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Baseball Glove
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Just the simple act of putting a baseball glove on ones hand will provide a feeling of, "Hey throw the ball my glove and I will catch it like it belongs right here in this glove."
A few pieces of leather and some padding sewn together and he loves it, he even treasures it for it is his Baseball Glove.
I would venture to guess that there are very few new gloves bought directly by the ball player. How a young wannabe baseball player comes about getting his glove is secondary only to the thrill of having his very own glove.
The kid in him is so happy at having a new glove it matters not if it is a Rawlings glove or a Wilson glove or boy howdy if it is possibly an expensive signature model glove.
Most of the time a youngster's first glove is bought by his dad or an uncle.
This little simple act or gift makes having and being the proud owner of that particular glove even more special. Owning his baseball glove and growing up learning baseball game rules out there on the grammar school playground is almost more than a young lad can ever hope for.
The perfect world for some youngsters would be to have a Mickey Mantle signature glove out there on the playing diamond and being the envy of all his buddies for having a rich uncle.
Whoa be unto that "dad or uncle" who has no clue as to which player is the favorite hero of the youngster. Most new gloves are signature models of the great players.
Some of the very first baseball lingo revealed to young players is their inherent wanting to learn more about baseball and the playing heroics and play of his favorite baseball hero.
If a youngster visualizes himself to be a power hitter or great slugger he will make believe he is the "Babe" if he is a good slick infielder he might want to emulate Phil Rizzuto "The Scooter."
It is as plain as plain can be a glove with the name of his very favorite hero is a prized item and a keepsake even after his early playing days have finished.
A young ball player normally will already have his baseball playing hero and wants to achieve stardom and emulate this very favorite.
The maker of the ball glove is not nearly as important to that young baseball player as the signature of his hero on the glove. It could be a Wilson, Spalding, Rawlings, a Reach or most any make as long as his heroes name is on that glove.
After all is said and done any ole piece of leather used as a glove which has been through the ball playing years on the hand of a ball playing all-star who can go get em and haul them is is the real hero.
The signature glove however is not what lets him get on his hoss and brings in that long hard hit ball sailing toward the fences. It has to be the skills and the want to of the boy along with his very own glove which will get the job done.
Most of the time even the color of the ball glove or playing equipment is of little significance compared to that signature.
A kid showing up at school with a new ball glove is the center of attention come recess time. A new signature model catchers mitt or first baseman's claw just has to be slipped on the hand of every boy on the playground.
You see a ball glove was a precious commodity out there on the playground. Ironically the baseball glove was one of the most shared things in all of baseball.
The other things shared is the age old use of baseball terminology and all the known and unknown baseball lingo like a bunch of magpies chattering out there on the diamond.
The compassion of having a friend or classmate playing and yearning to have a glove to catch those hard hit liners was ample reason to share the use of ones ball glove.
"Brother can you spare a glove?" A team coming to bat would leave their ball gloves on the field for opponents to use.
At one time, it was common practice to leave the fielding glove on the playing field. After that practice was outlawed due to risks to other fielders and possible interference with a live ball, players would sometimes carry their ball gloves in their pants hip pocket.
The selection and hoped for ownership of a favorite glove always had a little ones heart set on having a signature-baseball-glove with his favorite ball playing hero's signature.
Handing a young player a Mickey Mantle signature baseball glove when the "Mick" is his hero, causes wide eyed excitement which is unbelievable. By the same token, little toughie who wants to be a catcher like Yogi Berra, the "Yogi" signature mitt would be like Christmas coming every day or maybe even in July.
Then to there were some of the all time greats remembered for their greatness as the giants of handling the glove and being super defenders. Willie Mays "The Say Hey Kid" roamed the outfield running down what appeared to be far gone extra base hits but he pulled it down with his Say Hey signature baseball glove like it was a tar baby.
The all time great third base fielding Brooks Robinson used his very own signature-baseball-glove like it was a vacuum cleaner down at the hot corner. Brooks fielding gems and consistent stops with his trusted glove earned him the nickname "The Human Vacuum Cleaner."
"It's a pretty sure thing that the player's bat is what speaks loudest when it's contract time, but there are moments when the glove has the last word."
Brooks Robinson (The Human Vacuum Cleaner)
Honestly I do not remember exactly where my first baseball glove come from but I vividly recall it had seen better days. Baseball players referred to old worn out glove as "rags."
My first glove was a rag of the first order. The inside palm area had a huge worn out hole and much of the padding had escaped.
Baseballfarming recounts some of the nostalgia of by gone days and playing baseball with an old well worn hand me down baseball glove and other baseball training equipment hoping others might remember their very first or maybe it was a signature baseball glove but most important it was his baseball glove
Naturally it was too big for my small hand and my fingers would not reach far enough into the finger slots to keep the glove open. The fingers would fall over like an old wet dishrag. Maybe that is where the term "rag" come from.
I'll confide in you a little known secret of how an inanimate object such as an old well worn ragtag of a baseball glove can teach. What you say? Yes a baseball glove which teaches after all if a baseball can talk a glove can teach.
Here is the way it teaches. Remember most of the padding was gone from the glove. One quickly learns that slipping that ball more toward the webbing and quickly giving way with the hand so that hard fast ball will not sting so badly.
The flip of the wrist to open that dishrag floppy glove at precisely the right second taught the art of coordination quicker than if fifty coaches were bellowing at you on how to catch a baseball.
That ole worn out "rag" of a glove taught me to be quick with the wrist, give way with the catch and take that ball from the glove quickly so as to show no pain of the catch.
You would never want a big brother or your ball playing buddies to see you winch because of the pain of a stinging ball you had so gallantly flagged down and hung onto.
That quick retrieval and instant release of your throw after a catch is an essential players skill of playing winning baseball especially so as a catcher which makes the quick release an absolute must.
The more I reminisce about my baseball growing up days the more I realize what a great thing this game provided for me.
Go shopping and buy your kid a new Mickey Mantle signature glove or a Brooks Robinson glove or maybe just a plain ole Rawlings baseball glove.
Do not hesitate to bring some of the business for your signature-baseball-glove needs to your baseball farming business partners.
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