.. L.!.!..!................................!..!.....................R _- -. --..-. ".#.,.# Page 1 Approximate!y 2,000 words AMERICAN BASEBALL CAP PIONEER MANUFACTURER OF BASEBALL HELMETS Written by June Grayson, Photographed by Richard Grayson (or any of our aliases) NO BUSINESS IN THE SPORTING# GOOD#INDUSTRY HAS A BETTER NAME Lindsaù Wo!få knowó hió ABCs® Hå a!sï knowó thå otheò 2³ !etteró oæ thå a!phabeô howeveò theù arå arrangeä iî today'ó sportó business wor!d. Wo!få ió thå presidenô oæ Americaî Baseba!ì Cap¬ thå com panù thaô manufactureró protectivå p!astiã he!metó foò a!¡ oæ thå majoò !eagues¬ co!!egå teams¬ anä Litt!å Leagueó - indeed¬ whereveò hardbal! is p!ayed. Hå alsï doeó hió parô abouô thå Uniteä Stateó balancå oæ Š payments® Americanó maù buù Japaneså caró buô thå Japaneså ordeò theiò baseba!! he!mets from Lindsay Wo1fe. .PA Š .. L......!........................................................R -_-. Wo!få ió á lifelonç sportsman¬ mechanica¡ engineeò and¬ aô thå agå oæ 67, a cogent phi!os#pher about American business practices. Yoõ won'ô finä Wolfå á parô oæ anù mergeò anä acquisitioî deal® Hå be!ongó tï thå schoo¡ thaô knowó thaô sma!¡ ió beau tifu!® Hió thesis¿ "Wå wou!ä a!¡ !ivå happieò !iveó anä enjoù morå oæ everù day if we just did one thing wel! and kept at it." Anù baseba!¡ playeò standinç iî fronô oæ á balì hurt!inç towarä hií #ô 10° mi!eó aî houò caî bå thankfu¡ thaô thå onå thinç thaô Wo!få haó choseî tï dï we!¡ ió tï makå protectivå basebal¡ helmets. Basebalì historù beforå 195° ió loadeä witè playeró whoså careeró werå shorteneä becauså theù werå hiô iî thå heaä witè á baseball® "Oncå yoõ havå beeî hit¬ it'ó disastrous,¢ sayó Wolfe® "Wå havå eveî haä somå meî killeä iî baseball® Iî thoså dayó alì theù saiä waó 'hå waó hiô anä haä á hemorrhage.§ No÷ wå kno÷ thaô anù heavù impacô tï thå heaä caî causå neuro!ogiã damagå oæ somå sort¬ aó well as a subdura! hematoma." Watcè thå fi!mó oæ thå 195° Worlä Serieó betweeî thå Philadelphiá Phillies and th# New York Yankees. No one wore a helmet. Brancè Rickey¬ manaqeò oæ thå Pittsburqè Pirateó anä father-in-la÷ (then© oæ Wolfe¬ saiä abouô thaô time¬ "± wisè someonå cou!ä sho÷ må ho÷ tï protecô thå headó oæ mù players¬ aó theù dï iî football." Š Ra!ph Davia, a young inventor, he!ped Rickey develop .PA Š .. L..!.!......!........................................................R GEL, ##C, j thå firsô plastiã he!met® Rickeù anä friendó foundeä Americaî ß    Baseba!ì Cap in Pittsburgh in 1952. Wolfe was on the board of the new company from the beginning. . _. Rickey was already an innovator. He developed the farm system® Hå brokå thå co!oò linå wheî hå waó thå firsô tï sigî      ta!enteä blacë players® No÷ hå diä iô again® Hå madå iô á teaí      po!icù iî 195³ thaô hió p!ayeró haä tï weaò helmetó wheî uð tï      bat® Thå Nationa¡ Leaguå voteä iî 195µ tï makå iô á !eaguå ru!å      anä thå American League fo!!owed suit in 1956. Aô firsô playeró diä noô wanô tï weaò thå helmets¬ afraiä      theù wou!ä !ooë !ikå sissies® Wheî somå oæ thå greatesô nameó iî      basebalì becamå convinceä thaô he!metó provideä protectioî thå      otheò p!ayeró fe!¡ iî Iine® PeeWeå Reeså anä Jackiå Robinsoî      werå ear!ù believers® Theù kne÷ thaô theiò friend¬ Joå Alcocë oæ      thå Mi!waukeå Braves¬ surviveä á heaä hiô becauså thå ba!¡      shattereä hió he!met instead of his sku!l. "Remembeò thå 198± Worlä Series,¢ sayó Wolfe¬ "wheî Dodgeò      thirä basemaî Roî Ceù waó beaneä bù thå Yankee'ó Gooså Go#sage¿      Iô waó sickening® Buô Cey'ó he!meô protecteä him® Hå eveî      p!ayeä iî thå next game." Somå majoò !eaguå playeró wi!¡ on!ù weaò thå he!meô wheî      aô bat® Somå weaò thå he!meô witè onå eaò f!að oî thå sidå      facinç thå pitcher® Otheró wi!¡ chooså thå twï eaò f!að he!met® Š     Anä others have designs a!tered just for them. Á fe÷ p!ayeró wil¡ no÷ weaò thå harä he!meô throughouô thå      who!å game in place of the regu!ar soft baseba!l cap. "That .PA Š .. L......!..........................................................R ió thå trend,¢ Wolfå says® "Litt!å Leagueró anä col!egå playeró weaò thå harä helmeô throughouô thå game® Wheî theù advancå tï professionaì basebal! they are a!ready so!d on fu!! protection." Wolfå becamå presidenô oæ ABÃ iî 1960® Hå moveä thå corporatå headquarteró froí Pittsburgè tï Media¬ á smal¡ Phi!a delphia suburb, when he bought the company in 1971. ABÃ subcontractó thå manufacturå oæ itó he!metó tï á Somerset¬ Pa.¬ companù wherå ABÃ ownó itó owî mo!dó anä machinery® Afteò thå he!metó arå formed¬ theù arå shippeä tï Mediá foò paint ing and decorating with team logos. Wolfå letó thå qua!itù oæ hió producô speaë foò him® Yoõ wil¡ finä nï impressivå businesó campuó iî Media® Wolfe¬ hió son¬ otheò corporatå employees¬ anä á fe÷ seasonaì workeró operatå ABÃ ouô oæ á modesô framå bui!dinç acrosó thå streeô froí thå !ocaì commuteò train. "Wå coulä havå addeä ouò owî manufacturinç faci!ity® Buô whù shou!ä we¿ Wå arå á seasonaü bus!ness® Thió ió thå mosô efficienô waù tï operate® É havå neveò trieä tï impresó anyone® Wå dï whaô wå dï besô - research¬ deve!opment¬ sa!es¬ anä d!s tribution. Then we hire other.companies to do what they do best." Thaô ió whù Wolfå workó c!ose!ù witè Waynå Statå University¬ Detroit® "Theù havå thå besô faci|itieó tï studù heaä injurieó aó anù p!acå iî thå country® Theù havå designeä á heaä forí thaô sï perfectlù simulateó thå humaî heaä thaô theù caî studù itó interactioî witè thå speeä oæ anù ba!¡ anä protectivå materials® Wå senä theí ne÷ p!asticó anä configurationó constant!ù seekinç Š wayó to improve our products." A he!met has a p!astic she!!, the foam for the ear pads, .PA Š .. L.....!......!.............................................................R GEL, A##, # á leatheò lineò witè á differenô typå oæ foaí inside¬ anä á crowî pad®       "Wå miø theså productó tï determinå thå combinatioî       thaô besô reduceó thå impacô oæ thå throwî ba!!® É waó oî thå firsô       committeå tï worë witè Waynå Statå tï deve!oð standardó tï prevenô       baseba!l injuries. So I know that they know what they are doing." "Iô woulä cosô uó thousandó oæ do!!aró tï rep!icatå thå wholå       testinç process® Waynå Statå doeó iô best® Wå dï whaô wå dï best®       Wå know how to se!!." Everù sprinç Wo!få oò hió son¬ Lindsay¬ visiô a!¡ oæ thå majoò       leaguå clubhouses® "Wå thro÷ ouô thå he!metó thaô shoulä bå throwî       out¬ refurbisè somå he!mets¬ writå uð aî ordeò foò thå helmetó needed¬       and send them a bil!. No contracts invo!ved. No endorsements." Wolfå haó neveò soughô aî endorsemenô foò hió products® Iî       fact¬ hå doesn'ô be!ievå iî them® "Iô ió youò integritù iî thå       marketplace that counts," says Wo!fe. Wo!fe does not even worry about competition. "P!enty of peop!e make good he!mets. They can musc!e into my terr|tory .__ and they do. My phi!osophy is that every compet!tor !s a sales persoî foò me® Hå ió sellinç hió productó anä É aí se!linç minå anä É       !earî froí hií ho÷ tï makå mù producô better® Theî É reacè thå poinô       where the buyers know my product is the best." Thió explainó whù ABÃ no÷ se!!ó onlù baseba!¡ he!metó anä rioô       helmets® ABÃ rioô he!metó protecteä thå po!icå durinç thå studenô Š      riotó of the 1960s. ABC has shipped riot he!mets .PA Š .. L....!!.....!..........................................................R GEL, ABC, 6 to the Shah of Iran and European po!ice. "Wå experimenteä witè he!metó foò otheò sports® Therå werå      toï manù variationó iî playinç conditionó anä statå laws® Wå      cou!dn'ô bå surå thaô ouò productó werå thå besô undeò al¡      circumstances¬ so now we don't even try." Plasticó deteriorate® "Thaô ió whù wå telì everyonå tï geô      ne÷ helmetó everù threå years® Thå majoò leaguå clubó buù á ne÷      #eô oæ helmetó eacè yeaò sï thaô ió noô theiò problem® Buô iô      cou!ä bå á prob!eí foò amateurs® Thå suî anä otheò envinronmentaì      conditionó affecô differenô p!asticó iî differenô ways® Sï thå      goaì always is to find the best product for each set of conditions." .__ Product liability laws concern American business and ABC is not immune to these concerns. "It is ironic that a head he#met which has prevented so many serious injuries is now sometimes fautleä iæ iô doeó noô prevenô injurieó tï otheò partó oæ thå bodù      - something it was not designed to do," Wolfe says. Theoretically¬ iô shoulä bå possiblå tï deve!oð protectivå      equipmenô tï prevenô a!¡ injuries® "Whï wou!ä weaò it?¢ Wo!få      asks® "You would !ook !ike a space exp#orer." Researcè maù deve!oð á betteò plastiã someday® ¢ Á Genera¡      Electriã oò Genera¡ Motoró coulä stimu!atå sucè á suddeî materiaì      developmenô becauså theù woulä uså thousandó oæ tonó oæ it® Ouò      needó are re!atively so smal! in the total ##_ß marketp!acå thaô wå remaiî dependenô oî whaô ió alreadù      availab!e." Š.PA Š .. L...!.!!........................................................R GEL, ABC, 7 Wo!få thinkó thaô á sma!!¬ fami!y-owneä businesó ió besô structureä tï providå á qualitù producô foò thå !onç hau!® "É disagreå witè thå who!å philosophù oæ growtè iî Americaî industrù today® Jusô becauså yoõ arå successfuì iî onå company¬ whù dï yoõ think you have to acquire 8,000 other companies?# "Manù aî executivå iî Americá todaù witè á biç companù ió !ookinç aô hió owî persona¡ tracë record¬ noô whaô ió gooä foò thå companù 2° yearó dowî thå road® Hå wantó tï sho÷ ho÷ hå madå thå companù grow® Theî hå wi!¡ bå hireä awaù bù anotheò companù aô á biggeò sa!ary." "Buô ho÷ doeó hå dï this¿ Tï sho÷ profitó foò thå shorô term¬ hå wi!¡ uså cheapeò materia!s¬ cuô thå price¬ anä raiså thå sa!es® Theî otheò companieó starô sayinç "there'ó á guù whï ió á reaì comer§ anä hå moveó oî foò morå money® Buô whaô diä thaô executivå dï tï thå firsô companù wherå hå waó responsib!å foò itó reputatioî anä thå !iveó oæ thå otheò workers¿ Thå company'ó reputatioî haó soured¬ thå costó arå ouô oæ !ine¬ thå stockho!deró arå angrù becuase the dividends are down - all just to get a quick sa!es curve for.his own advancement." "É aí noô againsô growtè oò competitioî buô ouò decisionó shou!ä bå baseä oî whaô ió besô foò á companù iî thå future¬ noô thå shorô term benefit of the chief executive officer." Wolfå haó spenô hió lifå keepinç hió eyå oî thå ba!l® "Puô Š á ba!ü iî fronô oæ må anä I'!¡ fo!!o÷ it,¢ Wolfå says® "Iô doesn'ô makå mucè difference what the ba!! is. I p!ayed .PA Š .. L.!.....!.....................................................R #=#, ""-, " footbal¡ anä captaineä mù teaí aô Swarthmorå Co!!ege® É waó   aî All-Americaî !acrosså player® Iô waó mù privilegå tï bå   associateä witè Brancè Rickey¬ á rea!!ù greaô man® Anä É   stilì geô tï follow the ba!l in my business." "Anyonå whï knowó må welì realizeó thaô É don'ô spenä   mucè oæ mù timå worryinç abouô whaô ió goinç tï bå !efô iî   thå evening® Everù daù ió á greaô day® É enjoù bui!dinç á   gooä producô and giving good service." Lindsaù Wolfå haó adapteä thå princip!eó oæ gooä   sportsmanshið to his business as we!! as his !ife. ####### Š -.. .PA Š