Las Vegas optic., 1913-05-26
Chance TRIES TO
SAVE HIS OLD
BEAN"
LEADER OF THE NEW YORK
AMERICANS INVENTs CON
TRlvANcE TO SAVE HEAD.

( MY FHiNSG y OFiF Z El[FACs
"Beaned." There's a word that
means much. It's heard everywhere
throughout our sport-loving land
these days because it's baseball slang.
1t is used when batter is struck on
the head accidentally BY a ball hurled
with lightning speed by a pitcher,
says the New York World
Frank Chance, the new player-mun-
ager of the American league team In
New York, is man of several dis
tinctions. One OF them is the fact
that he has been "beaned" more than
any other athlete who ever appeared
in the game. Forty times he has been
knocked unconscious oy the rifle
shots of an opposing pitcher. For a
long time after one of these accidents
it was feared that he would never be
abb to play again.
To avoid this peril in the future,
Chanc has again shown his original
ity. He is the first player to wear
a headguard while at the bat.
Nobody questions Chances wisdom,
especially the players who have ex-
perienced the agony that follows be-
ing hit on the head by the pitcher.
One gets a vivid idea of the fearful
force of a pitched ball from the tact
that Walter Johnson of the Washing
tons can hurl the sphere at the speed
of 122 feet a second. That is a sol
entifically demonstrated fact, because
Johnson had the powers tested by the
electric apparatus that the govern
ment uses to discover the speed of
bullets. At the same time Napoleon
Rucker of the Brooklyns, tossed the
ball at the rate of 413 feet a second.
And Walter was not doing his best.
said Rucker at the time.
Therefore, everybody VINO wishes
Chance to keep his mead on his shout
ders so that in the course of time he
can win pennant for the Yankees
approves of his departure from Gus
tom. Chance will have to face John
son many times this season.
New kinds Of armor were not intro
duced into the game in recent years
until Roger Bresnahan began to wear
guards for his legs such as a wicket
keeper uses in the English game of
cricket. Bresnahan was catching for
the New York National league team
in those days which were longer
ago than most of the present gener-
alton Of fans can remember. The ri
bald crowds saw much to poke fun
at in those days, and the fellow pay
ers of the redoubtable Roger jeered
him to the limit. But Bresnahan
Just smiled and bided his time. That
the apparatus was needed is shown
by the fact that every catcher in the
game nowadays dons the British leg
guards.
Therefore it will be interesting TO
see whether other players will tol-
low Chances lead aud adopt the head /
The device Of Chances is very sim
ole. 1t is made of an outer cover
ng of webbing made to fit the head,
With it's broadest part on the lefi !
tide so that the temple and that part
If he head just back of the ear will
,e covered. That is because Chance
S a righthanded batter and the left
ide of his head is exposed to the
,itcher The thickest part is stuffed !
With the very best quality of sponge.
t is the theory that this cushion will
bsorb a great deal Of the shock !
yhen a ball happens to bounce off
he head OF the victim
Thirteen is my lucky number"
ays Frank Chanc Perhaps that's
rue. notwithstanding his dreadful
ecord as a target for wild pitchers.
or Chance is only "a years old, yet
e is credited with receiving the
argest salary ever paid in baseball.
t is stated on reliable authority that
e has 4 five year contract with the
fankee team calling for salary of
10000 a year and a percentage OF y
he profits over a certain sum. If he
h profits oevr a certain sum. If ne
an get the nine into such winning
tride that the public will flock to
ZEE the Yankees play, his earnings
FiH be very much larger.
Chance has been in the big leagues
or fourteen years. From 1905 until