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18 September 2011

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Finding And Understanding The Right Baseball Glove

The baseball season is around the corner. The season is turning to that summer time journey, were every male’s dream of playing under those lights and for those cheering crowds come with the crack of the bat. There is all types of equipment that you need to play baseball, but the most important is the good’ol baseball glove. There has been many different kinds of gloves through the years. The gloves now days are a result of years of changing and finding what works best for particular positions. Baseball gloves usually come in two different categories, youth and adult. Youth gloves usually are not made in mind of everyday type of playing and usually not made of high quality. Adult gloves are made for everyday play and are of high quality.

Knowing what position you will be playing, has a baring on what type of glove you will need. Different sized baseball gloves are used for different positions. So you want to look at the positions you believe you will be playing.

Catchers Glove or Mitt ( most common name): It is designed with heavy padding to reduce the impact from the pitcher’s throw and reinforced to withstand the heavy use throughout a game. It also has a thumb pocket and mitten instead of fingers.

First base Mitts have less padding and a more shallow pocket. It is designed to have a longer back to help the first baseman catch throws from infielders.

Infield Gloves are designed with a shallow pocket for rapid transfer of the baseball to the infielder’s throwing arm. Shorter infielder gloves are made for second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, and pitchers. Second baseman generally have the smallest gloves on the team ranging from 10 ½ inches to about 11 ¼. As we move over to short we will see most gloves between 11 ¼ and 11 ¾. Continuing on to third base, the most popular size is probably 11 ¾. You will see some 12′s and a lot of 11 ½ ‘s among the more sure handed guys over there.

Outfielder gloves have a longer, five-finger outfielder gloves with deeper pockets are designed to cushion the impact of fly balls. The longer length provides the glove with more reach and range. Outfielders’ gloves are a lot simpler to judge because just about every pro stock adult glove will be about 13 inches.

Pitchers will vary the most out of any position. Many pitchers use gloves as small as 11 inches and some will use gloves as large as 12 ¼ inches. I would say the average is 11 ¾. If you play on the Nomadic side and play all over the field I would recommend something in the range of 11 ¾ or 12 inches.

There are dozens of different types of leather gloves out there today, some very good quality, some rather poor. Higher quality gloves start with the leather. A higher grade leather normally means a better glove. Learn the grades of leather and research what the glove is made of. Remember, the higher quality leather gloves will have a higher price. It seems that the latest craze in glove leather is the new oil treated gloves that are injected with oil while still in the factory. This results in a quicker break in period but these gloves will not last as long as the “stiff” older models. You should go for the stiffest glove you can find, it will take much longer to break in but in the end it will last longer and become a part of you.

We also need to talk about the webbing. The webbing also depends on what position you play as well. Infielders need a single patch webbing which is a square piece of leather with two X’s holding it to the body, or a simple basket web. Outfielders tend to like these as well as some large H webs. Pitchers tend to like the two piece webs. So they can be more secretive. You may also see some modified trapeze gloves and some one piece webs.

These are just a few tips on finding the right baseball glove for you. You need to try different gloves on and see what feels the best. Like shoes, a glove needs to be comfortable and functional. One thing to consider is the open and closed back. What this means is that an open glove exposes the back of the hand, while a closed one covers the hand. Feel and comfort is the most important aspect of any glove.

About the Author

We have a healthy lifestyle blog with much information on health, sports, and nutrition at myamallshop. To find more information on baseball gloves and baseball products click here.

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The Last Commissioner: A Baseball Valentine

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On a beautiful July morning in 1991 three men gathered in a hotel suite for an informal breakfast and conversation. The discussion ranged widely over events and characters of the past famous names and fabled accomplishments flowing along with the coffee and juice. Two of them Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio were the ultimate symbols of athletic glory for generations of American men. The third man Fay Vincent was living a dream sitting with and asking questions of his boyhood heroes. Fay Vincent never set out to be the commissioner of baseball. He got into the game alongside his good friend A. Bartlett Giamatti as deputy commissioner when Giamatti was named to the sport’s highest office in 1989. They spent their first spring and summer dealing with Pete Rose’s gambling and Vincent’s legal expertise complemented his friend’s moral thunder. But that was to be their only season working side by side as Bart Giamatti’s heart gave out just days after the announcement of the Rose suspension. Vincent found himself the only logical candidate to fill a position as guardian of the best interests of the game he loves. In The Last Commissioner: A Baseball Valentine Vincent takes us along for the ultimate fan’s fantasy camp. As commissioner he got to talk baseball with the likes of Yogi Berra Larry Doby Warren Spahn Ernie Banks Eddie Lopat Whitey Ford and Henry Aaron. He brought his legal training to bear on the delicate issue of whether Roger Clemens uttered the magic word that would justify his being tossed out of a playoff game (and it’s not the word you think). He was one of the few outsiders at the annual Hall of Fame banquet for the new inductees and their immortal peers where he watched amazed as Johnny Mize demonstrated to Ralph Kiner his method of hitting an inside pitch — a piece of advice from forty years past. And he brought equal respect and attention to the greats of the Negro Leagues listening to the gracefully told stories of Joe Black and Buck O’Neil slowly learning how Slick Surratt earned his nickname hearing Jimmie Crutchfield give as good a definition of a well-lived life as we will ever know. Vincent shares these stories and more: his high regard for umpires instilled in his youth by his father an NFL official and respected local ump; his close relations with the Bush family forged in a summer spent working in the oil fields with his schoolmate Bucky Bush the 41st president’s brother (and 43rd president’s uncle); his unusual experiences with the relentless George Steinbrenner including the famous meeting where the Yankees owner was facing a two-year suspension and plea-bargained it down to a lifetime ban. Vincent also gives his candid views on the state of baseball today firm in his belief that the game will survive its current leadership and even prosper. Through it all Vincent’s deep love of baseball shines through. His most remarkable accomplishment as commissioner may have been to emerge from the off