The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1912-07-06
EARLY BASEBALL.
The Game In the Days When It
Was Played With Bare Hands.
MASKS WERE NOT USED THEN.
A. a Result fractured Noses. Split
Palms and Broken Fingers Were
Everyday incidents-The Advent and
Development OF Protective Devices.

Palms ana pfoSeH '"'Sos '
EVERYDAY incidents-The Advent and
Oevelopr,ent of Protective Devices.
Can you imagine modern baseball
team playing the game barehahdthf
asked gray haired ran while discuss
ing diamond dOings Of long ago. There
would be plenty OF business for tie
bone settlers and SO mang errors In The
tield that the sport world develop into
a burleSqne Yet can remember the
DAYS when ball players meyer Wor.
gloves and when catchers bad nrllhtf
masks nor mitts II required great
courage 10 face a swift pitcher and ints
or nerve TO get 10 front 81 hat
erounder"
Many ~ our citizens who PLAYED
baseball more than Ghirty'te years
ago will tell sou that broken tingers,
bnUe bruises, spill palms aud torn M
ger nails We're everyday accidents aud
that player who showed lhe Whhe
feather was laboucd BEFORE gloves
and masks were Invented C;ilrlirIS hAd
endless troubles The oid timers who
dared 10 stand close behind The hats
lnpn had teeth knocked out aAa Noses
fractured 10y the foul tips that cnnid
not he avoided. Soon came IA habit nt
putting piece OF solid rubber IN the
mouth made ia such II manner that il
covered The lips ana provided prOtai
ton for the teeth. II proved 50 ETH
ci,.nt that AL the leading cairiiatS
adopted il. Rut even then il WAS dan
gtrolIs 10 catch close W unli, James
fHug. he Former Harvard player, in
vented the mask, Il cumbersome affair
with broad strips Of llatlen,H ,uu that
covered The face. bnl ALSO PARTIALLY oh
srHrea he backstop'S yisiul
fhcn came the eutcuer'S gloves one
fn each hand These gloves were at
li.hi Kid. viii. no fingers and little o.
10 padding Catchels WHO handled
swift deliveries. therefore, SGuu found
HAT the gloves did moi culHr up 10 tie
/ litins Ia see backstops stu.!in. %l3,Ss
| into the gloves to protect the palms OF
| the hands
One Of the first National League
| eatchers to use u left hand glove with
! fingers was Meyers OF indianapolis
mare than twenty five Years ago
| Somebody made II glove for him that
| CAUSED II general laugh The fingers
! were 81 lon. and the surface OF III.
L,oye WAS 81 bread that Meyers found
! Il diff at first 10 lud Il pitched
| ball He was chtrhlng he great Hen
| IS BOYLE in thoSe days. and Boyle had
biindnG speed Meyers had broker
| all ol H> iluEcgs also 10th thumbs IN
nandiiua i:iryle with the tlnaerleS,
| stoves - that ne readily tried tns
new one ana after mach perseverance
he proved tht il had merit After
| that MI the ratcher> adopted II finger
| Stove tor the left hand The glove Wa>
improved upon when the manufHVtnr
~ IlIl solid leather tips On he ends a
the iu2erS To protect the nails
i,uck Ewing. silver Flint and Char
IS Rennett, thrre ~ tile ereaIe>
trlckstals the game ever produced
we're among the first Ia adopt the NIT
which WAS Il coInparatiyeit ligh, at
tair, but made II Impossible e. ininr,
he hngers OF the left hand \, thD
manufacturers gradually Increased III,
| liy ll4 N Aigphf Ar paJ,lh.iI's mi
Tne mania for gloves Ia. atae general
he in aud out telder~ H:i,Bted them
some using the mitt nnlt tie haSehai
rule makers were. forced 10 iegisaI,
against the practice
When the rule Stipulat.ng lie Si2e o
the glove to be worn was PASSED TN
catcher WAS allowed 70 Weat the sam
neayy tnitt, while a igh,e, one wa
assigned 10 the first h:lSruitn In
Ill the otiier helders We're cu,!;nelie,
10 use a finger glove weighing 10
more than half 4 dozen oun,es Rector
the in and ont tiellers BEGAN "a sea
gloves. huWertf. man, stars mutie ~
.marka bic records Adrian &. .th>u
IHuN III UtSt ituNt iW tlIt ittuSt> 10
many wears barehanded The old ma
iwasn mark for such SWIFT throw
ins intisIdprs as Ed Williamson an,
Fred ifel..r vino tried IN vain I
make hiH wiure Many times AnSo
Went tome finm the hall field wit
swollen singers and very painful BON
bruises. hnl never Used a mitt OF
glove until malr the end III his dia
mond career
With the popularity 1T The slav
came al hnpro,rd siNie ui tuask tn
wires were made >nEiiiei and >ttanetI
with The padding iifmer Later un tn
mask had Il viSur of lra,hei ,u kt,,
the sun ont uf the catcher's eyes I,
retiier with steel prote,tion for It,
neck and throat / ha chest prute.tn
came into use IN The eighties. hut 4
hrSt II Was not Inflated Il was IA
affair with hRntm frame over whit
Mns n buckskin covering This di
not prevent eaicliers from being pal
tally knocked nul hy sharp fam. TN
in the hread hskci, SO the pnrutHai
chest protector was hailed With d,
ilGnt and Is nov Indispensable
Roger Rre>NaSan vas The tit>t ma !,
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