Maple bats may be the most dangerous object on the baseball field. they have cause some significant injuries, some sustained by fans, others sustained by coaches, and still others sustained by players. But, now more then ever, it seems clear that maple bats should go the way of the dinosaur.

Just ask Susan Rhodes, a fan who was struck in the face by a maple bat that shattered when the Rockies Todd Helton made contact with a pitch at Dodger Stadium. The shattered bat slammed into Rhodes’ face breaking her jaw in two places. Rhodes lost consciousness and could not recollect what had happened to her when she regained consciousness.

Rhodes told reporters, “I figured I got hit by a ball. I was very conscious of one flying and thought we aren’t in a very safe area. I don’t know if I was looking at the ball. I can’t remember anything except for the smash and total memory loss”. Rhodes had to undergo surgery in which doctors inserted four screws and a titanium plate on the right side of her jaw. Not exactly the fun outing she was anticipating when heading to the game.

Ash bats were the standard in Major League Baseball until Barry Bonds went on his record breaking season with a maple bat in his hands, and about 50% of the players switched to maple bats.

In a study conducted in conjunction by the league and players union in 2005 they found that ash and maple bats hit equally well, but ash bats tended to break harmlessly while maple bats tended to explode sending pieces of the bat flying in every direction.

The toughest battle the league will face is convincing the players to switch back to the ash bats as many firmly believe the maple bats contain more “pop”. (Heltons bat breaking.)

Meanwhile, Susan Rhodes is still struggling with the injury she sustained May 25th at Dodger Stadium and feels she may never fully recovery. “I had perfect teeth before,” Rhodes told reporters. “They’ve shifted. My bite is off. The jaw on the left side has atrophied. I don’t have the same energy”. That is not the only problem Rhodes is facing, the financial aspect of sustaining such an injury is starting to take it toll as well, with over $7,000 worth of medical bills pouring in.

Rhodes contacted a lawyer who made an inquiry with the Dodgers to ask if they would assist in covering some of the costs, the Dodgers flatly refused. Now Rhodes is considering lawsuits against the bats manufacturer and the Dodgers, but is most likely fighting a losing battle as signs and warnings about flying bats and balls are posted on tickets and around the stadium.

Either way the injury sustained by Rhodes because of the explosive maple bats should be a warning that MLB needs to heed. It may only be a matter of time before one of these injuries results in a fatality to a fan, player, or a coach and that is something no one wants to see happen.