Congratulations! My best wishes and prayers go to you and your family!
Now about a glove ... My suggestion is a Rawlings Gold Glove !2" Fastback with a Basket Web, conventional tan. And here are the reasons why:
1. The Gold Glove series is great quality at an affordable price in my opinion. The leather is good without being too heavy or stiff, and so it will be a bit easier to break in playing catch with
Les Dodgers. Playing catch is the best and only way to break in a glove, and you may not have a catch partner that can throw hard enough to break in a Nokona or a HOH. (an alternative - get a glove mallet and do it by yourself!)
2. The 12" pattern is the most versatile pattern. Pitchers, outfielders and some third basemen use the 12" pattern, plus it is big enough to catch a softball if you start a French softball program at your school! (-; Plus, the bigger pocket will be more comfortable if you play lots of catch.
3. The Basket Web is the most versatile web, in my opinion. It cradles the ball and displaces most of the shock of catching the ball. It seems to be very strong; I have never seen a Basket Web fail, nor have I seen any of the lacings around it fail. I think that is a function of how the basket weaving displaces the shock. However, you might also consider a modified Trap-Eze web. It seems to have the same shock-absorbing capacity, and durability, though if you did bust a lace, it would be more difficult to re-lace in a short time frame (it would take me forever!
)
4. The Fastback, closed-back gloves to me seem to stay on my hand better. Perhaps it is because there is more leather against the back of my hand, helping to hold the glove in place more firmly. Plus, the Fastback just looks right with the Basket Web (my Rawlings OR 520, or the Wilson A2124 George Brett). However, with the modified Trap, I would choose an open back, conventional back, with thumb and pinky loops (like my GGP200-4). Some players say that it makes the glove lighter and more comfortable. The open back allows the glove to close more easily over the back of your knuckles as you catch.
5. I would choose the traditional, classic Rawlings tan. To me, that is just the color of a baseball glove. Sure, some people like black, but I think black gloves, as the years go by, show their age more. Black gloves when scuffed and scraped show scuffs and scrapes; classic tan gloves have added character with scuffs and scrapes! Just my opinion. I would stay away from blue, red, green, or other custom colors. Just too faddish!
Well, Moonlight, there you have my long-winded thesis on glove selection. But remember, the best glove is the one you choose for you, for your reasons, and the one you enjoy playing with!
Yes, I still have my first glove.
