cardiac arrest. He stopped breathing, and even though help arrived quickly, his brain had gone too long without oxygen. Domalewski's family sued Louisville Slugger, Little League Baseball, and Sports Authority for reasons mainly pertaining to the danger of using metal bats in youth baseball, and limiting the performance of metal bats to that of the best wooden bats. A $14.5 million settlement was reached, with all parties declining further comment. 

Poll Workers Needed

On The Job Training Program

• Cuts the cost of wages for employers by a minimum of 50% during the training time.
• Reduces the employer's costs for advertising and recruitment.
• Allows employers to make all hiring and firing decisions.
• Guarantees a quick referral process.
• Requires minimal paperwork.
• May involve a single placement, a number of people for one type of job, or a variety of jobs. 

• Post the job on the CareerLink system.
• A search is then conducted of the eligible applicant pool for people who match the characteristics set by the employer. The employer is then provided the information about potential candidates in the manner in which they have requested. 
• The employer decides whom they want to hire and a possible start date. The Business Services staff is notified about the circumstances of the hire. 
• The employer and the Business Services Representative negotiate a contract, which includes a training plan, length of training and costs to be reimbursed to the employer for providing the training. It is important to note that this contract MUST be in place BEFORE an eligible client begins working or the opportunity to secure funding will be lost. 

The Chamber is now offering use of our Bulk Mail Permit for FREE to our members. Bulk Mail Permits cost $250.00 per year. If you are interested in using the Bulk Mailing Stamp, we will walk you through the process to make it easy for you. You will still have to pay postage. 

If you are interested in saving money on your electric bill, please contact [email protected] or 814-643-1110 to get connected with the program endorsed by 120 chambers of commerce in PA and 80 Harrisburg based associations. OnDemand Energy manages 6 billion kWh in PA. There is no cost or obligation involved with seeing how much money your business or organization can save. In many cases it has been quite a significant savings. OnDemand Energy can also review your gas savings options with you. 

You are now able to be the exclusive sponsor of our weekly e-newsletter. The cost is $200 a quarter and includes your name in the email heading as the sponsor and an ad (2 in. wide and 3 in. tall) at the top of the left column of the newsletter. 

If you only want to have an ad (2 in. wide and 2 1/2 in. tall) in the left column, the cost is $100 per quarter or $300 per year. Please continue to share your events and special news and we will include that information for free. Contact [email protected] if you would like to include your ad in our e-newsletter or be the exclusive sponsor. 

Many of you have been asking about more opportunities to send email blasts to our database of nearly 1,000. Currently individual blasts are $50 for for-profit businesses and $25 for non-profits. You can now purchase one blast a week for a quarter for $200 or one blast a week for a year for $500. Non-profits pay $100 for the quarter or $250 for the year. Contact [email protected] if you are interested in taking advantage of this special opportunity. 

This group is being brought to you at the request of HCCC members during the most recent survey. The HCCC Member to Member group is a closed group for Chamber members only to post questions and important information that other members will find valuable. Please invite other Chamber members to join our group and share in discussions. 

If you have any business news and updates, achievements, awards or recognitions that you would like to be included, it can be done for FREE! If you have an event that is free or all the proceeds are being donated to a non-profit as a fundraiser, we'll include it for FREE! If you'd like to include a promotion or a money making event or non-profit fundraiser where proceeds will benefit the organization's operations, we charge a small fee. (Profit - $25 and Non-Profit - $10) Contact MacKenzie Locke at 814-643-1110 or [email protected] if you're interested in including an article.