Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-03-21
.CATCHERs FIRST TOOK TO
M|TTs FORTY YEARS AGO
Frank MCGunniglc Tried }aCkstop-
ping in 1870 With Bricklay-
crS' Gloves.
ADvA nee CAME RAPIDLY
College Player Improved on Idea by
Padding With Sheet lcad-Manu-
faCturcrS There Turned Attention
TO Baseball Gloves.

II was In 1876 that gloves were first
recognized as necessary accessories to
2 catchcr's kit Frank McGunnigle.
famous ballplayer and manager. was
then CathiuC for Fall River In Il game
against Harvard College. Macs hands
were very sore. bu; II was necessary
pair OF briCk!Hycr's gloves, thick.
strong things OF hard leather In prac-
lice he found that. while they protected
the palms. there WAS no; liberty enough
for the fingers 10 throw. An idea
struck him. He whipped ont a jack
knife 'hnl!players went. armed those
days, and cut of the fingers Of the
'iGht-hand glove. Fine said Frank,
line ! have discovered something"
kut an inTemtor. req! one. was in the
inventor OF the catchcr's mask, was be-
hind The bat for his college. Tying.
ing how the biicklayer's gloves worked
in a ball game, cathinr baseballs In
stead OF bricks
After The game Tyng got busy He
bought pair, and as a first improve
ment had tho palms lined with thin
sheet lead. and this glove was used for
some time In tina; section Of the coun-
try, but when another genius appeared
on the field, bearing the uano of GUM
nasso, with an Improvement. his. sug
gcstion was adopted, and this improve
mcnt was the real origin of the padded
glove. Guinnasso wa" PLAYER on the
Lowell! team. ana had used the Me
L.
mstted that the glove was better than
lead pin. in Il scrap. or to hand the
ump what was due him. but il was too
much of q handicap in playing ball,
Guinnasso bought a soft pair of walk
ing gloves with good thick lining.
nc hmputatcd the myers of both
worked like a charm
cloves We're Popular.
shortly after this the makers Of base
ban paraphenalia turned their atten-
tion to gloves. 1t was hard 10 con-
vince the manufacturers that the glove
"r mitt for the left hand should he
thicker than the one for the right. but
they finally reached the point after the
most prominent catcherS of the period
dem"nsirated that IN, left hand had to
1uen, or The pitchers delivery. The
manufacturers thought they had
iiSach"d th9 acme OF perfection when
catchcr's rOlves made out of heavy
hucIlskn. lined with "a thick padding.
me nnrers OF The, left hand glove re
glove for tho right paw devoid of
fingers and somewhat lighter.
These gloves were popular for a num-
had the, glove padded TO suit their in
dividual tastes Doc Rushong. the
famous famous, catcher Of the old St, Louis
myers as h" intended praCticinE den
lstrE after his days as a hallplayer
were bNt'. ilF wore the largest glove
he could find, and had added pads until
II looked like pillow. The doctor was
proud Of this affair, and would not al
low any one to use IL, out of Bushong's
idea grew the idea Of the mitt and
when the famous Buck Ewing pranccd
on the field one day with something on
ms left hand that looked like a huge
pillow he was greeted with roars of
laughter. mixed with icers and cat
calls. u only needed a few dcmonstra-
lions from Buck To prove that the
much. needed protection for the poor
catcher had arrived.
itiu Mtts Perfected
With TN" big initt perfected. catch
r'H nad no use Tor q glove on The right
hahu, although the glove for the right
name hah been given the Co-hy some
t'ln" hclor" That by many backstop-
itrS: Ia fact. tho now mttt caused such
AN improNomcut in the work of ali
C@ich"rs that the inheldcrs adopted
me big pillow. ANA IT was not long he
fore the outfcldcrs had ono on their
i"It hAud. The craze became 50 great
that the league body had to lcrislntc
against II. claiming IL was hurting the
game; ~ fact. making n farce OF it
i'ut the improved Cutchcrs mitt has
proved - great blessing to the hnrk
stopper II las enabled him to do
HoHbI' WORK ana do ii easier and he;
'"r Just compare the hands Of IN,
present DAY catcher with those OF any
G-tlm"r -, .HmuNrc tn" hands OF Roger
T. fresngh;lg with The bunch OF Knots
with silver" MINT caught the sprad
m"rchnntS Of the nldcn lays with .unfb
ing on their hands except the dirt tha,.
had 10 rOb on TO drV the pr-snirntin,,