bonjour !

[Fred]

Hi everyone, this is Fred from ... France.
yes I know, kind of awkward...

I fell in love with baseball since my father bought me a glove when I was twelve, I'm now 40 ...

I love the history of the game, and got the sting about vintage gloves after I found a nice softball glove from the 40's made by Hutch in a yardsale somewhere in california...
thanx to the internet I was able to add more to my collection in the late 90's... My favorite gloves I own are 2 ken Well Dazzy Vance, I also love my catcher's mitt by davega...

here's an old pic of my shrine..


if you are interested I'll take some more...
I'm not really collecting anymore, I think I have everything I need, but I sure enjoy to chat about vintage gloves...
so I raise my glass of wine ( cliché ) to you fellow collectors...

[vintagebrett]

Hello Fred!

Welcome and thanks for posting. What do the French folks think of your collection??

[softball66]

Mon Ami. Grande gants! Merci!
(no mitaines de receveurs?)


(hope I got that right!)

[Fred]

Hello Fred!

Welcome and thanks for posting. What do the French folks think of your collection??

thanx, about the gloves.. people are stocked
if they are not baseball players they have to see a current glove to understand the differences, if they are baseball players, we sometime play a game of catch to get the feeling of an old glove...

Mon Ami. Grande gants! Merci!
(no mitaines de receveurs?)


(hope I got that right!)

ahaha, oui mitaine de receveur !
very good !
I have two catcher's gloves...
I'll post better pictures of my collection later...

[Fred]

here's some funny pics of my shrine:

[Bleacher Bum]

Love to see the Cubs hats!! This is the year!! Go Cubbies!

[wareagle34]

Hello Fred, have you tried to get intouch with Moonlight Graham? It sounds like you two have alot in common. Also what is that hanging off the shelf in the last pic, is that a mask?


WAR EAGLE!

[robin_buckeye]

I remember reading a story about the "Lost Generation" of American expatriates in Paris during the twenties (Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Stein, that lot). I think it was in the "Moveable Feast" where the author described playing baseball at a park along the Siene and that really appealed to me.
There also a scene near the begining of a George Segal movie where he lives in London and plays on a softball team in one of the city parks. I'll have to find these again and rewatch/read them.
When I've been in Europe I've always kept my eyes and ears open for a game, but have never discovered one.

[Moonlight Graham]

Hi Fred ! We're fellow countrymen ! Your shrine is absolutely awesome ! Mine..., well, you can't call three gloves and a box of baseballs a shrine, can you? (Only I started it a couple of months ago. Give me some time...)

You and I definitely have to meet up some day. I live in Sens, in Burgundy, 100 km south of Paris. I'm trying to set up my own very little baseball club in the secondary school where I teach, you may have read about it in one of the threads of the forum.

Welcome to this fantastic place. You'll see the guys here are the best in the field, warm-hearted, so full of the littlest pieces of knowledge you might need, and always good humoured! I love this place. And since you seem to be a lover of the game, I guess you'll like it too !

[Fred]

sorry, I haven't been here a long time,
moonlight, if you want some baseball stuff ( pants, stockings, undershirts ) for you team I'll be happy to help out, let me know...

[robin_buckeye]

what is that hanging off the shelf in the last pic, is that a mask?


WAR EAGLE!

It looks like a bicycle helmet to me. Fred -- what is it?

[Fred]

yes it's an old leather bicycle helmet ... good eye !

[oldreliable]

Fred,

Welcome to the forum! This is my favorite place on the web by far. You'll find many experts on gloves here (and I'm not one of them).

...hey, I love your shrine! It's beautiful.

I especially dig that Milwaukee Braves hat. Sweet.

John
Ithaca, NY