Product Description: Do you remember your first glove? Or the one that meant the most to you? Almost everyone does.
Bernie Williams does. So does Greg Maddux. Hall of Famers Dave Winfield and Jim Palmer do as well. Indeed, just above every major leaguer remembers his first glove. Some, such as Doug Rader, who won five straight Gold Gloves at third base with the Houston Astros, even wore the same glove from sandlot games all the way to the pros.
Glove Affairs: The Romance, History, and Tradition of Baseball Glove will help you recall your fist glove as it shares similar memories from the game's greats. Glove Affairs also provides informative and surprising details about the history of the glove, its evolution, and its place in American culture.
More than just an ode to the glove, however, Glove Affairs serves as a practical guide to purchasing, breaking in, maintaining, and repairing a glove. Dozens of current and former major leaguers offer their battle-tested advice about getting the most out of a glove. They also share countless stories, from the passionate to the hilarious, about the glove and their relationship to it, including their superstitions and rituals, some of which are downright bizarre.
Whether you're a little leaguer seeking tips about buying and caring for your first glove or just a little leaguer at heart hoping to revisit fond memories, Glove Affairs will educate you, illuminate you - and stir your emotions.
3 1/2 stars ...... Interesting book, with one flaw This is an interesting book to be sure. It's full of baseball glove lore, history, and stories from the majors. You'll pick up some helpful tips on glove break-in and repair, and stories about specific players' relationships with their gloves.
My gripe? The book relies almost entirely on secondary sources. It appears the author went online or to the library and searched for any existing interviews of major leaguers who mentioned their gloves, then strung these snippets together for the book. It makes for splintered writing, as if the author's only goal were to make it to the next snippet. There appear to be no primary or first hand player interviews, no trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame to research the history of baseball gloves or interview the curators there, no direct contact with Rawlings or Wilson for input from the companies, etc. For these reasons I felt the book was a little flat and could have been improved.
Still, a nice book on a subject lacking coverage elsewhere.
Going Back, Running Hard...It's a Great Catch This is a fun book for anybody who loves baseball, and especially for those who love the feel of a baseball glove fitting just right on their hand and hearing the 'pop' of a ball as it smacks into the pocket. Liberman gives a well researched and well illustrated history of the development of baseball gloves, along with many stories and testimonials from both professionals and regular folks. He provides chapters on breaking in, maintaining, and restoring (with careful attention to a good sequence for complete re-lacing) baseball gloves. This book is a great catch, and you will be glad to have it in your hands.
Amazing Book Christmas gift. Haven't read a really good baseball book like this in a long time. Tired of obscure histories and sappy bios. This one took me back to my own experiences on the diamond. Lots of fun.
A Glovely CASEY Award Finalist This book received many nominations for the 2003 CASEY Award. Amazingly, it is the first book on its subject. Nominators obviously thought it is a very fun book to read and have. What will the CASEY judges think?
Brilliant! This is a wonderful book. It's well written, has a good variety of information and is very attractive in it's presentation, plus it's "accessible" to all types of baseball fans. If you're a glove aficionado (which I am not) perhaps you'll not find all you would hope for here, but that sort of book wouldn't be anywhere near as useful. Oh, and I grew up across the street from Noah Liberman and we played lots of sandlot ball together, although I've not seen him in two decades. Reading his book makes me miss those good old days. I still have the glove I used back then but I have to admit it's got some mildew, and I know that's at least one strike against me.
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