Synopses & Reviews
For those who love baseball, the equipment used to play it holds a special place in the heart. That favorite glove . . . that special bat . . . the cap worn when your team won (or lost) the championship. No longer are these just objects or tools—they are now talismans that represent good times past and, more wistfully, lost youth. Whether for superstar players enshrined in the Hall of Fame or the millions of others who never got beyond the sandlots, the items used in America’s grandest game hold almost mystical powers that belie the simplicity of the wood and leather from which they are crafted.
The History of Baseball Equipment is, in a very special way, also a history of the sport itself. Springing from a simpler, more rural America, baseball and its equipment have evolved to a level of sophistication (and, perhaps, cynicism) its founders never dreamed of. Jack R. Nerad’s loving look at how the accoutrements have changed through a century and a half also tells the story of baseball’s key turning points since Alexander Cartwright first threw down bases in October 1846 on the Elysian Fields in Hoboken, New Jersey—and many of the changes America has also undergone.
In addition to its words and pictures, The History of Baseball Equipment literally weaves bits of baseball equipment right into its pages, from a slice of a major league baseball embedded in the front cover to touch-and-feel elements throughout the pages. From the glove and uniform to the hot dogs and peanuts hawked in the stands, the items associated with America’s favorite pastime will bring home that incomparable feeling of a day at the ballpark for fans of all ages. They define a vital aspect of our lives that is ever-changing and yet always the same—and therein may lie their greatest appeal.
Synopsis
The History of Baseball Equipment is a hardcover coffee table gift book for the man, boy, or fan of any gender who loves baseball and the history of the game. It covers baseball equipment categorically, with a slice of a major league baseball embedded in the front cover and touch-and-feel elements used throughout the book. These include glove leather, cotton uni cloth, a sliver of wood from a bat, and so forth.
About the Author
Jack R. Nerad began his writing career decades ago as a sportswriter for Chicago-area newspapers. A longtime player and manager of Men’s Senior Baseball League teams, he lives in Manhattan Beach, California.
Table of Contents
The History of Baseball Equipment
by Jack R. Nerad
Table of Contents
Introduction
Those who love the game of baseball also have a special affection for the equipment used to play it. The favorite glove, the special bat – they are more than objects; they are friends. A Hall of Fame player like Yogi, Sandy Koufax, Ernie Banks or a more modern player can personalize that sentiment for all, setting up the premise of the book.
Bird’s Eye View of Baseball’s History
An overview of the game from its early days as a derivative of cricket and rounders to the era of free agency, merchandising and the global game. This chapter should stand on its own as an overview and get the reader interested in reading the entire book.
Baseball Rules
Showing the history of the game and how the rules have evolved from the underhand pitches of the ancient game to the 100-mph gas of today’s power pitchers. The chapter will not only show the evolution of the game, but also show how the evolution of equipment goes hand-in-hand with the overall changes the game has experienced.
The Ball
From a tiny, horsehide-wrapped sphere not much bigger than a golf ball, the baseball has evolved into the rock-hard, tightly seamed ball we have today. With each evolution of the ball the game changed, and this chapter will track those changes. Is today’s ball “juiced?” Why not try to find out scientifically?
The Bat
It started as a big war club turned from hickory. Over the years it has evolved mightily. Changes have included the wood from which it is fashioned – the doubleplay combination of Hickory to Ash to Maple – as well as the shape, weight and length. Does the future hold composite bats?
The Glove
The first baseball player wore no gloves at all. Then, along the way, players determined they could protect their hands by donning gloves much like work gloves used by tradesmen. From there the glove evolved into the lengthy “catching contraptions” we see today that have made the hitherto disdained one-handed catch a routine part of the professional game.
The “Tools of Ignorance”
Catchers are interesting fellows. (I know since I’ve been one since I was seven.) They find themselves in harm’s way for half a ballgame every day, and their protective gear has evolved from literally nothing to outfits that make them look like RoboCop.
Baseball Shoes
Every baseball player I know of has a fond recollection of his first pair of baseball shoes. The “cleats” signified he was an inside member of the fraternity privy to all its mysticism. Over 150 years those “cleats” have changed radically, but they still are a magical talisman.
The “Uni”
Whether it was a double-breasted jersey that echoed shirts worn by the U.S. Cavalry, a laced-up shirt with long sleeves and a collar affixed with a safety pin, a thick wool flannel or a modern synthetic knit reaching down over the shoetops, the baseball uniform has a special place in each player’s heart.
The baseball cap
Invented for pure functionality, the baseball cap has become ubiquitous even in locales that never heard of baseball. Whether you’re a second baseman, a farmer or a rapper by trade, at least you have one thing in common – the baseball cap.
The batting helmet
Cleveland infield Ray Chapman was hit in the head and killed by a pitch in 1920. His team swooned, then rallied and won the American League pennant. It took another 30 years for batting helmets to appear on a regular basis in Major League Baseball games. Now they use high tech materials to provide substantial protection.
Batting gloves
Many of us, myself included, have literally practiced hitting until our hands bled. Then some bright boy realized that a set of gloves would take care of that problem and deaden the bees-in-the-bat vibration of an off-center contact with the baseball as well.
The field of play
A close look at all the aspects of the game of baseball’s “playing board.”
Line markers
The bases
Home plate
The mound
The pitching rubber
The infield “dirt”
The grass
The warning track
Specialty stuff
Necessity breeds invention, and the American game has spawned innovative tools to help its practitioners ply their trade more effectively.
The fungo bat
The weighted bat
The “donut”
The pine tar rag
The rosin bag
Training Gear
We don’t just want to play baseball; we want to play better each time we pull on the uniform. Through the years untold entrepreneurs have used that as a business proposition and have created new stuff that has become part of the game itself.
The “pitch-back”
The “aero-bat”
The wiffle ball
Baseball food
If you can eat peanuts and Cracker Jack all afternoon, why would you ever want to get back?
Peanuts
Cracker Jack
Hot dogs
Sunflower seeds
Beer (or no beer)
Other baseball fare
The Glory of their Times
Not only is this the title of what might be the best baseball book of all time, it is also a proper title for a series of illustrations that would depict a typical player wearing the baseball garb and equipment of the day in the setting in which he played ball.
Baseball in 1848
Alexander Cartwright on the Elysian Field.
Baseball in 1878
“Cap” Anson in Lakefront Park.
Baseball in 1908
Frank Chance in West Side Grounds.
Baseball in 1938
Joe Dimaggio in Yankee Stadium.
Baseball in 1968
Curt Flood in Busch Stadium.
Baseball in 1998
Todd Helton in Coors Field.
Baseball in 2008
Ichiro Suzuki in Safeco Field.
The Baseball Hall of Fame
The Baseball Hall of Fame is the holy cathedral of baseball. Many players try to get into it, but fewer than 300 have. Beyond the Hall itself is a museum/shrine that has near-holy significance to millions.
Appendices
Major League Baseball, the organization
Major League Franchises and Ball Parks
Members of the Hall of Fame