Brooks Robinson's Batting Helmet

[smapdi]

This has always bugged me. In the 1975 Topps set, we see Brooks Robinson at the plate. I always noticed how ridiculously short the bill of the helmet was, but it didn't really occur to me to investigate further. I thought maybe there was something wrong with the image or the tip of the bill got airbrushed or something. But there is the number 5 on the bill, which typically is written at the end, so it seems legit. It turns out this was Brooks's thing. There are lots of images of his at the plate or on the bases wearing this helmet with a 1" bill.

Does anyone know what the deal with that is? I get that players have their foibles and all that, but that just looks weird, and seems funny to me.

 

[MrMet]

Here’s what I found

Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board

 

[Mark70Z]

Brooks Robinson

In the early ’70s, the Commissioner’s Office made it mandatory for anyone entering into MLB to wear an ear flap on your helmet. Exsisting players had a choice, but Brooks stated he liked the safety aspect, since he had been beaned in the head several times over the years, and chose to wear the ear flap. Brooks stated, “When I got the helmet with the flap and put it on, it seemed like the bill was a little longer than my normal hat. The flap was a little longer and consequently when I went up to hit I could see the brim and part of the flap. It made me lose my concentration. I took care of it by taking a hacksaw blade and cut off about 1 ½ inches off the brim and about ½ off the flap. That’s how I got my short brim."

 

[Austin]

That's a cool discovery. Never noticed that before.

I guess he didn't have a problem with the long brim before the ear flap started, as he wore a normal helmet before then.