This week, many American baseball players will report for spring training to gear up for the 2008 season. This annual event always reminds me of my childhood and the countless sleepless nights I endured. Part of it was the excitement of a new little league team, but most of it was the fact that I was sleeping on top of a new baseball glove.If the princess was able to feel a pea through twenty mattresses, just imagine how I felt.
As with most things these days, ‘the kids’ have it easy. Not just with the gadgets and gizmos that I once dreamed of, but with even the most rudimentary stuff.
BallGloveWarehouse has released a “Professional Glove Care Kit.” The four-step process, which includes a mallet, shaping bands, plastic ball and specific oil depending on your leather type/grade, promises a ‘broken-in’ mitt that will preserve the leather for many extra innings to come.
Back in my playing days, I spent weeks prepping my glove for the season; Cooking oil, heavy-duty rubber bands, and a ridiculous amount of bending and twisting. In the later years, a little microwave action (those metal ringlets sure caused a spark) helped do the trick.
During the process I formed a relationship with the glove. And by the time I was done with it it felt like butter, with a perfectly-formed pocket. Of course, I made my fair share of errors, and looking back, maybe I’ll blame it on the glove – or a lack of sleep.
This baseball season, kids get to hone their craft by relying on technology. From baseballs with built-in speedometers to cleats that will help fertilize the field, there are no words for the jealousy I feel.
I feel nostalgic. Maybe tonight I’ll sleep on top of my glove.