Glove Affairs: The Romance, History, and Tradition of the Baseball Glove
How is it that Larry King remembers every detail about his first baseball glove, but Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith can't recall a thing about his? Such is the mystery of the baseball glove, a simple piece of sporting equipment that is both functional and, for reasons that are hard to pin down, often unforgettable. This handsome and smartly illustrated history of fielder's gloves is rich with information about and appreciation for the game. Lieberman explains how ballplayers were once thought unmanly if they used gloves to field thrown and batted balls and how big-leaguers vary in their approach to picking out and maintaining fielder's gloves; New York Yankee Derek Jeter opts for a new glove at the start of every season, but former Baltimore Oriole Brooks Robinson, probably the greatest defensive third baseman ever, would use his "until it was ragged." Lieberman's book does not require any intellectual heavy lifting, but with plenty of archival photos and a bundle of funny anecdotes, it gives readers an amiable way to welcome the new season.Kevin CanfieldCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved