Archive for the ‘First Base Mitt’ Category
Your Glove of Choice-(Part 1)
So, you want to play baseball or softball, or you already do-what’s your glove of choice? With so many brands and types of gloves and mitts to choose from, your decision may not be so easy. There are the “old lines” such as Rawlings, Wilson and Spalding through Mizuno, MacGregor, All-Star, and many others to newer companies like Akadema. Do you buy a glove or mitt because of a friend, coach or favorite major league star?
Usually, you buy what you know or hear about or a recommendation from a trusted coach or friend. Obviously, the position you play has a lot to do with it. There are infield gloves and outfield gloves; catchers mitts and first base mitts, not to mention all the colors and grades of leather. There are youth baseball gloves, slow-pitch and fast-pitch softball gloves…so many choices! Let’s take a closer look at several types and brands. See part 2…
Heartbreak of the 1969 Cubs-(Part 1)
Two days after Neal Armstrong took “a giant leap for mankind” and made footprints on the moon in July of 1969, I got out of the US Army and made my own footprints at O’Hare Airport near my suburban Chicago home. Something was different-the Chicago Cubs were in first place! There was excitement with talk of a World Series at Wrigley Field. Crazy talk-the Cubs in a World Series!??
Could it even be possible? The thought of my hero Ernie Banks, who was a great short stop and now sporting a first base mitt, playing in the World Series? Dare I dream it? The Cubs spent 155 days in first place that year, all the way up to the middle of September. It had been 24-years since the Cubs went to a Series and 61-years since they won it. Then BAM!! Reality set in-along with the “Amazing Mets”…
Rays’ Longoria wins Gold Glove
It was great to see the Tampa Bay Rays’ third baseman Evan Longoria win his first Gold Glove award. He is an amazing player and often looks like poetry in motion. Just watch as he snags a rocket of a ground ball and fires a bull’s eye across the infield to Carlos Pena, who scoops it into his Rawlings first base mitt.
At only 24, Longoria is the youngest player in the American League to win a Gold Glove at any position since Eric Chavez, at age 23, did it for the Oakland A’s back in 2001. Longoria has said it is the one award he has really wanted to win since he started playing pro ball. He takes a lot of pride in his defensive play, as you can tell just by watching him.
Longoria’s fielding percentage at .970 was second in the League, and he led all major league third basemen by starting 43 double plays. He was also second in the American League with assists with 302. I won’t even mention his power at the plate! Talk about an all around player. What a bright future he has-and a majoy asset for the Rays!
In Praise of the Unsung First Baseman
As is the case in any sport, some baseball positions are considered more glamorous than others. Pitchers are the only players who directly affect every play of the game, so it makes sense that they should be celebrated. Center fielders are highlight-reel mainstays thanks to their propensity to make diving catches. Short stops are heralded for their defensive prowess, and the best short stops make challenging double plays look routine.
Other positions, such as first baseman, attract less attention but they are no less critical to a team’s success. When a third baseman or short stop struggles to make an out at first, someone has to be there with a Wilson first base mitt at the ready. Think about all the balls that are plucked out of the dirt by alert, coordinated first basemen. It truly is a defensive position deserving of more acclaim.