by BretMan » July 5th, 2007, 10:32 pm
I play for a men's fastpitch softball team and have three "gamer" gloves in my equipment bag for different positions. This is kind of an odd mix of gloves.
The one I use the most is a 13" Wilson A2000 from the 80's This is an import/Japanese model, so I'm not too worried about dinging it up! I found this glove at a flea market for $5 and have completely relaced and conditioned it to excellent condition. This is mainly my outfield glove.
It catches great. but has always felt slightly uncomfortable on my hand. It's getting better as it breaks in, though. I think that I am going to have to modify the thumb and pinky loops to get a tighter fit on my hand.
My most comfortable glove is a run-of-mill 12.5" Rawlings RSE36 (the venerable RBG36 pattern with supposedly better leather) from the early 90's, complete with Cal Ripken endorsement. Even though this is a mid-priced glove, it is broken-in perfectly, works great and feels great, too. The smaller size works best on the infield.
The third is a huge 14" MacGregor SB4 model from the early 80's. This glove is a catching machine with an oversized pocket similar to the Rawlings "Big Wheel" gloves. It is also odd because it is a three-fingered glove, pre-dating the Rawlings "Vice" series of softball gloves by nearly two decades. I used one of these in the 80's until it fell apart and found a barely used one on eBay a couple of years ago.
Yes, I will play some catch with a vintage glove once-in-awhile.And I'll sometimes take one with me to a Reds or Indians game...just in case a foul ball comes my way!