Lip Man 1
04-03-2005, 10:07 PM
Folks:
Picked up one more bit of trivia after I had submitted the Sox Opening Day story to PHG.
It concerns 'Dummy' Hoy who was in the outfield for the first Sox Opening Day (in fact it was the first game ever played in the 'new' American League!)
Hoy was a deaf-mute who despite his handicaps would go on to have a long career in major league baseball but it was because of him, that a very big change was made... something that we take for granted today.
It was because he couldn't hear that umpires began using hand signals to indicate ball/strike, safe/out... that's the only way Hoy was able to know what the call was
Before this umpires merely vocalized the calls. Without those signals it would be virtually impossible today unless you were sitting near the field to know what was going on. The larger stadiums with the thousands of fans wouldn't allow you to 'hear' what the umpire shouted.
Lip
Picked up one more bit of trivia after I had submitted the Sox Opening Day story to PHG.
It concerns 'Dummy' Hoy who was in the outfield for the first Sox Opening Day (in fact it was the first game ever played in the 'new' American League!)
Hoy was a deaf-mute who despite his handicaps would go on to have a long career in major league baseball but it was because of him, that a very big change was made... something that we take for granted today.
It was because he couldn't hear that umpires began using hand signals to indicate ball/strike, safe/out... that's the only way Hoy was able to know what the call was
Before this umpires merely vocalized the calls. Without those signals it would be virtually impossible today unless you were sitting near the field to know what was going on. The larger stadiums with the thousands of fans wouldn't allow you to 'hear' what the umpire shouted.
Lip