Yeah that article mentions the obvious number of "boner" uses, but I still don't get it. Saying ANY word that many times is just weird and not natural unless it's a joke, like somebody keeps using the wrong word to describe something so the others have fun with it and keep saying it. Like, The Simpsons using it was probably unintentional, but their use of "faggot" did have a double meaning to describe Martin. Most sources trace slang-"boner" back to around this time, and adult writers would've most likely heard it before their audience, so it's hard to believe this wasn't as intentional as Bill Ripkin's baaseball bat.
It's nice to have Dick Sprang, but without Bill Finger to offer you a steady stream of boners, the story's gonna stay limp. Bob Kane by himself can't give you the greatest boners of all time.