| Description |
ix, 386 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm. |
| Summary |
"In baseball's early days, catchers stood a safe distance back of the batter without protective gear. Then the introduction of the curveball in the 1870s led them to move up directly behind home plate, even though they still wore no gloves or other protection. Courage became the catcher's most notable requirement. But the new position also demanded that the catcher have lightning-fast reflexes, great hands, and a great throwing arm. A special mystique came to surround the position ... Yet the catcher's reign as a preeminent folk hero proved short-lived: soon the introduction of masks, chest protectors, and mitts robbed him of his mystique and status ... Two decades later, the introduction of another new pitch changed everything once again and restored the catcher's prestige"--From publisher description. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 363-370) and index. |
| Contents |
Introduction. A generation in search of a hero -- 1. In the beginning -- 2. The catcher as tough guy -- 3. The catcher as indispensable -- 4. The catcher as one in a million -- 5. The catcher as a man in disguise -- 6. The breaking point -- 7. Protecting the catcher's face (but bruising his ego) -- 8. "A lot of fools in the crowd laugh at him" -- 9. The thinking-man catcher -- 10. The catcher as desperado -- 11. Harry Decker, the "Don Juan of shaven head" -- 12. The 1890s : "an era when most of the catchers were pot-bellied and couldn't get out of their own way" -- 13. "The last of the old guard of ball players" -- 14. A new pitch and a new crisis -- 15. An enduring new model -- 16. The catcher's legacy -- Afterword. The man the Hall of Fame forgot. |
| Subject |
Catchers (Baseball) -- United States -- History.
|
| ISBN |
9781566638227 (cloth alk. paper) |
|
1566638224 (cloth alk. paper) |
|
