I didn’t notice the Brooklyn Safety Caps, but you got me to scroll back and look, and yep, that’s what they were wearing! As far as Pistol Pete, I don’t think of Pete Reiser, rather basketball great Pete Maravich pops in my head, who played for the Atlanta Hawks in the early seventies, and for LSU in his college days. I don’t like waiting for Monday because this story has me hooked! I am dreading the next beanball, because that plastic material probably doesn’t dissipate the shock and there just isn’t enough coverage. I will do this the old school way; I’m not going to Google the history of the baseball helmet, and am going to let the story play out with your telling.
As a kid, Reiser apparently loved Westerns, and went around wearing a toy pistol. I like it when player nicknames have nothing to do with their game and just go back to what they were called as kids.
Eagerly awaiting part 3! I’m fascinated and love the in-depth research. Too much of what I consume online is surface deep. You really drill into a topic. Thank you for your work.
Pete Reiser should be good. At a high level I know the guy liked running into walls. I am anxious to see where this goes.
It's fun to mix up the format now and then. This is probably the most serialized story I've done, and it's been enjoyable to stick around in one particular story for longer than usual. Given his unfortunate credentials, it was so satisfying to find Pete Reiser at this moment in the "plot." Sometimes history's writers' room gets it right.
Kinda sad when no one wanted to be the ‘first’ to wear it when it could actually save your life. Kind of a young child’s attitude. If those first units were really that effective… I’m guessing probably not but anything is better than nothing I would think.
Peer pressure is incredibly powerful. A big part of history is the things that have been done (or not done) in order to avoid sticking out among a group or becoming a subject of scorn or mockery.
As we see in subsequent installments these caps really were effective, particularly given how much they compromised to "look good" for the players. They were nowhere near as effective as what we have today, but they were a leap forward and then some for 1941.
Sure is funny that you mentioned of course Leo in your story. I just happened to see him on YouTube last night on Johnny Carson. He was getting heckled from Don Rickles. Good guy Leo was.
I didn’t notice the Brooklyn Safety Caps, but you got me to scroll back and look, and yep, that’s what they were wearing! As far as Pistol Pete, I don’t think of Pete Reiser, rather basketball great Pete Maravich pops in my head, who played for the Atlanta Hawks in the early seventies, and for LSU in his college days. I don’t like waiting for Monday because this story has me hooked! I am dreading the next beanball, because that plastic material probably doesn’t dissipate the shock and there just isn’t enough coverage. I will do this the old school way; I’m not going to Google the history of the baseball helmet, and am going to let the story play out with your telling.
That's the way to do it--no spoilers!
As a kid, Reiser apparently loved Westerns, and went around wearing a toy pistol. I like it when player nicknames have nothing to do with their game and just go back to what they were called as kids.
I remember Pete Reiser as a coach later with the Cubs - those guys hung around forever.
It's nice that Durocher never forgot about him. He'd seen Reiser show up in the Dodgers' system and admired him throughout his playing career.
Eagerly awaiting part 3! I’m fascinated and love the in-depth research. Too much of what I consume online is surface deep. You really drill into a topic. Thank you for your work.
Pete Reiser should be good. At a high level I know the guy liked running into walls. I am anxious to see where this goes.
It's fun to mix up the format now and then. This is probably the most serialized story I've done, and it's been enjoyable to stick around in one particular story for longer than usual. Given his unfortunate credentials, it was so satisfying to find Pete Reiser at this moment in the "plot." Sometimes history's writers' room gets it right.
Kinda sad when no one wanted to be the ‘first’ to wear it when it could actually save your life. Kind of a young child’s attitude. If those first units were really that effective… I’m guessing probably not but anything is better than nothing I would think.
Peer pressure is incredibly powerful. A big part of history is the things that have been done (or not done) in order to avoid sticking out among a group or becoming a subject of scorn or mockery.
As we see in subsequent installments these caps really were effective, particularly given how much they compromised to "look good" for the players. They were nowhere near as effective as what we have today, but they were a leap forward and then some for 1941.
Sure is funny that you mentioned of course Leo in your story. I just happened to see him on YouTube last night on Johnny Carson. He was getting heckled from Don Rickles. Good guy Leo was.