Telling a kid she needs a new glove?

[sluggers]

Have any of you ever told a player that she needs a new glove?

The kid is good, but her glove is holding her back. She has an old OF glove, but it is misshapen and floppy. She had trouble making with transfers.

There are cost issues, of course. No idea if it would be a burden on her family.

Any thoughts?

 

[Lemond]

I have asked the kid to see her glove "just to check it out," but really to assess its age, condition, size, style and brand. Hand it back to her asking how she likes it (to see how willing she is to make a switch) and letting her know it's a great glove. The other thing to assess is if it is a definite starter glove, a sibling hand-me-down, or a parent hand-me-down. I think the latter is the hardest to deal with because you have sentimental attachment for both the kid and the parent. Had a 1B player using mom's college glove, it was way too big for her at the time, and had seen better days, but there was no prying it out of her DD's hands, and mom was so proud to have it being gamed again by her DD. She played it pretty well, so no one ever pushed the issue.

Then comes the art, casually speaking to the parents away from the kid if she is even mildly attached to it, but with her there if she is eager to get new gear (most kids seem to always be happy with their current glove, no matter how ratty it is). Let the parents know honestly that their DD has exceeded the performance level (and/or outgrown) her current glove. Tread lightly for financial concerns and sentimentality, but most parents are more than willing to listen to targeted ways that can make their DD shine brighter!

If they are not very glove savvy, offer to help with advice to pick one out and even to help break it in. (Then send them promptly to @ANNASDAD for his most recent sales brochure ) If there are financial concerns, suggest going with them to PIAS to browse, or your org may have some decent hand me downs that would be at least be a step up. At least let them know that there are fiscally responsible options online that you have access to.

If they are SB gear junkies, bring them something that smells of fresh Horween, and turn them loose at your local Rawlings outlet.

The caution is that I have seen a few parents readily accept the advice, run down to Big 5 (we don't have DCG here), and buy a horrible glove that has DD beaming with joy. So give them something to go on up front.

 

[flash277]

My DD needed a new glove last year. Her old glove was loose and floppy, but she didn't want a new one, keep fighting me on it. She was playing her first game of JV at SS when a line drive came right at her. She put up her glove and caught it, but the ball flopped the glove and rolled into the OF. She glanced at me and I gave her that look, she got a new glove the next day. Wilson A2000, great glove, but took a long time to break in.

 

[Towny9]

I usually have a few extra gloves around in different sizes that I have accumulated over the years for girls to try out at practice. Then I usually try to steer them in the right direction like @Lemond said above. I too have suggested a new glove only to have the parent buy the kid something even worse than they had before!

 

[_MIA_]

No idea if it would be a burden on her family.

The bleeding heart which is me would want to get an idea about this before I decided how to handle it. The last thing I would want to do is make a kid feel bad. If you realize cost is going to be an issue and if you were really nice , you could do some leg work up front to see if you could find some nice used gloves and then proceed from there.

 

[cnardone]

What about mentioning it to the parent on the side? I had to do this last year. Luckily, it was the 3rd year with this girl so I know the parents pretty well, and I know that a new glove will not be a hardship.

 

[ANNASDAD]

Have any of you ever told a player that she needs a new glove?

The kid is good, but her glove is holding her back. She has an old OF glove, but it is misshapen and floppy. She had trouble making with transfers.

There are cost issues, of course. No idea if it would be a burden on her family.

Any thoughts?

Hey sluggers, yes I have, and over the last 6 or 7 years, I've probably had that talk with the kids parents 30 times? And probably a third of those I offered to help with expense, I knew who I was talking to and knew their situation.

Of that 30 (which I'm actually guessing on that number) I'd say 75 to 80% actually bought the glove I recommended. And my talk with them was always 100% safety based, not worried about style here, I love for pitchers & 3B to keep their teeth and faces intact!

A 3B with a completely worn out, too small pancake.....NO!
An outfielder with a too small glove, or in reverse, a small outfielder using their dad's 13" trashcan.....NO!

Anna's last TB coach in 18U (excellent coach!!) would have the girls stand in a circle around her, have them hold their gloves at shoulder height and drop them and take a step back. She would walk around, look at the gloves and say "you need a new glove!" "and you need a new glove!"

I saw her do this several times, even when Anna was younger and would practice with the older team, or this coach would run a practice for them or help with a camp. And it was ALWAYS safety AND performance based, she would explain how a stiffer glove was used as protection and how a proper pocket helped with everything performance related!

Of course she was my kind of coach and she never once told Anna she needed a new glove! In fact the last time she did this little demonstration, Anna and just one other were told they didn't need a new glove on that entire team!

If you see an issue, I think it's perfectly fine, even a good idea to say something to the player and the parents!

 

[Gags]

If cost is an issue, ask her to learn to throw lefty. (I joke, b/c I was just able to pick up what I'm hoping was a steal of a deal on a Mizuno from Walmart.com for my LH daughter).

I need to send that email around to my 10U team - at least 3 of them are still on a starter-level glove.

I think someone mentioned PIAS (Play It Again Sports) either in this thread or another recent one. I finally found one while returning from a business trip, and while the selection was impressive of both used and new items, I wasn't finding any real "deals" - used bats like an LXT were still labeled $200+, and the glove prices in the used bin were much higher than expected given the very worn condition most of them were in. Basically, the used gloves were around the same price level as brand new ones that are on clearance from sites like just ball gloves, baseball monkey, etc. I know many members have found good deals there, and the used catchers gear seemed to have the best bargains. I just wasn't seeing it with the bats and gloves at this particular store.

 

[Hawk_]

Yes I have. I have always treaded lightly when having these convos. As someone who grew up dirt floor poor I know the struggles of wanting/needing something new and not being able to get it at the moment.
Usually I take a look at the girls glove and maybe even suggest they use mine for the rest of practice to see if it's better. Usually parents notice if I do something like that (my glove is bright red). I"ll sometimes say something alongs the line of, "yeah it would be better if they had (fill in the blank) glove cause of (whatever reason). But she can use mine for now."

Myself buying my daughter a A2000 for third and then her stupid coach (me) puts her at 1st all of the time. Now I need to get her a 1st base mitt.....life is hard.

 

[uncdrew]

Many of us have extra gloves (and bats and cleats, and everything else) because we buy too much. I try very hard to give away everything we don't need. I usually offer it to the whole team, with hopes a certain family takes me up on it. Often the girl you know needs a new glove is the one who takes it. Phrased correctly, it protects all the feeling crap from being an issue. I'm not good with feeling crap.