In case you missed it, during this afternoon's Phillies and Cardinals game, in Philadelphia, a fan decided it would be a good idea to shine a green laser light at Julio Lugo and Albert Pujols during their at bats.

The Phillies were already up 8 - 4. Lugo ended up striking out. Although he said the appearance of the laser light on his chest and in his eyes had no effect, one can only assume it had some distraction and therefore factored into his at bat and the game. When the light appeared again on Pujols, time was called by the umpires and security attempted to find the culprit with no success.

We assume it was a Phillies fan since it was Cardinals batters that were targetted. While we don't think the fan intended to harm anyone, he or she certainly intended to distract the batter.

Resorting to such cowardly techniques is dispicable.

First, it is a fact that laser lights can damage a person's eyesight. It is a common issue in Iraq with our troops as new recruits join units that are using green 'dazzler' laser sights. In one single unit in Iraq, there have been twelve green laser incidents involving fourteen soldiers, with varying injuries.  Three of these guys had to be medevac’ed out, and one guy lost sight in one eye. Whether intentional or not, this particular fan risked bringing harm to two professional baseball players for no other reason than their own personal enjoyment.

Second, the Phillies were already winning by 4 runs late in the game. Was this fan so insecure that he felt his team needed help holding on that lead?

This individual caused a delay of 5 - 10 minutes while play was stopped and ushers tried in vain to search the first base side of the stands. The people in the stands and watching from home on TV weren't amused by the interruption, and the players certainly didn't appreciate standing around in July heat while some joker amused himself.

Unfortunately, none of the fans around the culprit had the temerity to stand up and identify him. It's hard to imagine how someone could effectively aim a laser light over and over without someone nearby noticing and calling him out.

Thankfully, no one was hurt and there seemed to be no lasting effect on the game. While one can conjecture that, had Lugo gotten a hit instead of striking out, there might have been more scoring in the inning, it likely would not have changed the outcome. It's just sad that someone had to be so immature and disrespectful.