when were last cards with gloves in pockets, and on the field?

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Posted By: Frank Wakefield

Hey guys.... a question, or maybe it is two, that has nothing to do with grading, slabbing, soaking, bleaching, scamming...

I was admiring the T3 of Bridwell in the 3rd August pickup. I like the cards that show players with their gloves wadded into their back pocket. What is the "newest" card that shows a fielding glove jammed into the pocket? This might give us an idea of when players ended that practice.

The second question is a close cousin, what is the "newest" card that depicts fielding gloves laying in the grass, either on the edge of the outfield grass or just in foul territory? Players used to leave gloves out there in the field of play, but that ended in the mid 50s, I think. Anyone have a card that shows a glove out there?

Frank.

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Posted By: Zach Rice

Tris Speaker's Crack Jack shows a nice glove in the back pocket shot.

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Posted By: joe Brennan

If I recall my history correctly, the fielders use to share gloves too. I believe someone tripped on a glove and ended his career and ended the practice of leaving anything in the field. Can anyone relate this story better than me, or is this another urban legend?

People said it was a million dollar wound. But the government must keep that money, cause I ain't never seen a penny of it.

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Posted By: David McDonald

This gets us up to 1933 anyway.
(Image borrowed from PSA registry)

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Posted By: Chris Counts

Here's one of my favorite "glove-in-the-back-pocket" cards ... it's a 1925 Exhibit of Bob Meusel ...

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Posted By: dennis

i am no expert on this but my guess is when the web was introduced on bb gloves in 1920's this development led to bigger gloves that aided fielding. bigger mitts = harder to fold and keep in back pocket. in 1954 baseball instituted a rule where you could no longer leave gloves on the field.

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Posted By: Joann

I suspect Dennis is right. Somewhere around the time webs were added, I think the purpose of a glove started the long evolution from "protect the hand" to "assist the catch" until it got to the bushel baskets in some positions today.

Which brings me to something I've been meaning to ask, but don't want to hijack the thread. Do they still teach "catch with two hands" like they did when I was a kid? Because, really - if they are they should stop. Catch with two hands is an artifact from a time when you needed to hands to assure the ball didn't pop out of the glove. Gloves now are actually engineered to help make sure the fielder doesn't have trouble getting the ball out of the glove. So the catch should be made in the position to allow the best throw, not with two hands as in the past.

But definitely I think that once it shifted from a protective device to an assist device (and is there any other assist device in baseball? How did that happen? lol), the increase in size was quick to follow. I'd be interested in seeing the latest card too. BTW, the very first post in the latest PU Thread has a great glove in pocket shot.

Joann

(If anyone wants to let me know how they coach catching today wrt using two hand, you can email me at jmkline@juno.com so the thread doesn't get hijacked.)

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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

I can only offer you an update through the 50s, Joann. Im sure that you can do better here.

But "catch the ball with two hands" and "don't step in the bucket" persisted through that interval.

Edited to add: Sheesh, Joann knows actual baseball.

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Posted By: David McDonald

Checkout the '49 Leaf Dillinger per "1949 Leaf Question" thread.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/153652/thread/1155814051/last-1155935727/1949+Leaf+question--