A Brief History of the Baseball Glove

Baseball has long been praised as America's favorite pastime. Baseball gloves have been used for nearly as long as the baseball game has existed are a very integral part of the sport.

The first baseball gloves were used in the 1870s and are very different from the baseball gloves we use today. Prior to the late 1800's, the sport of baseball was much more rugged than what we are accustomed to today; players were expected to catch or knock the ball with no protection. One can only imagine the injuries sustained from this practice.

Early baseball gloves were fairly simple as compared to today's standards. The basic idea was to create a glove that would pad and protect the players' hands and provide a cushion for catching the ball. Surprisingly, the first gloves were designed so the player could knock the ball to the ground and not necessarily catch it. History's first baseball gloves were made from pieces of leather sewn together to fit over a player's hand. Not nearly as padded, thick or advanced style-wise, early baseball gloves are on display at many sport and baseball museums across the country.

The first players to use baseball gloves were often taunted and teased as being "too soft" or "sissies" because they did not want to catch the ball with their bare hands. It is difficult to understand the resistance and fun-poking of the late 19th century since baseball gloves are a standard item used in modern games. Eventually, however, the use of baseball gloves became more accepted and a safety standard in the sport.

The history of baseball gloves is a colorful one with many advances in comfort and safety. The evolution of baseball gloves has helped to shape the game and many cannot imagine the sport without them.

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The History of Baseball in Japan

Horace Wilson, a professor at Kaisei School in Tokyo, introduced baseball to Japan in between 1867 & 1872, historians disagree on the exact year. The Japanese called the game Yakkyu, which translates into "Field Ball."

The era known as the Meiji restoration period, a period when the Japanese began to modernize their society and was greatly influenced by Western culture, was fertile ground for the new sport.

Baseball immediately gained popularity because the Japanese people viewed the one-on-one competition of pitcher vs. batter psychologically similar to the native Sumo wrestling. The timing and special harmony required between body and mind for such a match up was a natural fit for their culture and it surpassed all other sports being introduced at that time.

Not all of Japanese society agreed with allowing Western culture to infiltrate Japanese society and adamantly spoke against it. The newspaper, Asahi Shinbun, ran continuous editorials proclaiming the "Evils of Baseball" and what it was doing to the Japanese people.

One prominent doctor wrote an editorial maintaining the continuous throwing of a baseball would cause the body to develop lopsided and had negative effects on the brain.

Although there were hundreds of baseball teams popping up in Japan, it wasn't until Tokyo University added it to their sports program that the game was legitimized. In 1896 the University team defeated an American team, the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club, 29 to 4 becoming the first recorded International Baseball game in Asia.

In 1913 Matsutara Shoriki, a baseball enthusiast and wealthy newspaper owner, sponsored an All American baseball team tour, which traveled throughout Japan playing College All - Star teams.

With the quality of American players which included, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Jimmy Fox, it was not surprising the Americans won all 17 games they played.

Modern Japanese Baseball is called the Nippon Professional Baseball League. Not surprisingly, since America introduced the game, the rules and technical aspects are nearly identical to American baseball.

The Nippon League is divided into two Divisions, the Central and Pacific leagues, which is identical to the National and American Leagues of MLB. The 6 teams of the Central Division utilizes the designated hitter, as our American league, but the Pacific League, as our National League does not use the designated hitter.

The season begins in April and ends in a Championship series in October, however their schedule is 144 games long while MLB is 162 games.

There are a few distinct and large differences between the two countries. The Japanese allow games to end in a "Tie" after 12 innings. This is a cultural necessity as trains are the main source of transportation and fans could not be allowed to miss the last train of the night.

The Japanese baseball is smaller and is wound tighter than the American baseball, which makes it travel farther. The baseball coupled with Japanese baseball stadiums being smaller than American Parks, 5 teams play in extremely undersized parks, any comparison of Japanese and American Baseball Players' accomplishments are extremely skewed.

Jim ( Coach ) Bain is a former Minor League Player and Coach of Youth Baseball for over 10 years. He has drawn from fellow successful coaches' experiences and combined them with his own extensive experience to create a Baseball Teaching Website. The site is packed with 100s of tips, drills, history and instruction on how to play and coach the game of baseball.

http://www.Learn-Youth-Baseball-Coaching.com

Baseball History: 19th Century Baseball

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