Jason Varitek's Catcher's Mitt

[Cowboy7130]

Have you guys noticed how loose the webbing is on Jason Varitek's catcher's mitt?

[MVALZ]

I've never seen another catcher with a similar loose web. Pretty unique. I've heard knowitall Tim McCarver critize it claiming you need a tighter web for reaching in and grabbing the ball quickly for throws, but I don't recall Varitek ever having any issues.

[burker72]

mvalz, I'd agree with everything you said, except the "knowitall" remark, that is a serious understatement. You could fill a book with the dopey things McCarver says. I don't understand how or why he is treated as such an expert, more often than not he is simply talking nonsense.

[Cowboy7130]

That web falls under the category of "It's none of my business but really bugging me and now I can't focus on anything else in the game!" so I kept watching him ... Varitek never caught the ball in the web! He seemed to always catch it in the palm or pocket of the mitt, and rarely did the ball even go into the web.

Didn't McCarver play catcher? SURELY he is an EXPERT on the position! Just like he is an expert on everything else he blathers on about ...

[BretMan]

That web caught my eye early on and is definitely the loosest one I've ever seen. I also noticed that Teck seemed to always catch the ball in the palm area. I wonder why he prefers it that way? It would have to allow the mitt to open and close with minimal effort. Heck, it would have to be downright floppy!

Besides this illustrious forum, I participate on about a half-dozen baseball and umpiring discussion boards. McCarver is roundly reviled on those, too, especially on the umpiring boards for his frequent butchering of the rules.

One of the most recent McCarver flubs was on Manny's slide at the plate in game three. Timmy blasted into home plate umpire Ted Barrett, saying that he "missed the call" until subsequent replays showed the tag out to have been 100% correct.

And we are not alone in our disgust with McCarver! Here is a link to one of many web sites dedicated to razzing ol' Timmy boy.

Shut Up Tim McCarver!

[vintagebrett]

Varitek has had his web like that for a while. I remember reading an article about why he kept it like that but I don't recall where it was. One of the games in Septemeber, he was doing some adjusting of the web during innings.

Ah, Tim McCarver. What can be said that hasn't been said already. It's a shame that my two favorite sporting events - MLB Playoffs and NCAA Basketball tournament have the two worst announcers of all time = McCarver for baseball and Billy Packer for basketball. Seriously, do the execs making decisions at Fox and CBS know that everyone dislikes these guys. Maybe if they could track how many people turn their volume off during the games like they do to find out how many people are watching, they'd make some changes.

[worldwin]

I believe the web is that way so that he can gain an advantage by scooping up balls in the dirt. It makes the mitt just a little bit longer, and adds to the flexibility.

The catcher's mitt web is not the place to be catching fastballs. That is what the pocket is used for.

In fact, with most gloves or mitts, the web is just a "safety net."

To catch a ball correctly it needs to be caught in the pocket.

As for McCarver...the dude is total weenie!

As I remember, there is at least one ballplayer that felt the same way!

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/scorecard/archive/20070112.html