Baseball Field & Equipment
When you think of how a baseball glove is made, you could be like me and picture a long assembly line filled with machines and little human interaction.
But astonishingly, with all of today's technology, the baseball glove is 90% handmade from start to finish.
The leather is cut out from a giant piece of leather that looks almost like a giant Mario Brother's costume piece.
The glove itself consists of two pieces of leather that is shell and one that is the liner, padding, glue and stitching.
After the two leather pieces are cut, the padding is added. Parts of the glove are cut, woven like a basket and then glued to the shell of the glove.
After the glue is set, the most entrancing part of the process is started, the hand stitching.
There is no machine that can complete the hand stitching portion of the glove making and the stitching takes as much as two hours to complete. But what you end up with is something that looks nothing like a costume Mario glove.
So the next time you are at the store and see a glove listed for $20, perhaps you will be able to appreciate the time and effort that went into making this piece of art.
Watch the video on how baseball gloves are made after the jump....
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Baseball season is right around the corner and to celebrate, we are featuring some of our favorite articles that make this game so great.
A crack of the bat during a baseball game is a traditional classic sound that can give goosebumps to anyone from a small child to a baseball historian. These pieces of wood used to hit baseballs are often over looked as just pieces of equipment rather than works of art from a master craftsman.
This past weekend I took a trip to Orlando where I visited the Team Mickey store in Downtown Disney. At this store was an area where you could have your own custom bat made right before your very eyes.
You can choose from all the different qualitites of bats and the prices range from $50 to around $80. You are allowed to customize 3 lines of text as well as pick out your own clip art.
The best part about having a custom bat made is watching the master craftsman perform his art. It was truely amazing and I invite you to watch the following videos that show how a bat is made from start to finish right before you eyes at this awesome store.
Hit the title/read more to see a detailed explanations of the baseball field of play...
no commentsAll fielders are allowed to wear a glove, which they use to catch the ball. They cannot catch a ball with their clothing, and the first baseman and catcher are allowed to wear bigger gloves than other players.
The catcher will also wear various knee guards, chest pads and a face protector in case he's hit by a baseball.
The Ball
The ball in baseball is about the size of a fist and white (though other colors can be used) with red lacing. Softball uses a white or yellow ball (usually) about the size of two fists with white lacing.
The Bat
The bat is an offensive tool, either made of wood or aluminum depending on the game being played. It is a long, hard stick, about 2inches in diameter, except at the handle, which is about 1 inch.
Watch how a wooden bat is made
The Glove
The glove or mitt is a defensive tool, made of leather, worn on the player’s hand to aid in catching the ball. It takes various shapes to meet the unique needs of the defensive position of the player.
