Obsessing over a plastic batting helmet

High Definition has changed the way we all see baseball. Everything is more clear and crisp. Now, when I watch a major league baseball on television I frequently get annoyed when I get distracted by fans sitting in background talking on their cell phone while they wave frantically to the camera. If you are one of those people, please STOP. No one cares that you are on TV.

However, last night rather than getting annoyed - I couldn't help but smile when I noticed a Phillies fan wearing something special. Here is a screen shot just seconds before Raul ended the game with a walk off HR.

At the end of the blue arrow is a grown man wearing an old school plastic batting helmet. Well done sir!

For as long as I can remember I have loved those old plastic batting helmets. My affection springs from the fact that Dick Allen wore a batting helmet when he played in the field for most of his career. I used to have a great collection of them and wore them in honor of DA when I played baseball with my friends in the neighborhood.

That particular design is not something you see very often. As far as I know, the Phillies never actually wore a hat or helmet with a white front panel. In fact, the only other time I can remember seeing one of these was during the 1980 World Series. It took me about 5 minutes of searching to find a crowd shot of one. This Vet crowd image is from NBC's 1980 Game 6 broadcast.

Below is a photoshop drawing of this rare helmet. Today I began my search on eBay and other sources looking for one. So far, nothing has surfaced. I will keep looking.