This glove was recently purchased to represent what players typically used during the 1920's era of Barnstorming Babe. While most of the glove has ample padding, the pocket is darkened and broken-in. Players in those days caught baseballs in their palm (unlike gloves used today). It would’ve taken a great deal of skill to be a good fielder back then. My research indicates this is probably from the 1920s…webbing became more prevalent in the 1930s.
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Barnstorming Babe
Babe Ruth could be his own worst enemy.
After the 1921 World Series, the Bambino and teammate Bob Meusel began a barnstorming tour in the Northeast. The new baseball commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, had warned them against doing it, citing a ridiculous and seldom-enforced rule. Greed overruled logic, and they did it anyway. Landis responded by suspending both players for the first six weeks of the 1922 season.
A year later, Landis had waived the rule. And after losing the World Series in 1922, Babe Ruth and Bob Meusel left the harsh glare of New York for an eighteen-game Great Plains barnstorming tour. Stops included Omaha, Kansas City, and Denver. But also Sleepy Eye, Pratt, and Tarkio.
They played in sleet, rain, and snow, traveled overnight on “jerkwater” railroads,and tolerated endless civic celebrations. They hit monstrous home runs, played against formidable Negro Leaguers, and faced some great small-town pitchers. They also visited orphanages, raised money for the American Legion, and created lifelong memories for hardscrabble farmers who would have never otherwise had a chance to see a major league baseball player.
The adventure kicked off with a spitball in Perry, Iowa, on Friday the thirteenth…
Genre: Non-Fiction: Historical/Baseball
Pages: 136
Price: $19.95 (HB)
RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2023
ISBNs:
Paperback: 978-1-947305-53-3
ePub: 978-1-947305-54-0
