John Kim 
Injuries in Major League Baseball are all too common. The regular season is a grueling 162 games so players are expected to go down here and there, but there are the bizarre injuries that occur outside of the diamond. Recently, Oakland A’s player Billy Butler, a regular starter, had been scratched from the line-up due to an undisclosed illness. It was later reported that Butler had been vomiting and suffering from nausea. The cause? A swift punch to the head from teammate Danny Valencia.
Why this is even a headline in the sneaker world is that fight came about because of sneakers. According to the SF Chronicle, Valencia, a “sneakerhead” of the MLB who wears custom Kobe and Jordan cleats during games, was approached by his Nike rep (Valencia is a Nike athlete) and asked not to wear non-Nike footwear and the custom Kobe cleats. The athlete claims to only wear them during batting practice, but Butler reportedly interjected and called Valencia out for wearing unissued footwear during games. Things were said and Valencia swung and connected with Butler’s head.
Billy Butler was scratched from tonight’s starting line-up and there’s no timetable for return. In addition, it is unclear if Valencia will face discipline from the Oakland A’s organization or Major League Baseball, or if Nike will act in response to the events.
