Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 290, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 December 1912 — ORIGINAL ‘BONEHEAD’ PLAYER [ARTICLE]

ORIGINAL ‘BONEHEAD’ PLAYER

Inventor of Expressions Which Have Become Byword In Baseball Was Southern Leaguer. Eddie Ashenhack, the well-known minor league manager who died recently, was the inventor of the expression “bonehead,” which, with “concrete dome,” “cement skull,” solid ivory,” has become a byword in baseball. When Ashenhack was managing the Shreveport team of the Southern league several years ago, he had a good catcher, who could also hit some, but he had the very serious weakness of not being able to gauge a foul fly, no matter how easy it was. One day a batter raised a high foul directly over the plate, and the catcher, misjudging it, was hit Bquarely on top of the head by the descending sphere, which knocked off his mask and bounded away about thirty feet. That night Ashenhack finished his supper early and was passing out of the dining room when he happened to walk behind his catcher, who was devouring his evening meal with gusto and enthusiasm. Stopping at the table, Ed passed his hands over the backstop’s head, feeling for the bump •«phich he thought would surely be there on account of the contact with the ball that afternoon. But there was no lump to be felt. “No, wonder,” said Ash. “How could there be a bump? Your head is a solid bone.”