Hagerty: The minor-leaguer who invented modern MLB bases
From SABR member Tim Hagerty at The Sporting News on October 18, 2016:
Jack Corbett never touched a major league field, but his bases did.
Corbett spent a decade playing for minor league teams, including the 1888 New Orleans Pelicans, who disbanded at midseason. He later tied his cleats for the Brockton Shoemakers, a Class B club named after its city’s popular shoemaking industry.
Corbett’s playing career ended in 1897 and by 1903 he was a minor league manager. He led the Asheville Tourists in the fastest game ever and won a South Atlantic League championship for the Columbia Comers in 1917.
After his thousands of games, Corbett developed a theory that bases were too loose. Back then, bases were filled with dirt, sand or sawdust and plopped onto the field. He designed a base with a stem to insert below ground for increased stability and called his new invention “Jack Corbett Hollywood Base Sets.”
Read the full article here: http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb/news/jack-corbett-hollywood-bases-mlb-invented-baseball-first-base-old/78rdj6ne9x2a1twyz4oubl13k
Originally published: October 18, 2016. Last Updated: October 18, 2016.