How Has The Softball Glove Changed Over The Years - T-Tees - Your Answers Await, Life's Questions Unraveled

Before you hit the softball diamond, check your equipment. It might be outdated.

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If you are still toting that wooden Louisville Slugger, someone will probably sit you down, tell you how the game has changed and bring you up to date on softball’s high-tech and high-priced gear.

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In the last 10 years softball equipment has gone through many changes. There are composite bats that can help you hit the ball farther. You can buy a glove close to the size of first base to help improve your fielding. You can even buy a major-league-type uniform that can make you look like you can play.

BATS. Keith Cobb, who works at Islander Hardware & Sporting Goods in Poquoson, said the most expensive piece of equipment people buy is a bat.

”When I started playing back in the mid ’80s, the Bombat was one of the original aluminum bats. At that time, it was the top-of-the-line and it cost about $35,” said Cobb, who plays for Hazelwood Plumbing’s team in the Williamsburg slo-pitch league. ”Now, even for the person who is just starting, they’ll pay between $80 and $120 for one.”

The new bats are covered with a thin layer of a higher grade of aluminum, graphite or graphite and carbon composites. All those ingredients can help improve your game with even one not-so-mighty swing.

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”The metals are more forgiving and the ball springs off it and gives a trampoline effect,” said John Roberts, owner of Islander Hardware & Sporting Goods. ”The bats are much lighter than they were 10 and 15 years ago.”

Some of the high-tech bats have cores or sweet spots that are filled with either liquid or a urethane plastic. The urethane-core Worth Powercell bat is one of the best-selling bats at her store, said Kerrie DelGreco of Legends Sporting Goods in Patrick Henry Mall.

Even for the recreational player, one bat often is not enough.

”One guy on my team brings three bats and starts out swinging with the heavy bat and progresses down to the lightest one,” Cobb said.

Even though the bats sound impressive, they may be prone to damage because of their thin outer layer. George Stephenson, a salesman at Bill’s Sport Center in Grafton, said some companies do not guarantee the bats against cracks or dents. Even so, Stephenson said, those people willingly replace the bats because of the difference it makes in their games.

”I’ve heard of people who have bought them and increased their hitting power, but over time the bat will dent or crack,” Stephenson said.

SOFTBALLS. What’s a bat without a ball? There are many different sizes and types of balls.

* Size: Newport News women’s leagues use a ball 11 inches in circumference. Hampton and Newport News men’s leagues use a 12-inch ball.

* Type: The type of ball used differs among the different types of leagues, tournaments and governing bodies of the sport. The NSA (National Softball Association) uses the white-stitched or black-stitched ball. The USSSA (U.S. Softball Slo-pitch Association) uses a blue-stitched ball and the ASA (Amateur Softball Association) uses a red-stitched ball.

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The difference between the balls is in the size of the core. Because the red-stitched ball has a smaller core than the blue, white and black, it won’t travel as far as the other ones, Cobb said.

GLOVES. No matter how far the ball travels, chances are the new style and size of the fielding gloves will keep it within arm’s reach. Some of the gloves are a foot long and have a huge pocket.

”It’s almost like a bread basket,” Cobb said. ”Since softball has become more popular the trend for gloves has been towards bigger and better.”

There are also different styles such as closed webbing and open webbing, open back or closed back and different colors.

CLEATS. Cleats are also a popular item for the recreational player and start around $35 depending on low-cut, mid-cut or high-top design. If you are still wearing your white cleats, you may want to spray paint them black, since Cobb said that is now the color of choice.

WHAT TO BRING

BASICS EXTRAS

* Bat * Equipment bag

* Ball * Baseball hat

* Glove * Batting glove

* Cleats * Sweatbands

* Socks * Sunglasses

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Category: HOW