Baseball Mitt

[Oski]

What is the best thing you own?

I am married, have an infant son, and started a new job this year. Yet, I kept feeling that I was missing something.

Anyway, I dug my Rawling's outfielder's glove out of its storage box this past weekend. I was just sifting around the garage, and I came across it. Something changed in me right away.

First of all, can you think of ANYTHING that is as well made as a Rawling's glove? I put it on my hand, and simply looked at it in amazement. 22 years' old, and its still game-ready. All the leather ties, still in perfect shape; the basket still just right; perfect snap; perfect fit.

Some players used to wear a batting glove on their glove hand. Not me. My right hand nestled into the glove (and it fit just like a ... glove) after all these years, just like it never left. Cool, smooth. Right there, I would have given a c-note to have a fly ball headed my way.

I took my glove with me out to the yard. My son is only 8 months'-old, so he stayed inside. It had rained nearly all week here in L.A., but that morning, there was a small crack of sunlight. I soaked it in. I put my face right in the glove basket and took a deep whiff ... Familiar, a long May afternoon turns into dusk ... I was 16 again.

I took my time breaking in my glove, and I did it with care. My brother and I brought our gloves home and got to work with mink oil. After applying the oil, and working it in, we took a baseball and fastened it in the webbing with a baseball belt. That night Dad had two lumps under his mattress, but I don't think he cared.

Is there anything else you can honestly say, you took as much care of as a kid? Not me. I might have let a few gophers die of thirst, but my glove was always in great shape. And that glove was YOURS. Simple rule. One person to a baseball glove. I never let another person borrow or use my glove. I never would dream of using someone else's, either ... that would be like wearing someone's underwear. It would seem familiar, but you know its not quite right.

Now, everyone is entitled to their own tastes in a glove, but I have some rules: You can choose any color you like as long as its brown or tan. You can choose either outfield (pitcher also uses this) or infield. Of course, it has to be Rawlings.

I trace the downfall of man to the day I saw a Black and Blue Mizuno baeball glove. I can't stand watching "red" or "blue" MLB teams because I am scared someone will have a matching mitt. Not wearing black shoes is bad enough.

I digress. I look at my little son, and wonder if he will play ball with me when he grows up. People think baseball is for kids. Its not. Baseball is for dads. I played baseball with my dad, and he never even played it when he was little. It was the one thing he would do with us and it was the happiest I ever saw him. Now I know how he felt when he came home and my brother and I were chasing away the last hour of sunlight with our Atari.

Anyway, I got the glove with me right now. And I'm at work. I don't feel weird about it at all. It's not like I rode my BMX to work and had my glove on the handlebar. I put it in my leather cache.

On second thought, maybe I'll just keep it in the trunk of my car ... not everyone had a baseball mitt when they were younger.

[lapoker17]

Rawlings for me too - Good post.

[ThaSaltCracka]

Rawlings started making poor quality gloves about 10 years ago. I was using an infielders glove for a while, and its comfy now, but the leather is poor. I now have a new tight Softball glove, and I am pretty happy with it.

[Leo99]

I never had one, but the Wilson A2000 was the when I played ball. I was surprised to see so many pitchers still using the old glove during the playoffs.

[andyfox]

World-class post, Oski. Lovely.

[brassnuts]

I've had a Nokona glove for about 10 years. Still good as new. Actually, it's a baseball glove. Of course, it's better than new.

[img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] I love baseball.

[Oski]

Thanks Andy, I am glad you enjoyed it. I guess all that rain the last 3 weeks had me down for a bit.

[Phat Mack]

[ QUOTE ]
World-class post, Oski. Lovely.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree--beautifully written. It brought back the first day after a long winter, when I'd go outside and feel a warm(er) southerly wind, and even though there might be patches of snow on the ground, I'd know it was time to play baseball.

My first-baseman's mitt was a Hutch. Don't think they've been made since the 50's.

[srvollmer]

Awesome post!
I used to be the guy who swore by Rawlings, but when I lost mine (HORRIBLE), and bought a new Rawlings, I didn't like it anymore.

Now I am a huge fan of Nokona gloves. They have what Rawlings used to have.

[heavybody]

When I was growing up in San Francisco in the 60's the hottest glove I remember was the LB12 or 15 by Rawlings(LB stands for Lou Burdette, a pitcher I believe for the Cardinals)I had an LB12 until my dog got ahold of it,then it was hers.