This falls in the you have got to be kidding me category.
In an effort to avoid lawsuits, players were reminded they are only to throw baseballs into the stands underhand, after the third out of an inning and upon establishing that fans in the general area are "paying attention."
It is true that society has become somewhat litigious but it is ridiculous that the club is trying to shield themselves from lawsuits while leaving the players out to hang. I will admit I haven't seen every inning of every game this year but I have yet to see someone throw a 98 mph fast ball into the crowd.
I have no problem with the organization setting guidelines for tossing balls into the stands. Especially that with fewer than two outs rule. I believe it was Kevin Mench, when he was with the Rangers, caught a fly ball for the second out with multiple runners on base and tossed the ball in the stands. The runners circled the bases while Mench, realizing what he had done, was trying to retrieve the ball from the "lucky" fan in the stands before everyone scored. It didn't work. Of course, the third out rule does require the players to know how many out there are to begin with.
My problem is with the waiver of liability, which I doubt would stand up in court assuming the plaintiff's attorney is worth their salt. Come on, everyone should be in this together, and it is a baseball tradition to give the fans souvenirs. And if something should go awry, everyone should stand together. Be it in a lawsuit or just issuing a apology, no one is trying to hurt the few fans that show up at games and the front office shouldn't try and divorce themselves from the players.
Are all teams doing this?