Baseball Dugout

A baseball dugout bench is an image that has stuck in the mind of every baseball player from the lowest to the highest. All the players with their caps and helmets sitting in rows on that sturdy old bench. Some of them are chewing tobacco and others are spitting it. Some even practice swinging the bat while inside the dugout. It’s an endearing image that lies close to the heart of every American-bred individual. He thinks of the dugout as a fundamental part of the American Heritage. Like Mom, Apple Pie and Coca Cola (that last one may be a little too commercial) the baseball dugout reminds Americans of their beloved country and its practices and values.

If you partake in looking at pictures of 1950s baseball dugouts you would find them to be much more like the Wright Brothers Model in comparison with today’s which seem like Jumbo Jets. These pristine dugouts were the bee’s knees then. They look stupid to us by today’s standards. Let no age judge another whether it is past or future or present. Every age has its own happiness. Back in the 50s these wooden dugouts were obviously used by players much in the same way we sophisticated people use our steel and concrete and plastic dugouts of today.

Baseball dugout benches have a whole history behind them. They began as a small pit where the players used to sit and squabble with each other. This was beneath the surface of the ground and often when it would rain it would collect water and become a puddle. But soon ways were found to reduce the entry of water into this hole by placing tarpaulins on it or filling it with bricks. Later on the accoutrement of a structure made of wooden planks was added to give the baseball dugout proper shape and architecture.

Baseball dugout construction was crudely undertaken in the past no doubt but with the passage of time newer materials began to fit into their slots in the ensemble. These material included metals such as iron and steel (and later on platinum which was much lighter). Plastics began to be used in the 80s and so they found their way into the dugout. Plastics were also used in the caps and suits of the players. Polyester and rayon formed a fundamental part of the cotton suits of the major league players.

Baseball dugout covers began to be used in the early 1800s when the game was in its inception. Then they were made of cloth that had been waxed so that it would stop the rain. Paraffin wax was poured on the cotton cloth so it became waterproof. Then it was sewn on to the surface of the dugout. Later on Jute and Mackintosh Rubber were used as materials. Finally baseball players had to wait for the 20th century to arrive before they could find plastic covers for the dugout. With the coming of plastics the whole process of weather protection has become hassle-free. Now everything from your car cover to the fork in the cafeteria has become plastic-made. But plastics last a long time which is both a plus point as regards longevity but a negative factor with regard to environmental degradation.