My turn to gripe

[BHB]

What is with all these girls teams wearing steel cleats? My daughter has been cut so many times by these sliding with their toes up. I have to wonder if it is not intentional. I think if coaches are going to have their girls wear steel cleats, they should teach them how to slide with them so they do not endanger the opposing team.
My opinion is that they should not be allowed in softball.

[kenramsey]

i did not know softball players wore steel cleats. is this something new? has it always been permitted in high school?

[cenlasportsfan]

I think this is the 3rd year that they changed the ruling allowing girls to wear spikes.

[Bee4LSU]

They can be dangerous, but so can allowing them to wear batting helmets with facemasks and allowing them to slide head first.

[ScrewBall]

Steel cleats can be bad for the ones wearing them also. In HS I had my knee drained and doctor felt it was the steel cleats that caused the injury.

Here was his reasoning- with steel cleats the cleat sticks in the ground and shoe has no "give" so the knee works harder; whereas, with the traditional cleats the shoe does "move" some.

Not sure if I'm being clear here.

[etr64]

i did not know softball players wore steel cleats. is this something new? has it always been permitted in high school?

The National organization changed the rules to allow steel cleats two years ago. LA elected to make it optional on the part of the school. Most schools have elected to go with steel cleats. There is a learning process to move over to steel cleats.

[THE hEATER]

This is the truth. Thsi year we had to change our way of defending bases, running bases , and fielding. There are time I am glad that we play in steel cleats. Yet, there are times that I am Not. My daudhter is a pitcher and she hasn"t twisted her knee nearly as bad in the mud as she did in rubber cleats. We have had to change sliding to ajust to the cleats grabbing. Most people are hurt by the cleats when sliding.This does not mean thatwe can slid with the cleats high.This year we had one injury from steel cleats and this started us changing the way we defend bases. I not believe that steel cleats hurt anyone any more that other but the wrong use of them does.

[FANatic]

What is with all these girls teams wearing steel cleats? My daughter has been cut so many times by these sliding with their toes up. I have to wonder if it is not intentional. I think if coaches are going to have their girls wear steel cleats, they should teach them how to slide with them so they do not endanger the opposing team.
My opinion is that they should not be allowed in softball.

Could not believe they were allowed on the turf infield @ Frasch. PLUS, I heard next year all infields would be turf, wonder how the steel cleat issue will be addressed.

[kenramsey]

while watching the evangel game being played on the turf infield field, i asked the question about shoes for the infielders playing on turf, vs shoes for the outfielders who are playing on grass. the outfielders had to field on a grass surface and run the bases on a turf infield. i thought the shoe may need to be different, but they said any shoe can be worn on either surface.

has anyone had a different experience with this?

[FANatic]

while watching the evangel game being played on the turf infield field, i asked the question about shoes for the infielders playing on turf, vs shoes for the outfielders who are playing on grass. the outfielders had to field on a grass surface and run the bases on a turf infield. i thought the shoe may need to be different, but they said any shoe can be worn on either surface.

has anyone had a different experience with this? Thanks Ken, I would have never thought that.

[Mulerider]

Any shoe can be worn on turf or grass. I wonder how baseball players have made it for the last 100 years with steel spikes and softball players somehow cannot? Inherent risk is included in just about anything you participate in. I personally don't see what all of the hoopla is concerning the steel spikes.

[BHB]

Any shoe can be worn on turf or grass. I wonder how baseball players have made it for the last 100 years with steel spikes and softball players somehow cannot? Inherent risk is included in just about anything you participate in. I personally don't see what all of the hoopla is concerning the steel spikes.

Baseball players don't seem to slide into the second baseman with their steel cleats up. What my complaint is is that they cut up the player covering the bag at 2nd.

[lakobe1]

My thought on steel and rubber cleats is this. I think the National Rules committee should base their decision on which shoe to wear is proper, be based on the region the teams play in. Let's face it, certainly you wouldnt recommend the gals from Louisiana, who generally play in muddy and humid conditions, wear the same cleats as the gals on the east coast, where the conditions are more frozen.

My suggestion is the rules committe needs to consider the rubber cleats such as the pro football players wear. With these type cleats you can change the length of the rubber cleats as they simply screw in and out, to accomidate for the weather condition that you are playing in. Rainy conditions create more slipping conditions so you would wear the longer cleats for better traction. Dryer conditions, shorts cleats, for speed. Just a thought.

Steel cleats should be a no no for all prep sports, yes even for baseball in my opinion. Kids at that age are prone to improperly slide etc. and should not be worn, until you reach the maturity of a college player.

[griffinfan]

There is no telling how many times I got "spiked" when I played. I've seen, on many occasions, kids getting sliced with steel cleats. I've seen pants sliced from one side to the other (inside seam). Believe me when I say that boys go spikes high just like the girls, or vice versa. Lakobe, I agree with you!!