CHICAGO (AP) - Fans arriving at U.S. Cellular Field on Monday were greeted by long lines and metal detectors when they tried to enter the stadium to watch the Chicago White Sox take on the Minnesota Twins on opening day.
Major League Baseball has told its 30 teams they must implement security screening for fans by 2015, either with hand-held metal detection or walk-through magnetometers. The White Sox checked fans by hand-held or walkthrough metal detectors depending on where they tried to enter the stadium.
That, and a sellout crowd of 37,422, contributed to lengthy delays trying to see Chris Sale and the White Sox face the Twins.
Tom Strom of Dyer, Ind., and friend John Radjenovic of Chicago got into line at 2:30 p.m. and didn’t reach security until 2:58, 12 minutes before the scheduled first pitch. The pair of Sox fans missed Paul Konerko’s introduction on his last opening day, though people waiting outside still applauded when he was announced.
The line they waited in was mostly orderly, though it did bottle-neck near the end and at least one fan was yelled at by security for trying to skip in line.
“That’s totally fine,” Strom said of the metal detectors. “It’s pretty quick.”
Paula Green of Paris, Ill. felt the same way.
“Everybody’s safety is important and if Major League Baseball and the Chicago White Sox are trying to protect their fans that are loyal to them, I’m fine with that,” she said.
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