Wearing the Black Gloves

What do raw meat, grass clippings, a dead sparrow, a dead rat and Limberger cheese have in common? Believe it or not, they have each been stuffed inside of a Major League player's glove. The last three were as a result of modern day pranks, but the raw meat and the grass were 19th Century ballplayers' attempts to add padding that was lacking in the early gloves.

Baseball gloves first entered the game in the 1870's starting with the catchers. Fielders were reluctant to wear gloves at first, not wanting to appear weak. Stories were told of players wearing flesh colored "mittens" so they would go unnoticed by fans. Sporting goods store owner and stand-out first baseman Albert Spalding was determined to change the perception of gloves so he proudly donned black gloves during a game in 1877. Not surprisingly, those thin black leather half-fingered gloves were for sale in his store shortly after the game.

This risk paid off for Spalding (heard of Spalding Sporting Goods?) and the game was also changed as a result. Within a few years nearly all fielders were wearing padded gloves on their non-throwing hands. Infielders became more aggressive, overhand pitching was allowed and sporting goods manufacturers soon changed the ball itself in order to compensate for this new tool. In his book, Glove Affairs: The Romance, History, and Tradition of the Baseball Glove, Noah Liberman states, "All in all, it's impossible to overestimate the effect gloves have had on the game of baseball. Perhaps no innovation has changed the game more."

Spalding's move was bold and I wonder if I would have the guts to do the same. It was a calculated risk. He knew ballplayers were breaking fingers and going home with bruised and swollen hands. He knew that he had enough credibility and fame that he probably wouldn't be laughed off the field. Still, he had heard stories of that happening to other men in their flesh colored gloves but he didn't let that stop him. I hope I have the wisdom to see the opportunities like Spalding did and the nerve to step onto the field wearing the black gloves.

A Third Major League

"It will be the best season the national game has ever had." That was the prediction of Players' League Secretary Frank Brunell in his letter to the players at the start of the 1890 season. I'm pretty sure he was eating those words by the end of the season. Though I guess it was the best season the Players' League ever saw, since it was their only one.

The Players' League grew out of the National League's Brotherhood of Professional Baseball Players, led by John Montgomery Ward. By the close of the 1889 season, the members of the Brotherhood were becoming increasingly disgruntled by the way owners were buying and selling players and determining their salaries. Rather than strike, as the rumors were hinting, Ward envisioned a different way of business altogether. He secured enough financial backing, many star players and the legal standing to form the third major league in time for the Players League to join National League and the American Association for the start of the 1890 season.

Throughout the season the baseball world became more focused on the competition between the leagues than what was happening on the field. In cities with teams from each league, the games were intentionally scheduled to conflict and each league inflated their attendance records in an effort to declare victory. The truth was that overall attendance was lower this year than it had been the previous year, despite having three leagues to choose from. Still, the Players' League often drew more fans than their rivals. The American Association and National League (NL) were losing money as a result of this low attendance and Albert Spalding, the head of the NL, was determined to fight till the death of the Players' League. The new league was also on shaky ground financially. Its financial backers, who were unaware of the NL's financial woes got nervous and folded to Spalding despite Ward's objections. By the end of the 1890 season the Players' League was defunct. This move meant that the owners again had the power and players were simply employees, setting the stage for all future sports leagues to be designed the same way.

The story of the Players' League captures the eternal struggle of management and labor but it also reminds me not to get so caught up in a fight that I forget what I am fighting for. It seems to me that the joy of the game was lost in 1890 as everyone was focused on the business of the leagues. I have a tendency to do the same when I feel wronged. I should learn from the failure of the Players' League, and remember to take time to enjoy the crack of the bat and the roar of the crowd while I'm continuing to fight for my beliefs.