Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-18

helmet rule when Of his
catcher Carl Sawatsk beaned He woke up in Sarasota
hospital and it was near-miss Now it is of wear
helmet the Chicago club Jim Rivera the teams
coorfu oueder just happened to be wearing fiber helmet
defense the day he crashed into wall.
Rivera scraped off the ground and removed to a
hospital with leg injuries But they that if he
had not been wearing helmet the at the hospital
might have been extremely short.
IT'S ODD HOW the minds of ball players work-or don't
work. They earn anywhere from the $4,000 minimum to
100000 season and still tempt by exposing nearly
naked noggns to pitches which travel approximately 100
miles hour
protective cap devices Phil Rzzuo of the Yankees for
instance has been wearing special helmet while at the
plate years. So has Peewee Reese of the Dodgers
1t perhaps significant that each Is regarded as smart ball
player and future manager.
Hal Schumacher the former Giants pitcher and good
one present when knocked down without
injury thanks liner inside his cap tits rough standing
at that dish letting with strong throw close
you Hal said Guys like Rzzuto and Reese and other
veterans when they helmets. Don't get
wrong-1m trying to plug helmets. only sell bats But
think all ball players ought to helmets, especially if
player getting in years and his teexes not what
they were once"
LOOKING AT 1T another way. Schumacher saying
consider the pitcher From back of the plate batting
pitcher looks like monster It's so feet and small
change from the box to the plate By the time the pitcher
takes his stride-with tall pitchers like Rasc and Reynolds
it's about feet-a pitcher right top of the hitter
That's the way it looks from behind the plate. But
how about the ptcher?" Hal asked. There is at the
finish of his follow through, unprotected all getout
sharp hitter slam 100mile hour fast ball back at
pitcher maybe $50 miles hour You can't get your glove
up in time from 50-odd feet away.
&c" got right here" Schumacher said, lingering
his chest 81 thought dead That Ted Kluszews drove
back and hit Bubba Church the cheekbone couple
of years ago. Church is lucky he is alive"
THE DAY SAWATSKI was beaned, Coach Zach Taylor
of the White Sox interviewing eyewitness Taylor
the old catcher managed" Chicago B" team else
where and had not the accident His first question
where did the ball drop?"
Where did it drop" demanded witness. How would
I know? All Sawatsi fall :"
He's living, Taylor signed, heavily, so it must have
skinned off his head the pitch drops the battes box
1t is time to call the undertaken two batters beaned
when the ball dropped right the ground 1t wasn't
pleasant"
time, Taylor said, was catching jeff Pfefer and
Chick Fewster bat and got squarey in the
my stomach did fipdops," Zach said. II recall ball
laying in the baers box But Chick did all right He lived
But for the rest of his life he had metal plate
YOU GET PITCH that glances of a fellows head and
goes distance Zach declared "you don't need worry
Remember Andy High? First time he the
big leagues he skuled. But the ball few up
box and could laugh about it few
Zach not catching this day ins192O but
of the Brooklyn Dodgers who correctly they would
face the Cleveland Indians in the World Series he attended
game between the Yankees and Indians 1--WE had day
off and scouting the Indians" Taylor explained
Anyway, Carl Mays throws fast ball which hits Ray
Chapman the head.
right in the batters' box There was Chap
at that moment but knew he would little while
Il left the park, with the game not Hadn't done
before, haven't done it since But this day. left"