So much for learning from the tragedy of others: On Thursday night, Shannon Stone fell to his death while trying to catch a ball at a Texas Rangers game. Last night, Keith Carmickle almost shared the same fate. In an attempt to catch a ball hit by Milwaukee's Prince Fielder at the All-Star Home Run Derby, Carmickle climbed atop an 18-inch wide table and reached out to catch it—except the ball hit the wall below him. As he leaned forward, he tumbled over the railing, and as with Stone, a 20-foot fall awaited him.
But he was saved thanks to his friend and brother, who grabbed his legs and arms and pulled him back to his seat as the crowd gasped. The group let out a few shouts before breaking into high-fives, reports the AP. "I thought: I've lived a good life," Carmickle said. The rub: Carmickle and his group had already nabbed three home-run balls when he made his near-death attempt for a fourth. (More baseball stories.)