More Than Just a Baseball Glove

To a regular person who visits the home I grew up in, it may just look like an old, cracked piece of leather. To an avid baseball fan, they may simply see an antique glove encased in a glass box that sits on a side table. A fascinating sports item, but it’s nothing they’ve never seen before. But to me, it’s so much more than that.

The Story
It was a different time back then. The game was different. Baseball players played because they loved the sport. Once the season was over, most of them went home to work another job just to make ends meet. In Ed Heinrich’s case, he worked as a mail carrier. He enjoyed his offseason work, but he loved baseball. He couldn’t wait for spring to arrive so he could grip a baseball again and breathe in the scent of his leather glove.

The Iron Horse
Ed’s glove may never have caught a major league fly ball, but it has been with him through history. It was sitting on the bench next to him in March of 1939 when the Greenville Spinners manager put Ed in to pinch-run in an exhibition game against the Yankees. His heart nearly burst from his chest as he hustled out to first base and stood next to the man he so admired. Lou Gehrig stood just a few feet away manning first base.

The Last Laugh
Ed took his glove to old League Park in Cleveland where he had his first professional tryout with the Indians. He dropped it near home plate as he picked up a bat and stepped into the box for batting practice. Cleveland’s flame throwing pitcher, Bob Feller, stood on the mound ready to pitch. With his second swing Ed crushed a ball into the right field bleachers. He sent the very next pitch over the right field wall, too, this time just foul. With that, Feller called out, “Hit this one, rookie.” The bat never left Ed’s shoulder. The catcher laughed.

Breaking Down Barriers
The color of Jackie Robinson’s skin never mattered to Ed. He saw much deeper than that. He saw a kind, young man and an incredibly talented ballplayer who he knew was destined for great things. While some of Ed’s teammates hurled insults at Robinson, Ed jogged up to him, with his glove in hand, just minutes after fielding Robinson’s double and said, “Great hit.” Jackie seemed caught off guard by Ed’s kind gesture, but quickly softened, smiled, and said, “Thank you.”

The Yankee Clipper
In those days, outfielders often left their gloves in the grass behind second base between innings – dropping them as they headed toward the dugout to hit, and retrieving them again as they went back out to play the field. On this day, Ed’s glove shared the same spot of grass as Joe DiMaggio’s.

In his first at-bat of the game, Ed strolled to the plate and ripped a double to the gap. As the inning came to an end, Ed made his way back out to the outfield, stopping behind second base to pick up his glove. The Yankees center fielder met him behind the bag as he headed for the dugout. “Nice hit, rookie,” DiMaggio said with a smile.

Defending America
Ed was told he was weeks away from getting a shot in the big leagues when Uncle Sam called on him and millions of other young Americans to serve in the military. He packed his glove with his other belongings and headed overseas.

Four years of military service were likely the biggest reason Ed never made it to the majors. But even though his dreams of playing professional baseball were never realized, Ed says he wouldn’t trade his baseball career for anything.

The Major Leagues
“I don’t have any hard feelings about it,” Ed admits. He says that without baseball, without putting on that glove everyday, he would have never met his wife of 69 years.

You see it’s not just a piece of leather or an antique glove or even a collector’s item. That glove is one-of-a-kind. It’s a legacy. It’s a love story that begins with a young boy’s love for the game of baseball, and ends with an old man’s love for his wife and family. It’s the reason I’m here.

“It’s through baseball that I met [Mary] and we are able to have this great family that we have,” Ed says. “That’s the major leagues.”