Randy Smith: Getting That New Glove

Now that baseball season is upon us, I'm reminded of my younger days when my Dad would take me to buy a new baseball glove. You wouldn't get a new one every year. Maybe every three to four years and that was more often than most of my glove purchases. In the 1950s and 60s when I first played, you could get a brand new glove for about twenty bucks. That was a lot of money back then but it's nothing like what you have to pay now. For the rec league player, you can still get a decent glove for thirty--forty dollars. However, it may not be real leather. And for the more serious athlete, be prepared to open your wallet very wide.

All of the expensive gloves are real leather. The Wilson A2000 is perhaps the most popular glove among young select players today. It costs around $300. You can pay more than a thousand bucks for a glove but that's really not necessary. Six years ago I bought my grandson a new Nokoma glove and paid $189 for it. Today that same glove goes for around $489. That's a lot of mark up for just six years.

Owning your own glove is a special feeling. I used to sleep with my glove in the bed with me but my wife soon nixed that habit. I carried it with me almost wherever I would go. Even after my playing days were over, I still insisted on having my own baseball glove. It's almost like a sacred shrine or artifact. Even though you may no longer be playing, having your own glove keeps you near the game of baseball.

Caring for your new glove is very important. I used to put neatsfoot oil on mine. Neatsfoot oil is a substance that softens and helps to shape leather, which has been around since the 1700s. I would generously put it on my glove, put a baseball in the pocket then tie a string around it to hold it in position. Twenty-four hours later your glove would be ready to use. Gloves nowadays take more to get them into shape. You just can't buy one, then catch with it the next day. With really good gloves people are sending their new gloves off to a shop or person who specializes in shaping gloves. That generally takes about 2-3 weeks.

When I made a trip to the Dominican Republic in 1994, I was so touched and heartbroken by the fact that most smaller kids were playing baseball everyday, either without gloves or with a thick piece of cardboard tied to their hand. And they were so happy to be playing baseball. One of the things I regret in my life is not starting a non-profit organization that would deliver used baseball gloves to kids around the world who really need them. Maybe it's not too late.