Posted By:
TBobNo wonder there were so many strikeouts in the dead ball era from fireball pitchers with a strike zone which extended from the knees to almost the shoulders. Anyone who has played baseball competitively knows how hard it is to get around on a 85-90 mile an hour fastball up around the shoulders.
One thing to consider when judging the standup position of the catchers was the lack of a mask. Who in their right mind would want to squat and face the possibility of a foul tip in the teeth without the benefit of the mask's bars? I remember in high school catching pitchers in the gym over the winter where we used a string stretched across the gym's width at shoulder and knee level, then two more strings tied down to approximate the width of the plate. I was catching a submariner and had a ball come up and in and barely nick the stretched twine at just the right angle to barely deflect it with the result I caught a deflection in the eye. I used to have a reputation as pretty fearless behind the plate but for several weeks I noticed a slight twitch in that eye whenever a pitched ball came near home plate. It was maddening. I can certainly commiserate with those old time backstoppers!
01-05-2004, 12:26 PM
Question about dead ball era catchers
Similar Threads
Threaded Mode