| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| LilBigTown |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 01:51:27
How long would a Rawlings dual core $300.00 glove last. Son has been playing with it for 5 years but has dropped some pop flys recently. Should I have it restrung or is it time to get new one or is it the gloves fault at all! |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| AUBB |
Posted - 09/05/2012 : 22:52:03
From all the posts, it seems the missing answer to long glove life, is not the outside leather, but the inside leather that you must take care of....
I consider myself a Rawlings glove snob, as I currently own 8 Rawlings gloves that, really belong to my son. He is a utility player and plays 3, 4 or 5 different positions on his 11U travel team.
I wish I would have been more diligent in keeping up with my Rawlings RBG36 as the years went by. The glove dried out. By the time I was having my son play 6 and 7U, I wanted him to use MY old glove. Once found, it was so dry; the laces dry-rotted and the piping gone or seriously cracked.
My two cents.....wear a batting glove when you field. It will keep 80%+ of the sweat and salt out of the inside palm lining.
I recently purchased a PROSTX23 1st base glove from a JUCO college player for my son. The Pro Preferred exterior of the glove is in fair condition, but the inside deer skin is only about 40%. There is nothing I can do to bring back that leather.
My HOH gloves are holding up well, but the Gold Gloves lose about 10% every year, even with me, the dad, using them and treating them kindly.
My personal favorite is the Pittards sheepskin lining. Best with perspiration and lasts very long....but always WEAR A BATTING GLOVE to extend the life of your $80-250+ glove.
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| gasbag |
Posted - 09/05/2012 : 13:11:17
Funny story - One year I worked very hard to convince my son that it was't the equipment that made the player, but the player that's makes the difference. So, I included him in my "scientific experiment". When all the other kids on the team had the $300-$400 bats, I bought him 3 brand new bats and the total was under $ 75 for all three ! I then began to dollar cost average each hit per the $ 72 I had spent. We did it every game and had a blast doing it and being silly afterwards. It also motivated him to hit more so he could see how low he could go. GREAT lesson and proved my point......until the following year when he wanted the brand new model of the latest technology that I paid $ 300 for !!! LOL, at least the experiment worked for one year and I proved my point....I think ! |
| bballman |
Posted - 09/05/2012 : 10:11:37
quote:
Originally posted by LilBigTown
Update on glove. Today my son and I were throwing in the yard and figured this would be good time to check out glove to see weather to buy new or possibly restring old glove . After throwing for about 5 minutes I asked him what he thought.... He said "Dad i think its fine its not the gloves fault I drooped those balls" Kinda funny. Thanks for the responses.
The kids ALWAYS know. They know where they stand in a pecking order and they know where the other kids stand in the pecking order. They know when they should have made a play and they know when it was something beyond their control.
Usually it's the parents trying to come up with a reason that their kid didn't do as well as we would like them to do.
This is not a put down to you lil. I have done it MANY, MANY times myself. I think we should all do a gut check on this from time to time. And yes, myself included. |
| LilBigTown |
Posted - 09/04/2012 : 23:06:53
Update on glove. Today my son and I were throwing in the yard and figured this would be good time to check out glove to see weather to buy new or possibly restring old glove . After throwing for about 5 minutes I asked him what he thought.... He said "Dad i think its fine its not the gloves fault I drooped those balls" Kinda funny. Thanks for the responses. |
| RACGOFAR |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 22:34:42
Spartan, rejuvenating extremely anstynglovesmis my hobby. Nokona is my preferred brand. Just need to get it to me for a weekend.
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| bbmom2 |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 19:17:24
quote:
Originally posted by Spartan4
I think our problem was never cleaning it like we should have...I have always been fortunate to get a new glove every couple of years. I have a pile of great gloves in a closet somewhere that would have lasted a lot longer apparently if I would have taken proper care of them. Any chance that the extremely dirty and nasty Nokona can be rejuvenated?? Relaced and brought back to life?
Spartan - I'm sure my son would be happy to help and take a chance on that glove!  I think he dreams of Nokona gloves at night... |
| Spartan4 |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 18:07:31
I think our problem was never cleaning it like we should have...I have always been fortunate to get a new glove every couple of years. I have a pile of great gloves in a closet somewhere that would have lasted a lot longer apparently if I would have taken proper care of them. Any chance that the extremely dirty and nasty Nokona can be rejuvenated?? Relaced and brought back to life? |
| RACGOFAR |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 14:34:01
A glove made from a good grade of leather can last for decades. I have numerous vintage gloves i my collection from the 30's, 40's and 50's that are game ready. My oldest glove is a split finger button back Lon Warneke, Jr. signature model made from horsehide and dates to the late 1920's. It was pretty sad when I got it, but after I cleaned it up and rejuvenated the leather, it looks and feels great for an 80+ year old glove
What hurts a glove and wears it out is dirt and not being cleaned and conditioned regularly. Dirt works its way into the top surface of the leather which causes wear. The leather is skin and over time it dries out and then cracks. There's no fix for cracks. Cracks happen from lack of cleaning and conditioning and leaving it exposed to sunlight for long periods.
But if you clean a glove regularly during the season and use a leather conditioner or preservative on it at least once a year, your kid will be able to pass down even a cheap leather glove to his grandkids one day. I use a damp towel heated in the microwave to wipe it down, then apply a Ph balanced leather cleaner or conditioner on it and let it rest for a day with a ball in the pocket. I've experimented with just about everything out there and the Lexol cleaning and restore products work the best on my gloves. You can get them at any auto or Hardware store. But plain old dishwashing soap and suds works great to. Just get a good lather on a sponge and wipe it down. The lather lifts the dirt out of the leather. I use Fiebing's Aussie Leather Conditioner instead of vaseline/mink oil, etc.
Spartan, a floppy glove is usually a sign that the laces are weak or need to be tightened. Have it completely relaced and make sure its cleaned very well once they pull all the laces out of it. My 50's Nokona glove is one of the best feeling and fitting gloves in my collection.
Be careful when tightening the laces. If they are dry and the glove has not been conditioned in a while, they tend to break when pulled. If you have cleaned the glove and the laces are soft, they will just snap off under tension. Best to work a glove over a period of time. Clean and let it dry for a few days, then adjust the laces.
I've laced many a glove, vintage and new. The store bought kits are good for repair, but you need a longer leather needle to do a whole glove. Most shoe repair shops sell the lace and some will re-lace and do stitch repair.
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| Spartan4 |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 13:33:48
quote:
Originally posted by LilBigTown
funnyhop pretty good an acurate calculations maybe you were math major. Unlike most parents today we have been fortunate enough to play for real baseball coaches who keep up with real errors. 5 things must happen on any given play for it not to be an error. You must first GET TO IT, GLOVE IT,TRANSFER IT,THROW IT, THEN BASEMAN MUST CATCH IT if any of those 5 things does not happen then its an error. For 12 year old whos working to improve 16% ( 84 / 100 ) in my opinion is not to bad in as many attempts as hes had. I am really glad hes had some errors otherwise he would probly get bored with it and find something else to do with his time. However taking a shot at a 12 year old kid on baseball post is "fun for some people though guess it makes you feel.........entitled." If someone could share with me how to put one of those smilely faces up this would be great spot for one!
The thing that matters most is "trying to improve".... As long as that's the case he will get better!! |
| peashooter |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 10:52:13
Nasty....1000000000000000000% spot on! good call |
| nastycurve |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 10:41:50
Also don't forget the third option that might be causing the issues: An over the top dad who worries the snot out of his kid to make every play... Can be easily identified by him looking for your reaction after he makes an error. |
| BaseballMom6 |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 10:31:05
LilBigTown - my response was not meant as sarcasm - although you presumed it was. My son is very nearsighted, and we realized it when he was a half step off where he needed to be, and he began having trouble at the plate. A good pair of glasses, and now contacts immediately corrected his issues. Your initial post was very non specific about what he was dropping, sounds like you have quite the ball player. Good Luck to him. |
| LilBigTown |
Posted - 08/31/2012 : 04:17:00
funnyhop pretty good an acurate calculations maybe you were math major. Unlike most parents today we have been fortunate enough to play for real baseball coaches who keep up with real errors. 5 things must happen on any given play for it not to be an error. You must first GET TO IT, GLOVE IT,TRANSFER IT,THROW IT, THEN BASEMAN MUST CATCH IT if any of those 5 things does not happen then its an error. For 12 year old whos working to improve 16% ( 84 / 100 ) in my opinion is not to bad in as many attempts as hes had. I am really glad hes had some errors otherwise he would probly get bored with it and find something else to do with his time. However taking a shot at a 12 year old kid on baseball post is "fun for some people though guess it makes you feel.........entitled." If someone could share with me how to put one of those smilely faces up this would be great spot for one! |
| LilBigTown |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 23:29:35
Dang I always thought if i would have had $300.00 glove I could have made my high school team. Guess not he wnats to keep the glove so we will just blame it on shotty infield dirt from hear on out. |
| funnyhop |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 20:52:43
quote:
Originally posted by LilBigTown
In the know, Peashooter...Great posts and as usual always helpful.. Thanks for your input. I guess my Dad continues to be correct, "You can't catch Experience no matter how hard you try" BaseballMom6 an Bballman.... Exactly what kind of response I expected from you guys thanks as well. My son has actually dropped one diving line drive when after his torso hit he ground it rolled out. One pop fly over ss in shallow left that his coach said would have been top play on sports center on any given night where he was definetly on his heals thks Pea. And another on routine 4-6-3 double play where toss was good to him but rolled out. My concern was he got to all these balls and with the dual core 11 1/4 infield glove with trapeze pocket it is designed to automatically throw the ball into one specific spot in the pocket to make for quick exchange to throw. He has just completed 5th season of playing 75 to 95 games and year around practice so was looking for advice on glove repair versus new glove. I think I will take Bballmom6's advice as well and have his eyes checked maybe he can improve his 451 batting avg. 650 on base percentage and 840 fielding percentage while his been playing 2 grades up. Maybe if he could see better he would become a little better player. Thanks for advice.
You asked. 840 fielding percentage means that he drops/boots almost 20% of the fly/ground balls he can get to right? I would say that is about right then. A new glove is always fun though. It makes everyone feel...........entitled. |
| bballman |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 20:31:48
Lil, do I sense a little sarcasm in your response? Really sounds like 2 of the 3 dropped balls would have been exceptional plays. No shame in dropping them. And everyone will mess up on the transfer now and then. Have him keep working, Tighten up his glove, not too tight though, and hang in there. No joke, it's usually not the gloves fault, unless something breaks. |
| peashooter |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 20:28:28
If you want to see how hard core your kid is....buy him the glove repair kit with the needle and leather straps...have him re-lace his entire glove. That will show you true love for the game. We used to go brown gloves with black lacing, then you had the 4 extra feet of leather you would let hand down to look cool. I think University of Texas was the first to do it back in the 80's.
Plus all the sweat and salty builds up on the string...yum, yum, yum! |
| LilBigTown |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 19:19:02
In the know, Peashooter...Great posts and as usual always helpful.. Thanks for your input. I guess my Dad continues to be correct, "You can't catch Experience no matter how hard you try" BaseballMom6 an Bballman.... Exactly what kind of response I expected from you guys thanks as well. My son has actually dropped one diving line drive when after his torso hit he ground it rolled out. One pop fly over ss in shallow left that his coach said would have been top play on sports center on any given night where he was definetly on his heals thks Pea. And another on routine 4-6-3 double play where toss was good to him but rolled out. My concern was he got to all these balls and with the dual core 11 1/4 infield glove with trapeze pocket it is designed to automatically throw the ball into one specific spot in the pocket to make for quick exchange to throw. He has just completed 5th season of playing 75 to 95 games and year around practice so was looking for advice on glove repair versus new glove. I think I will take Bballmom6's advice as well and have his eyes checked maybe he can improve his 451 batting avg. 650 on base percentage and 840 fielding percentage while his been playing 2 grades up. Maybe if he could see better he would become a little better player. Thanks for advice. |
| peashooter |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 16:00:18
When I first got to the Expos, man I wanted that Royal Blue Rawlings glove....haha...It lasted one season. Wilson A2000's last 20+ years...Don't know if they do anymore. I was still using my glove from pro ball15 years after I was done, and it was basically used 200 days a year with some heaving catching (pitchers playing catch, etc)
Couple of notes:
Use shaving cream to break it in fast, but it could reduce the life...we didn't care for our backup gloves because we got new ones every year.
When you form your glove, you have to then store it that way...most kids lay them flat and let them squish...hence the pancake look. If you want to maintain that open glove look, always store it with a towell or something in the pocket...should last a very long time.
I disagree with bball 100% It is clearly the gloves fault that your son is not catching fly balls. Personal responsibility has no place in AMERIKA!
On a serious note, tell your son to run on his toes when he chases fly balls. I bet he is on his heels and the ball is JIGGLING in his line of site, which can make it pop out easily. Thats a freebie, I am sure all of the other travel coaches teach that technique!
hahah! |
| wareagle |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 14:56:00
If he uses it alot then 5 years is more than realistic. I have seen younger boys that use gloves that are too big and the gloves get floppy at the top of the last fingers. Primarily outfielders gloves and the kids fingers do not go far enough into the glove so it bends more. It really is a factor or amount of use, glove quality, and care.
My son purchased an A2000 with his own money. As a general rule, if he is simply playing catch or fooling around, he does not use it. He prefers a stiff glove and only uses this glove when praticing or playing infield. It should last a long time, but I am sure he will want the A2K upgrade in a year or two anyway. |
| bballman |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 14:41:11
I don't know, my brother is 46 and is still using his HS glove to play softball. It is pretty beat up and floppy, but he uses it. It is a Brooks Robinson signature glove.
Lol.
Seriously, if you buy a $300 glove, it should last a good 10 years. Even if you don't take care of it. Just keep tightening the strings and it should be fine. Some companies just say to use vaseline to keep it cleaned and lubed. Try that. Also, I have found the kind with the weaved webbing stretch and I'm not sure you can do anything (at least on your own) to tighten it. It is still usable, just a deep pocket.
Either way, I have no doubt that the glove is not the reason your son is dropping fly balls. |
| in_the_know |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 11:37:30
quote:
Originally posted by Spartan4
We have a Nokona my nephew has used for 4 years now. I have had to have it restrung a few times but the last year it has become just totally floppy. A hard line drive can bend it over backwards...Is there any way to fix this assuming it should last a lifetime?
No, and to expect a glove to last a lifetime is not realistic. Eventually, all leather breaks down. It will reach a point where it is just too floppy. The life expectancy of a glove will be dictated by the quality of leather, the level to which it's broken in when you purchase it, and the care you give it over your use.
Take the Pro level gloves which are nearly impossible to bend when you get them new. They are the highest quality leather and will take some time for initial break in. Expect these to last longest. If you purchase a "game ready" glove, it's already 80-90% broken in and just isn't going to have as long a life as another glove.
Can you prevent a leather glove from rotting to last a lifetime? Yes, keep it clean and oiled. Does this mean it's going to be usable as a glove for a lifetime? No.
http://www.baseballjournal.com/news/2011/05/20_take_care_of_your_glove,_and.php
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| whit417 |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 11:36:12
Take it to Deland Cochan at New Life Gloves. http://www.newlifegloves.com, does excellent work at reasonable prices. |
| Spartan4 |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 10:46:47
We have a Nokona my nephew has used for 4 years now. I have had to have it restrung a few times but the last year it has become just totally floppy. A hard line drive can bend it over backwards...Is there any way to fix this assuming it should last a lifetime? |
| Gus Ball Still Wins |
Posted - 08/30/2012 : 08:24:27
If it is taken care of it should last a lifetime. Keep the leather conditioned, keep the pocket formed, and restring if needed. |
