Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-08-11

r.I... pAtEAA6,
[John Knight, tho third bnscinan OF IN,
Doston American league club. secured
from the Philadelphia Athletic club ir
exchange for fnmouH Jimmy Collins, en-
5oys the distinction OF having lcapct
Just from school right into major longu.
company In 1905. Knight was born In
Philadelphia In 1876 and learned to play
bail on tho lots and with school tcarns
He comes by HIS talent rightly, ms hi
father WAC pitcher for tho Philadelphia
twenty years ago. In the very nrs
championship gninc OF 1876 Monte eros,
had his hand broken by pitched bail
nnd knight was sent into play short
stop. an unfamilinr position. His In.
ntantnncous BuccesH lis u matter OF rec.
ord. While not tho equal OF tho agile
Cross AZ a ground covcrer. he ncvcrthc.
leas proved himself n clever fielder
while Mt tho bat ho was II wonder. lroi
weeks he was In every batting rally
won n number OF games by timely hiti
and LED the Athletic team and the Amer
lean lcng,Ic With n Ercat battling nvcr.
age. In 1906 after Lave Cross wa,
transferred 10 Washington. Knight he.
came tho clnb'B regular third bascinan. ]
those early days realized the troubles
OF the man behind the bat. At that
time cntchcr's and first bascmnn's
mitts were unheard Of things, nnc
those players caught the bill bare
handed.
II WINS n few years prior to 1879 thai
Fred @. rhnyer OK Boston, AT thut tim,
player on the Harvard nine, realized
the necessity OF a covering for tho fac,
OF the cntcller In II baseball game. lie
set about TO see what he could do IL
thnt why, mud the result wns n base
ball mask. II bud lts beginning then,
When Mr.. Thaycr had mnsk which
he thought would answer the purpos,
he introduced IL In the games which
tho Harvard nine was playing Mt thu
time and OF which no was captain ano
third baseman, Harry Thatcher was
"ihe man behind the bat" on Captalr
Thayer's team, and 1t fell TO him /,
don the mask for the first time.
II Is said that pr. Thatcher did MOI
take to the Idea very well. for the plny
crs OH tho Harvard team guycd hlu
not Rillttlc for wearing II, us they snit
that 1t wis "babyish'' and eowardy tt
Wear u protection TO the face. SO tht
doctor was not seen very often after
that wearing Mr.. l'hnyer's invention
hut instead uscd rubber m0uthplcct
to protect himself from foul tips ane
the lnslloots of the slab artist
Shortly after AIr, 1hnyer got out TIL;
first sample of tho Invention Al Spnld-
Ing saw the possibilities OF the Thayei
Invention end sought ia. get control OF
1T. Finally the matter came to II head
In a lawsuit over who had right tc
the patent. Finally, Feb. ~, 1878. Mr.
Spnlding was granted patent.
s T. III. Davis of Bangor has the mnsR
that wns Worn by Addison IIanlln OF
that city when catcher on the iInr
yard nlno during his college course
and It differs In appearance from the
modern baseball mask very little.
or course 1t is somewhat cruder IL
appearance than the finished product
of the present day, but 1t has the same
general features, Tho padding is OF
cotton batting, With long leather strips
wound around the wire to keep 1t In
place, The wire shield 20 the face Il
different from the masks of today in
that It comes to u sharp point In front
SO that IL ball should hit 1t it would
glance OF,