The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-06
BALL PLAYERS
MAY USE ARMOR
Headgear Latest Invention to
Protect Batter From
Wild Pitches.
BY TIM MURNANE.

The latest thing in baseball is a head
gear for players while at bat. Fred
Parent is now wearing the new idea
boy who attend the game The
pad is about three inches thick and
plastered on the side of the head from
the shoulder TO the top of the coco.
Most of the pitchers take . shot at
the new mask and have Freddie duck
ing like a deer hit with al AK and
while the whole thing makes it plain
that Parent has grown cowardly when
facing the shoots of the wild pitchers
Yet ii will be a matter of only short
time until large number of players
Will be wearing protectors for the head
when facing the speedy pitchers of the
present time
The remarkable part of the game is
the way the batsmen can avoid beng
badly injured by pitched balls thrown
from all angles and with a variety Of
curves and shoots that would puzzle
a shadow. With the number of play
ers receiving serious injuries from
sharp spikes and players forced to
wear armOr plate it looks very much
as IL the game was growing 10 be a
dangerous proposition. Spikes must be
done away with, a new and lighter
protection for the head must be in
vented for the protection of the valu-
able players who have become valu-
able assets for the clubs
Introduction of Mitts.
Years ago the players faced the mu-
sic without pads, masks or gloves and
were usually a sight after a hard
game. l remember paragraph from
the Danbury News that hit the nail on
the head. II read: A local baseball
enthusiast is getting up ball of iron
filed with nitro-glycerine which will
explode on being caught and tear the
hands to ribbons. This will be more
wearing on the players than the pres
ent ball in use, but will be more hui
name"
The introduction of mitts, pads and
masks reduced the necessity for arnica
and bandages, but helped the man with
the sporting goods to dispose of all
his wares until the time will come
when ball players will be covered with
protectors.
First catcher's Mask.
Up TO 1877 all the catchers thought
of for protection was hunk of rub
Der to hold between the teeth. Dug
Allison about this time introduced
glove with the fingers cut out Then
came the introduction Of the mask.
The Harvard boys had a strong team
with the exception of a catcher. Jim
Tying was doing the backstopping for
DR.. Harold Ernst, and together with
Fred Thayer they rugged up an old
fencing mask and after several weeks
practice Tying was in form to appear
at the South End grounds against the
professionals. Later the mask was
improved on and became of general
use. The pad was invented by Hart
ford man and first worn by a profess
sional at the South End grounds at
Boston by James II. O'Rourke in n,
the year after the mask was intro
duced. 1t took the catchers some time
to grow accustomed to the wires but
all were in praise of the chest protector
from the start. The big NIT came by
a natural evolution from the kid glove
until now one wonders how the catch
ers can carry the clumsy things about.
First basemen, too, must now wear
big mitts and often hammer holes in
them until it would be about as fair
to play with a scoop net. Take away
the big mitts from all but the catchers
and the game would show more
science, but it would kill off two
thirds of the profession. and this
would not be reished by the fans
who must have their baseball from
the Everglades of Florida to the Icy
peaks of the north.
Shin Pads Popular.
The appliance now being tested by
Fred Parent was invented by Bob
Reach of Philadelphia about four years
ago and has not caught on, il being
altogether too clumsy. The cricket
pads were first used in a ball game by
James II. O'Rourke of Bridgeport.