Love that glove
Moises Alou reached into his locker and hauled out a well-worn glove.Once shiny, the black outfielder's mitt resembled a house sorely in need of paint. The color was faded. Splotches pockmarked the fingers and heel.After 12 seasons of regular-season use, four All-Star Games and one World Series, Alou faced the fraying leather and reality in spring training. He retired the glove. "It was ready to fall apart," Alou said.
All-Star or Little Leaguer, a player's relationship with his glove is personal. Some players go through gloves and girlfriends at the same brisk rate. Others are together for the long haul. Some players treat gloves like leased cars, replacing them annually. Others clearly remember the first glove they owned.
White Sox catcher Sandy Alomar Jr., the son of a major-leaguer, grins when he recalls his Little League receiver's equipment—a Christmas gift from his father.
"It was Champion model gear," said Alomar, a six-time All-Star. "I was ecstatic. Later, I put that glove in a trophy case. It is at my mother's house in Puerto Rico."
In the beginning, there were no gloves. Doug Allison of the Cincinnati Red Stockings was the first professional to use hand protection in a game in 1870. But for years—before and after—it was not considered manly to play wearing a glove.
A collection that included a fingerless leather pads from 1873 that are reported to be a later set of gloves use by Doug Allison sold for $20,000. It really resembled more of a potholder.
It’s no surprise that although new gloves may smell terrific, no serious ballplayer trusts one fresh out of the wrapping. Breaking in a glove before using it in a crucial situation is a rite, though methods differ.
Kids pound pockets until their fists hurt. Players use mallets. Some soften leather with oil while others just keep it under their mattress. Some use shaving cream.
Although there are legendary stories about major-leaguers using the same glove for years, stitching them back together, most replace gloves more frequently.
But Alou can't completely let go of his favorite 12-year-old glove.
He still brings it out during pregame fielding practice and has big plans for it.
"I'm framing it," Alou said. He smiled. "I'll put it in silver, since I haven't ever won gold."
What are you going to do with yours?