The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-07-06
EARLY BASEBALL.
The Game In the Days When Il
Was Played With Bare Hands.
MASKS WERE NOT USED THEN.
As a Result Fractured Noses. SPLIT
Palms and Broken Fingers We're
Everyday incidents-The Advent and
Development Of Protective Devices.

Can you luna CINE modern baseball /
team playing the game barehandpd:' !
asked a gray haired tau while discuss |
Ing diamond dOings of long ago There
would be plenty of business for the |
bone settlers and so many errors IN the /
field that the sport would develop into !
hurlesque. Yet | can rruriilicr The |
days when bnll PLAYERS meyer wore |
gloves and When cHtchrrs had neil her |
masks nor mitts II required great |
courage 10 face swift pitcher aud lots
OF nerve to gel ia front of a hot
2rounder"
Many OF our citizens who played
baseball more than thirty tive wears
ago Will tell goii thai broken tingers.
bone bruises spiit palms and luln lin
ger nails were everyday accidents and
That player who showed The While
feather was tabontd Before cloves
and masks were Invented t9ti"h+rS had
endless troubles The Old linierS who
dared 10 stand ciose beiiind the bats
nirD had trelh knocked oul and moses
fractured by the foul IiliS that rnRli
NOT lie avoided. Soon came II hnll ot
pntting a piece OF solid rublirr IN Ibr
mouth made III such II manner that i,
covered he lips and provided prnlpc
| Ilnn for the ieeIh II proved 50 Ell
| 'irut that AL the leading vagchprs
accepted il. BHt even then il was dan.
| e"fulS 10 catch close up uuli James
| TEus, the FORMER Harvard player, ia
! vented HE mass II cumbersome affair
wGh btnnd strips OF liaIien,d rou that
! covered he face. bnJ also pntIiaily Oh
scored the bachstop's Ni1ion
Ihrh came the catcher'> 4iuNes. one
tnr each hand These glove. were or
ll2bi KID viii! 40 tii%crs and little on
| IA padding Catchers vino handled
swift deliveries. therefore. >luii found
NAT the 4ioves d.d not come N, to liir
! requirements. 50 Ii wns "A culumon
thine To see hackstops -tu!!iu4 2lgl,,-
INTO the gloves To protect tia, palms ~
tie halIds
one OF the first Natiu,la league
| rltChers to Use a left hlad above Wtt!t
nngers was Meyers of lipliAn1tuIis.
| more than twenty-five Years ago
Somebody made II glove tor him that
r;.nSed II general laugh The t.h4cts
yer. a lnnp and thp s#rt,r, ~ m.
s.pve ,y,s 81 h,7,od mar N,,.rs t,n,hd
II dit,i.uu AZ 6rst IA rold - ui,rnra-
h1ll He was eatChinG the great Hen
~ Eurl" IN lhu~" DAYS. and Bow. lMd
tdindinl >l"o'I Meyers had hroken
qtt ~ nj. Nun,.t,. Also uuth lhuntl,s IN
| pandtlIt.. Hu,l, with the un.,rIrss
love. so thar h, r,,aatl, tried ,h,,
rev ure. and Htt,a uitcA perseverance.
l.r uruNrd t,,at IL mad merit Atrer
tnDt nn the ,;itclteIs ndomed II niger
| l.iuve Tor the left hard The glove wis
Improved unoI whea the manuf4ctur
at uut ~u|id leather tins on the ends Of
the au.rr> ia prniert the nails
l,uck Ewing, silver Flint and thar
!N H.unett. three ~ the creates,
barkxtols the game ever l,rtuH, ed,
we're among the tirsl to adopt HE untt.
hch WAS n conparaiiyeN lt9ht At
| tuir. hat made II iinpOsSibt to Iniur"
the hn.rrS OF the left hand AZ the
manufacturers gradually Increased I'll"
size and weight ot the catcIer'S NIT
the mania tor gloves h"t5ar general
he Ia and out telderS aHuprd them
some using tbe nlitt anti, ne haSrhnIi
tule makers were forced +" le@iSIat"
against the practice
When the rule Stipulatiug lie size of
lle glove IL bt worn WH> passed 'ht
catcher was allowed 10 "ejl the ~Ail'e
heavy NIT. While IA hShtri uht WaS
assigned Ia the firSl In >"naE. I'M
al the Other helders ""tr roM4r'led
: III use hnse eloN" weighing ~"
rIore fmn half dozen dtI! e.. t'"'"'e
Tie in and ont FEEDERS began 10 Nea'
glnNeS. however. many stars ma'" t.
mArklll'r records Adllah 9 AN>uu
played Ji'st hHSe Tor the 'hlttGus tat
many years lntrliann"d lie ola man
vast mars Tor sn'o sNht THROW
lRc lhh"'der> rs fd NiH'ah'S'l anu
tFed ll"h"f WI" irl"u III vain ~
u'ahe ma Vince Many nun's An>uh
, Went nome NAM tue haH hela "'h
swollen hhSrr> nhu very pa'htht n'us
bruises, hut never used q n'it ot
glove ANN near III" ehh "' ms o'a
h"hd 'hr'"i
N'tu Tue i"roEfHN 81 Tue s'"N'
z ,slllitl ltlitlffgNti II We, tf ntA~k ne