UTK: Mets' Curtis Granderson Collides with Wall, Comes Away Lucky

"I fought the wall and the wall won." If only I could have gotten Joe Strummer to do a version of that before he passed, we might have less stars running headlong into walls. Curtis Granderson is the latest to test the wall and come away sore, but it could have been worse.

The video is available of how Granderson slammed into the steel cage at Chase Field, which explains why he has a sore shoulder, ribs and knee. He hit it at speed and solidly, with nothing there besides a couple steps of dirt to warn and protect him. Granderson is lucky that there's nothing broken, or at least bruised more, holding him out longer.

I think the bigger question is why something like this is allowed to exist at the major league level. It's bad enough that minor league stadiums have gaps in padding that lead to near tragic consequences, but there's a lot of areas in major league stadiums that are unpadded. It's not just Wrigley that lacks padding and in that case, it's so well known that players know enough not to run headlong into the ivy.

Padding is actually one of those invisible things that you would think MLB would have a policy on. Is simple foam the best possible substance for this in 2014? Watch the next time that a ball hits a padded outfield wall and see how it reacts.

Jae C. Hong

Does it bounce off like it's hit a hard substance or does it squish and drop? The reactions vary wildly, not to mention the exposed areas like steel viewing cages and scoreboards. Do outfielders need to wear some form of protection in or under their uniform? 

Granderson should be fine in a couple days with enough ice and painkillers. The downside is that the Mets have lost Juan Lagares to the DL, which will put pressure on the team to get Granderson back out on the field as soon as possible. We'll have to see just how much of a long-term horizon the Mets really have when it comes to Granderson. The quest for .500 shouldn't be that important.