- Oct 19, 2009
- 638
- 0
This is key. I have personally seen injuries that would not have been injuries at all with plastic molded cleats due to the unforgiving nature of steel spikes. Saw one that was every bit as gruesome as the Louisville basketball player during their final four game. Runner was going into second to break up a double play on a hard ground, back spike caught and torqued the ankle as though it had been hit by Kathy Bates sledge hammer in the movie Misery. Bone popping through the skin, infielders throwing up at the sight. The player had broken both tibia and fibia and shattered an ankle bone. Took 7 screws and a plate for the surgeon to fix and 8 months' before the player could take the field again.
