The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987, 1913-01-15
EARLY BASEBALL.
The Game In the Days When II
Was Played With Bare Hands.
MASKS WERE NOT USED THEN.

Everyday lncI6ents-The Advent and
Development of Protective Devices.
Can you imagine a modern baseball,
team playing the game barehanded?"
asked gray haired fan 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
a burlesque Yet I can remember the
days when ball players never wore
gloves and when catchers had neither
masks nor mitts. Ii required great
courage TO face a swift pitcher and lots
of nerve to get In front Of hot
grounder'
Many of our citizens who played
baseball more than thirty-fve years
ago will tell you that broken fingers.
bone bruises. split palms and torn fin-
ger nails were everyday accidents and
that a player who showed the white
feather was taboOed. Before gloves
and masks were invented catchers had
endless troubles. The old timers who
dared TO stand close behind the bats
men bad teeth knocked out and noses
fractured by the foul tips that could
not be avoided. Soon came habit of
putting Il piece Of solid rubber in the
mouth made In such a manner that II
covered the lips and provided protec-
ton for the teeth. It proved SO eff
Gent that all the leading catchers
adopted it. But even then it was dan
gerous to catch close up until James
TyuG, the former Harvard player. in
vented the mask, a cumbersome affair
with broad strips of flattened iron that
covered the face. but also partially OBJ
scured the backstop's vision.
Then came the catcher's gloves, one
for each hand. These gloves were of
light kid. with no fingers and little or
no padding. Catchers who handled
swift deliveries, therefore. soon found
that the gloves did not come up to the
requirements. so it was q common
thing to see backstops stuffing grass
into the gloves to protect the palms OF
the hands
One of the first National league
catcherS to use a left hand glove with
fingers was Meyers Of indianapolis,
more than twenty-five years ago.
Somebody made a glove for him that
caused a general laugh The fingers
were so long and the surface of the
glove WAS 80 broad that Meyers found
1t difficult at first to hold a pitched
ball. He was catching the great Hen
~ Boyle in those days, and Boyle had
binding speed Meyers had broken
all Of his fingers. also both thumbs, in
handling Boyle with the tingerleSs
gloves. 50 that he readily tried the
new one. and after much perseverance
he proved that it bad merit. After
that all the caUcherS adopted q finger
glove for the left hand. The glove was
improved upon when the manufacture
er put solid leather tips on the ends Of
the fingers to protect the nails.
Buck Ewing. Silver Flint and Char
ley Bennett. three OF the greatest
backstopS the game ever produced.
were among the first to adopt the mitt,
which was a comparatively light af-
fair. but made it impossible to injure
the fingers Of the left hand AS the
manufacturers gradually increased the
size and weight of the catcher's mitt
the mania for gloves became general.
The in and out fielders adopted them,
some using the mitt until the baseball
rule makers were forced to legislate
against the practice.
When the rule stipulating the size of
the glove to be worn was passed the
catcher was allowed TO wear the same
heavy mitt. while lighter one was
assigned TO the first baseman. But
all the other fielders were compelled
to use a finger glove weighing not
more than half dozen ounces. Before
gloves. however. many stars made re-
markable records. Adrian C.. Arson
played first base for the Chicagos for
many years barehanded The old man
was a mark for such swift throw
ing infelders as Ed Williamson and
Il tCO iG4Gt. W lD Ltlcu III NAlD "
make him Vince Many times Anson
went home from the ball field with
swollen tinG"rs and very painful bone
bruises, but never used a mitt or a
glove until near the end of his dia-
mond career.
With the popularity of the glove
came SD improved style Of mask The
wires were made smaller and stronger.
with the padding firmer Later on the
mask had visor of leather To keep
the SUD out of the catcher's eyes. to
gether with steel protection for the
neck and throat. The chest protector
caIne into use in the eighties. but at
first it was OF inflated. Ii was a fat
affair with =. bamboo frame over which
was Il buckSkin covering. This did
not prevent catchers from being par
szlly knocked out by sharp fou! tips
n the bread basket. so the pneumatic
chest protector was hailed with de-
light and is now Indispensable
Roger BrrSuahan was the first major
league catcher to wear shin guards
Eucb as cricketers use He was ridi-
culed at first. but when special make