| Many little boys have grown up wanting a baseball | | | | school and college. I have learned why different |
| glove, and then bringing their precious glove to the | | | | positions have different gloves. It is simple to |
| baseball stadium to hopefully catch a homerun ball. | | | | understand why a catcher's glove is padded (100 |
| When children are little, they can hardly tell the | | | | mile per hour fastballs can hurt). However, it is a |
| difference between the quality and dimensions of | | | | little more difficult to understand the sizing for |
| different baseball gloves as well as the way | | | | other baseball gloves. |
| different gloves feel when they are worn. | | | | Typically infield baseball gloves will be smaller with |
| I remember getting my first baseball glove and | | | | the exception of the first baseman. This tradition |
| being surprised at how stiff the glove was. I was | | | | has been put in place so infielders can retrieve the |
| told to place a baseball in the glove and oil it. Then, | | | | ball from their gloves quicker. A first baseman |
| once the oiling was complete, I wrapped the glove | | | | rarely needs to retrieve the ball from his glove as |
| in rubber bands for about a week to loosen the | | | | he is often the put out man making the out. |
| leather of the glove. It was one of the toughest | | | | Additionally, outfielders have larger gloves to |
| weeks of my life. I wanted to use the glove, but | | | | provide a bigger target for catching fly balls. |
| I couldn't. | | | | At a young age these differences did not make |
| Since this experience, I have learned a lot more | | | | sense, but now they complement my knowledge |
| about gloves as I have played throughout high | | | | of the game. |