Mask

I have often thought about what might be the easiest and most difficult jobs in pro sports. I haven't thought it all the way through, so I'm sure there are some sports that I've missed, like Australian Rules Football or Mongolian cliff diving. But among the sports I've thought of (now there's a category for you), I imagine these two are the easiest:

1. Pro golfer. Golfing is an insanely difficult game to master. But if you are very good at it, you have got it made. The game is leisurely. There is little danger of major injury. You almost always play in warm climates. And everyone has to be quiet every time you do anything. You can't beat that.

2. Pro bowler. The surroundings aren't great (how many hot dogs can you eat?), the footwear sucks. But again, the sport has "fat guys can do this, too" written all over it.

Now onto the most difficult jobs, which is what this post is all about. I've often though that hockey goalie was the most difficult and potentially frightening task. In fact, even though I've never played goal in my life, I have had dreams in which I was a hockey goalie. None of them have been pleasant. Standing still while everyone else is moving a 100 miles an hour and a rock-hard piece of vulcanized rubber is moving even faster seems positively bananas.

The second-most-difficult, to me, has got to be offensive lineman. What a thankless, uninspiring career occupation that is. Think about how much you enjoyed helping your friends move. The shoving, the heavy lifting. Well, that's all linemen do! And they don't even get to drink beer while they're doing it.

But there is one position that I constantly overlook even though I have heard all my life how difficult it can be, and that is baseball catcher. All you have to do is look at the mask they're required to wear. Nobody else on the field is wearing that.

Think about how you felt when you saw Ellis Valentine here or Gary Roenicke wearing that football half-face guard thing for the first time. If you're anything like me, you thought, "My gosh, what happened to him?"

But we don't think that when we see the catcher wear an entire mask. We shrug it off and say, "yep, that's the catcher." We've heard it all before. The foul tips off the fingers, the shots to the groin, the backswings in the head, the foul balls off the shoulder. But catchers don't forget.

See? Look at Bill Schroeder here. He doesn't even want to put his mask back on. "I've got to wear this thing again?" He knows what's coming.

So, in an attempt to honor the catcher, I've put together my favorite catcher cards in my collection. I've limited it to 10 cards, and in all of the cards the catcher must be wearing his mask. Because the mask defines who they are: the baddest players on the field, the ones that make that relief pitcher who comes in to throw four pitches and get one out look like, oh, I don't know, a pro bowler.

10. Dann Bilardello. 1984 Topps. This is what's known as self-preservation on a card. With one skillful move, Bilardello ensures that there will be little Bilardellos in the future.

9. Rick Cerone, 1982 Donruss. You have all you need here. Player, mask, chest protector, catcher's mitt, ball. And I love that old-school mask.

8. Javy Lopez, 2006 Upper Deck. There are a lot of UD photos like this, so I just picked one. I like a play at the plate and Javy's doing it all with his mask still on. But unless he's got the plate blocked exceptionally well, I think the runner's safe.

7. Sal Fasano, 2006 Upper Deck. Check out the goggles. Fasano is doing his best impression of "The Fly."

6. Butch Wynegar, 1985 Topps. Love the intensity on his face as he throws to second base. He may be merely sending his last warm-up pitch down to second, but you could never tell from the look on his face.

5. Hector Villaneuva, 1992 Triple Play. Now that is a tight shot. Doesn't this job look like FUN?

4. Jason Kendall, 2000 Topps. I had a friend that wanted Jason Kendall cards. I gave him two to choose from, including this one. I hoped he didn't pick this one. He didn't. I was relieved.

3. Joe Oliver, 1992 Upper Deck. Having never played catcher, I'm not sure why Oliver is looking this Brave runner in the eyes. Maybe he thinks he can freeze him with his X-ray vision, because I think the runner is going to be safe.

2. Jerry Grote, 1976 Topps. I like this card so much because you really didn't see many photos back then with a catcher's mask on. Catchers were often posed squatting without a mask or pretending to flip the mask away. Making sure the collector saw the face seemed to be critical. I'm pretty sure this wasn't the first "mask-on" card. But it's got to be one of the pioneers.

1. Ron Pruitt, 1979 Topps. This was my first experience with a "mask-on" card. I thought it was so cool. Not just the mask, but the eye-black. And that "OF-C" designation isn't one you see a whole lot. Pruitt may have been strictly a backup during his career, but thanks to this card, he will never be forgotten. Not by me.

So, if you see a catcher, give him a hug. Well, a hearty handshake anyway. That mask could poke you.