Rangers fans litter Shannon Stone memorial statue with beer cans

The Texas Rangers need to either place more trash cans outside their stadium or do a better job of cleaning up after fans, because littering the memorial statue of a fan who died is something that should not be happening. At Opening Day on Monday, what looked like at least 100 beer cans and bottles were piled onto the Shannon Stone memorial statue.

As most of you know, Stone was the fan who tragically fell to his death at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington while trying to catch a foul ball for his son back in 2011. The photo you see above, which was shared by Kami Mattioli of Sporting News, shows the statue that was built in Stone’s honor in 2012.

The Rangers apologized in a series of tweets late Monday night.

“The Rangers certainly regret and apologize for the trash that accumulated on the Rangers Fans statue at the home plate gate. With thousands of fans, many of whom had been tailgating, entering the park 30 minutes before game time, large amounts of cans, bottles, and other items that are prohibited in the park, accumulated at all entrances.

“Many calls came into the maintenance department during this time, and the club utilized many employees to continually remove the trash. The debris on the statue was removed in a timely manner but it should not have been allowed to be placed there in the first place. The Rangers Fans statue is a cherished component of the ballpark and the club will make certain this situation does not occur in the future.”

As Big League Stew’s Mike Oz mentioned, Rangers fans are equally responsible. You should have the wherewithal to realize what you’re doing with your trash. Throwing it on the ground is one thing, but placing it on a memorial statue is just plain ignorant.