Letters to the Editor
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Broken link
The "batting helmets looked like" link is broken.
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The Olympic Flame?
Seriously? This is what you're writing about today? NBA and NHL playoffs in full swing, the NFL draft this weekend, MLB action all around, and you're writing about the frigging Olympic torch?
I know this is a liberal current affairs website, and as such you not only have to, occasionally, write a sports article with political undertones, but must also pretend the Olympics are a big deal that a lot of people care about (to educate us "ugly americans" who only care about football, baseball and basketball). Honestly, though, I'm willing to bet that the last thing most of your loyal readers (of which I am one) expected to read this morning was you having a pretend conversation with the Olympic torch. Furthermore, I'm willing to bet that there was a sense of disappointment upon the realisation that that's exactly what this article is.
You're a great sports columnist and there are plenty of great sports stories out there for you to write about. This just isn't one of them.
How about that Chris Paul, though?
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Their problem is obvious
DeAndre Miller has no swing, no balance. If he hits pitch over 85mph that's on the black, it' an accident. But if you're 25 and playing the equiv of Legion Ball then that's pretty much as far as you will go. I give them credit for sticking with it though, it's amazing they haven't been seriously injured.
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Origin of the Torch
This may be off-topic, but so is almost everything I say: I've read somewhere that the origin of the doing the running of the torch to the Olympics was in 1936, for the Berlin Olympics. The Nazis apparently liked the theatrical appearance of lighting a torch on Mount Olympus and bringing it to Berlin, making themselves seem like the new Spartans. Has anybody else read this?
Perhaps the Chinese could have avoided some of this by simply saying "Nah, no Olympic torch this year -- the Nazis thought of that, anyway."
By the way, I'm no fan of the Chinese policies for human rights or in Tibet, but I thought the harassment of the Olympic torch runners was embarassing. I hope that the next time we have an Olympics in the United States the Chinese don't respond in kind with protests over our annexation of Hawaii, the opening of Oklahoma's Indian Territory to the land rush settlers, or some of our more recent questionable activities.
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Batting Helmet History Details, as I Recall
George Scott "The Boomah" 1B for Boston and Milwaukee AL in the 1970s was the first big leaguer to wear a batting helmet in the field.
Norm Cash 1B for Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s was the last big leaguer to bat without a helmet. He wore some sort of pads under his hat.
These items are just off the top of my helmet. Others may know more, or know better.
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Ear flaps
Although I'm sure the coaches appreciate the cooler looking helmets, they probably also appreciate having their ears exposed so they can do their signs. And I appreciate the digging you had to do to get some good vintage batting helmet pics.
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Bob Montgomery
was the last major leaguer to go helmetless, in 1979.
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Ear Flaps
Nice picture of Ron Santo. I grew up in Chicago in the 60's watching the Cubs. If I recall correctly Santo was one of the first to wear an ear flap (single) after getting beaned and hurt pretty badly. Initially, they had to improvise the flap since mfrs were only making flapless. I recall it because there was a lot of discussion about the flap when he came back. Anyone remember anybody before Santo wearing earflaps?
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Bob Montgomery!
Good call, Luther!
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TB Tom...
I think what you're referring to is a helmet liner, which was a plastic/fiberglass shell worn under the standard cap while hitting. My recolloction is that there was little or no padding, just the hard liner to offer some protection.
Maury Wills wore one at the plate, and since I was a Giants fan and hated his rotten, punk-ass, Please-Go-Back-To-Brooklyn, Dodger Blue guts, I hated helmet liners too.
But, for the record, the fact that Mr. Wills isn't in the HOF is absolutely revolting.
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thanks
For reminding me of my favourite Rickey Henderson story. The one where he goes up to John Olerud in Seattle and says "Rickey used to play with a guy that wore his helmet in the field in Toronto" and Olerud replies "Uh Rickey, that was me."
(apparently it never happened, but man is that story a good'un!)
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Also...
I think Giants and later Dodger catcher Tom Haller was the first to wear a batting helmet while catching.
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Correct me if I'm wrong...
...but wasn't Coolbaugh actually hit in the neck by that line drive, not in the head? How are the helments going to prevent that from happening again?
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The ear flap.
For some reason - maybe faint recollections of a long Sports Illustrated article about his sad post-beaning life - I thought the ear flap on batting helmets was a result of the horrible injuries suffered by Tony Conigliaro when he was hit by a pitch.
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I though it was Eddie whatshisname on Philly
Who got hit in the left eye and ended his career? That was 67-68?
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If it's Wednesday...
Ok, it's not a good movie, but that reference cracked me up.
And, to the other writer who pointed out that a helmet wouldn't have saved Mike Coolbaugh in the first place, I believe that is correct. I thought UniWatch covered it, but I can't find a reference.
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Coolbaugh
lrsigman Correct me if I'm wrong... ...but wasn't Coolbaugh actually hit in the neck by that line drive, not in the head? How are the helments going to prevent that from happening again?
I think it was more of a wake-up call. I mean, can you imagine the meeting?
"That was terrible about Coolbaugh. Those coaches are really dangerously close to home plate. I think we should have a rule that they have to wear helmets."
"But hang on, Jim. Coolbaugh got hit in the neck, not the head. A helmet wouldn't have saved him."
"Oh. OK. Let's wait till someone gets hit in the head and dies, then we'll make the rule. Good call, Steve. You really saved me some embarrassment there ... "