Wow, Paul, I definitely did not see that coming! He certainly had an eventful life. That ‘cure’ for morphine addiction sounds like a bust. I think that the most surprising thing to me was that at about age 50 he worked for 24 years as a lifeguard. I have a question for you: is a “finger glove” just an old term for a baseball glove, or were they referring to the fact that he didn’t use a catcher’s mitt? Another interesting issue of your newsletter. I look forward to November 11. Have a great bye week! Meg
Thanks Meg! I was just as surprised, and I too have so many questions about what the standards were for lifeguards in the late 1930s, but maybe just being incredibly tough was enough.
The "finger glove" phrase came from the research, and it reflects that certainly by the time Earle was an old man, glove technology was evolving quickly enough that you had to differentiate what type of glove an earlier player had used in his time. In Earle's case, gloves with pockets really weren't widely available, but catchers were using a leather glove to add a level of protection. The more specialized gloves with pockets would come along only late in his life. I think people were really impressed (or horrified) that had Earle spent so much time catching using a glove that would have been seen as rudimentary by a "modern" audience in the 1930s. It certainly took a toll on his fingers!
Here's a good example from our friend A.G. Spalding of what constituted cutting edge glove technology in 1905, near the end of Earle's playing career.
The giveaway at the end of part one was "a 'fiend' in need." Happily, we don't use that term as much to talk about people with substance-abuse problems these days, but it used to be much more common. I did not see this story ending with a heartwarming twist, but you can't turn down one of those, right?
Paul, I didn’t see any of this happening! Who woulda figured his addiction all those years & fortunately getting help. That obviously saved his life. And holding a job until 72; I was laid off from Sony in my early 60’s & it was almost next to impossible just getting called to an interview. Guess things are different today; maybe not always for the better.
Far as the World Series… it was a bitter pill to swallow for us Yankee fans. They gave it away, guess they didn’t want it. Coulda put a bow on it for LA. I heard they are expected to win again next year, again against NY. We shall see. Enjoy your bye.
One thing that didn't make the final cut--Earle fought for and received a pension from the earliest form of the baseball players' union, but said he wouldn't take it until he stopped working. "I like to shift for myself," or words close to that effect. It is cliche to say they don't make them like that anymore but I think when we see Earle in his 70s in his lifeguard uniform, the cliche is warranted. It's clear that the work made him happy, so he just kept going. Not my idea of a happy ending, but clearly it was his, and good for him.
After that WS ending, all I can hope for you today is to get that rematch, a la 77/78. But let's please make sure we spend a little more time on the cover-first-drill in spring training...
Wow, Paul, I definitely did not see that coming! He certainly had an eventful life. That ‘cure’ for morphine addiction sounds like a bust. I think that the most surprising thing to me was that at about age 50 he worked for 24 years as a lifeguard. I have a question for you: is a “finger glove” just an old term for a baseball glove, or were they referring to the fact that he didn’t use a catcher’s mitt? Another interesting issue of your newsletter. I look forward to November 11. Have a great bye week! Meg
Thanks Meg! I was just as surprised, and I too have so many questions about what the standards were for lifeguards in the late 1930s, but maybe just being incredibly tough was enough.
The "finger glove" phrase came from the research, and it reflects that certainly by the time Earle was an old man, glove technology was evolving quickly enough that you had to differentiate what type of glove an earlier player had used in his time. In Earle's case, gloves with pockets really weren't widely available, but catchers were using a leather glove to add a level of protection. The more specialized gloves with pockets would come along only late in his life. I think people were really impressed (or horrified) that had Earle spent so much time catching using a glove that would have been seen as rudimentary by a "modern" audience in the 1930s. It certainly took a toll on his fingers!
Here's a good example from our friend A.G. Spalding of what constituted cutting edge glove technology in 1905, near the end of Earle's playing career.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball_glove#/media/File:AdvertisementInfieldersBaseballGlovesSpalding1905.jpg
Interesting that they called the glove by referring to the hand that threw the ball, rather than the hand that caught the ball! Nice bit of trivia.
Paul, I did not see the morphine and lifeguard twist coming in this story - quite a piece!
The giveaway at the end of part one was "a 'fiend' in need." Happily, we don't use that term as much to talk about people with substance-abuse problems these days, but it used to be much more common. I did not see this story ending with a heartwarming twist, but you can't turn down one of those, right?
Paul, I didn’t see any of this happening! Who woulda figured his addiction all those years & fortunately getting help. That obviously saved his life. And holding a job until 72; I was laid off from Sony in my early 60’s & it was almost next to impossible just getting called to an interview. Guess things are different today; maybe not always for the better.
Far as the World Series… it was a bitter pill to swallow for us Yankee fans. They gave it away, guess they didn’t want it. Coulda put a bow on it for LA. I heard they are expected to win again next year, again against NY. We shall see. Enjoy your bye.
One thing that didn't make the final cut--Earle fought for and received a pension from the earliest form of the baseball players' union, but said he wouldn't take it until he stopped working. "I like to shift for myself," or words close to that effect. It is cliche to say they don't make them like that anymore but I think when we see Earle in his 70s in his lifeguard uniform, the cliche is warranted. It's clear that the work made him happy, so he just kept going. Not my idea of a happy ending, but clearly it was his, and good for him.
After that WS ending, all I can hope for you today is to get that rematch, a la 77/78. But let's please make sure we spend a little more time on the cover-first-drill in spring training...