face mask

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by DG

When did catchers start wearing batting helmets?

I'm talking about the ear flap-less batting helmets that catcher's use, you know, like batting helmets used to be before the ear flaps. All catchers that use conventional masks use them in most leagues I've worked. Sometimes though, the catchers just turn their caps around.

Here is a picture of Johnny Bench wearing a batting helmet, just for example:

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I'm talking about the ear flap-less batting helmets that catcher's use, you know, like batting helmets used to be before the ear flaps. All catchers that use conventional masks use them in most leagues I've worked. Sometimes though, the catchers just turn their caps around.

Here is a picture of Johnny Bench wearing a batting helmet, just for example:

aka "skull cap."

[DG]

Ah, skull cap. No longer permitted in high school ball.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Skull caps are those half-helmet affairs which do not feature a bill. What Bench is wearing in this picture is his batting helmet. Plus, not all baseball is high school ball.

[DG]

Those helmets have not been permitted for any players entering the major league since 1983, while batting. So while this may be Bench's batting helmet it is not permitted as a batting helmet today, and not allowed for catchers in HS.

[SAump]

Originally Posted by DG

Those helmets have not been permitted for any players entering the major league since 1983, while batting. So while this may be Bench's batting helmet it is not permitted as a batting helmet today, and not allowed for catchers in HS.

I would say that is an ABC Fielder's helmet which was the original batting helmet being used in the late 1950's and early 60's. The batting helmet with one ear flap began to appear during the mid-60's and was made mandatory in the early 1970's. I wore a batting helmet with two ear flaps back then in HS . One-ear and two-ear flap helmets are batting helmets. That fielder's helmet remained popular among catchers and older first basemen, i.e. Boog Powell. John Olerud is one recent first baseman I can remember wearing it on the field. In HS, I have seen players on defense with previous head tramal wear the fielder's helmet.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...601343_pf.html
or
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

[Dave Hensley]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Skull caps are those half-helmet affairs which do not feature a bill. What Bench is wearing in this picture is his batting helmet. Plus, not all baseball is high school ball.

Baseball Express calls this a skull cap.

[SanDiegoSteve]

This is what Rawlings actually calls a skull cap, which is what I have always referred to as a skull cap. What John Olerud wore at first base is a pre-flap batting helmet. And what John Bench is wearing is also a batting helmet.



And no, PWL, Johnny never wore his catcher's gear while batting. Except for that batting helmet he wore while catching.

And Garry Templeton was the last player I saw using the no-flap batting helmet, as he was grandfathered too. He also used it in the adult league he played in here.

[LomUmp]

Hey all,

Aug, I believe that Ozzie Smith used that type of batting helmet more recently than Garry Templeton did. Others to use that towards the end of it's life span were Gary Carter, Mookie Wilson, Keith Hernandez, as well as the previously mentioned John Olerud.

LomUmp

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by PWL

So was he grandfathered into the adult league also? Or, did you allow him special treatment and let him break the rules? Was there a provision written into the league rules allowing this? As long as I've been playing adult ball, the flap less helmet was never allowed.

If something happened and you allowed a player to wear illegal equipment, wouldn't you be liable for a lawsuit?

In order, no, not particularly, not that I know of, and didn't give it any thought.