Archive for the ‘Softball Gloves’ Category
Your Glove of Choice-(Part 7)
In choosing a baseball glove or softball glove or mitt, you need to choose a model that is right for your position and feels good on your hand. Remember, after you ‘break in’ a glove or mitt, it will feel much better than when it was new. It will take a little time, but hang in there-it is worth it. (Ahhh-the smell and excitement of a new glove! It just makes you feel good.)
Rawlings baseball gloves are still the most popular. I’m not sure why; maybe they were the first on the scene, but they certainly do make good gloves and mitts. (When you think of hamburgers, McDonalds always comes up. It’s hard to top a leader.) Whatever brand or type of ball glove or mitt you choose, just play to the best of your ability- and have fun…
Your Glove of Choice-(Part 6)
…Where to start-where to start? How about Akadema? They have come a long way in just a few short years, and are competing rather well with the likes of Rawlings and Wilson-especially in the area of girls softball gloves and mitts. Akadema has some fairly innovative designs that are getting more popular-and they look pretty cool, too! With their Fastpitch design, ProSoft, Praying Mantis and Reptilian models, they are getting quite a boost.
The Rookie Series for the kids is priced under $40.00, so it won’t break the bank, but it is still a very good softball glove. The ProSoft design and others come in infield gloves and outfield. Also first base mitts and catchers mitts are aplenty. You won’t go wrong if you choose an Akadema softball glove…
Your Glove of Choice-(Part 5)
What if softball is your game? What kinds of softball gloves are available? We could talk about that subject for hours and hours. There are girls softball gloves, Fastpitch softball gloves, Akadema softball gloves, Rawlings softball gloves, Wilson, All-star, Mizuno and the list goes on and on. So how do you choose? Once again, you need to look at your level of play and how serious you are.
Even if you are just playing for the pure ‘fun of it,’ a better glove is always a good choice-and doesn’t have to cost all that much. If you don’t have a clue as to what to buy, tune in to a college girls softball game and look to see what they are wearing. They have pretty much done the homework for you. You will see all the above named brands, so you will still have to choose. Let’s take a closer look…
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…
History of Softball-(Part 6)
People of all ages play 16” softball. In the Chicago area especially, teams sprang up everywhere. There were men teams, ladies teams, park teams, mixed ladies and men teams and professional teams. It’s hard to go to a park in the Chicago area and not see a 16” softball game going on.
Probably, the most noticeable thing about the game is how much fun it is to play. Unlike so many other games that many people either can’t or do not play, 16” softball has been played by people of every background. Again, no softball gloves are necessary to play the game, just a bat and a sixteen inch softball. Then, there are the leagues…
History of Softball-(Part 5)
Sixteen inch softball got very popular in Chicago especially during the time of the Great Depression. All you needed to play it was a baseball bat and a 16” softball. Nobody wore softball gloves mostly because they couldn’t afford them. This caused you to become a better fielder because it is easier to catch a ball in a glove than bare-handed.
The game was slow pitch which many girls and women also loved. Just about anybody could play without much worry of getting hurt. You could use just about anything for bases and because it was played on smaller fields, a game could spring up almost anywhere…
History of Softball-(Part 4)
Meanwhile, back in Chicago where softball began, it was getting even more popular. It was still played often indoors at armories. Also, outdoor softball in the city had need of a ball that wouldn’t go so far when it was hit with a baseball bat. It was played on playgrounds and small fields, so a ball that you couldn’t hit too far was needed.
A guy named Frederick DeBeer made the first 16” softball for that reason. He also made it with the stitches on the inside and it was called the Cincher. The reason the stitches were placed on the inside was so they wouldn’t wear out on the playgrounds. Another “game-changer” was you didn’t wear a glove when playing 16” softball…
History of Softball-(Part 3)
Softball did go national when the US Army used it for recreation. They didn’t use softball gloves or baseball gloves. They just barehanded it and they also pitched underhand but pitched fast. (Maybe that’s why they started using gloves). At any rate, softball was growing rapidly.
Being a game that mostly men played, it wouldn’t be long before the ladies would join in. Now, of course, softball is huge in the United States and elsewhere in the world. But let’s go back to Chicago where it all began…
Picnics and Softball-All American
Ah, there’s nothing like a picnic and a friendly game of softball on a lazy summer afternoon. There’s always plenty of laughter and yelling as good friends and family pass the hours away in this truly unique American custom. Food is usually aplenty including hot dogs, hamburgers, cole slaw and potato salad, not to mention soft drinks and of course beer.
The game is often played with both guys and girls making for some interesting teams. Some players wear softball gloves and some don’t. These kinds of games are usually the most fun, especially if you don’t get too serious. It must be time for a hot dog…
Playing Softball in Combat Boots
Back in the late 1960’s I spent three years in the US Army. After spending 14-months in South Korea, I was reassigned to Germany which was like going to a party for 16-months compared to Korea. I was stationed at a Nike-Hercules Guided Missile Battery located in the middle of nowhere. We did however have a softball team which I wasn’t on.
One day, our battery had an “away game” but they were one player short of a team. The team captain asked me if I could play third base. I told him I could but I didn’t have any softball equipment, not even shoes. He said they had plenty of softball gloves, but I would have to wear my own footgear. So, I played my first softball game in Germany wearing combat boots. We lost 8-3…