Baseball Glove Repairs - An Interview with Doctor Glove,
The Best Friend Any Baseball Glove Ever Had
Baseball glove repair and relacing is what Doctor Glove is all
about, and for over 25 years people have been relying on him to
give new life to their old baseball or softball glove. Doctor
Glove, who is known as "The Best Friend Any Baseball Glove Ever
Had," recently talked about the art and craft of baseball and
softball glove repair.
"When it comes to glove repairs, I like to think I can fix
anything and everything. I haven't been proved wrong yet, but I
guess there's always a first time," Doctor Glove laughed. "Over
the years I've been asked to fix just about every imaginable type
of problem in a glove - but I'm careful to say that I haven't
seen everything yet because every time I do, someone brings me a
glove that's been 'critically injured' in some new way."
Doctor Glove has an almost cult-like following among his loyal
client base in Southern California, but thanks to his website
(http://www.DoctorGlove.com) he also gets gloves shipped to him
from all around the world.
Relacing, sometimes called re-stringing, is the most common need,
says the Doctor, because the rawhide laces used in gloves only
last for a few seasons before weakening, stretching and breaking.
He said, “Most of the rips and tears I see in gloves happened
because the owner had worn-out, stretched laces and didn’t
replace them when he should have.”
When asked about glove repairs, Doctor Glove said, "I fix a lot
of routine problems like rips and tears, or maybe some stitching
that's come undone, or maybe someone wants to replace the
original padding or put in additional padding. Some clients come
to me complaining about their glove being limp or ‘floppy,’ and
most of the time that’s because the plastic inserts that are in
the thumb and pinkie padding have broken. I make a new plastic
insert and ‘bingo,’ that problem is solved – I’ve put the ‘snap’
back in their old glove.”
"Many of my clients have been using their glove for 10, 20, 30
years or more and would not dream of buying a new one. Maybe it
was a special gift, or maybe it was handed down from father to
son, or maybe they wore that glove in a championship game, or it
has some other special memory associated with it. People become
attached to their glove the same way some people become attached
to their old cars - it would kill them to get rid of it," the
Doctor said.
The Story Behind The Slogan
Doctor Glove’s slogan is “The Best Friend Any Baseball Glove Ever
Had,” and he told the story behind the slogan. The Doctor said,
“I've fixed a lot of gloves that were chewed up or mauled by
dogs, and I’ve been telling people for years that dogs may be
man’s best friend, but they’re also his glove's worst enemy.
Well, after I fixed a glove for a guy whose dog had eaten the
wrist strap and webbing of his favorite glove, the guy said, “If
a dog is a glove’s worst enemy, then you’re a glove’s best
friend, in fact, you're the absolute best friend any baseball
glove ever had!”
Customizing Gloves: Strengthening and Additional Finger Lacing
Doctor Glove talked about another specialty of his work,
customizing gloves. "I do a lot of 'custom strengthening' work –
that’s when the owner feels his glove is too weak or flimsy and
thinks the lacing will break too easily, even if the glove has
new laces. A lot of glove manufacturers use 3/16 inch laces in
places where they really should have used 1/4 inch laces, which
are much, much stronger.”
"A lot of times, my 'custom strengthening' jobs are brand new
gloves that have barely been broken in - the owner likes the feel
and look of the new glove, but not the strength, toughness or
durability. What I do to strengthen a glove is add laces as
needed to the webbing or pocket area, by either doubling or
tripling the existing lacing, or adding a new lace course (and
making holes as necessary). When I 'custom strengthen' a glove, I
imagine how strong I would want the glove to be if I had to catch
Randy Johnson fastballs!"
"Another type of customization I am frequently asked to do is
adding a lace run through the four fingers of an infielder's or
outfielder's glove (catcher's glove and first baseman's gloves
don't have fingers). In most gloves, there is only one run of
lacing connecting the fingers (criss-crossing at the very top of
the glove). Some high-end gloves have a second lace run
connecting the four fingers about midway up the fingers between
the palm and the top finger lace. This second finger lace run
adds a little strength, but more than that it helps a glove hold
its form and shape."
"Gloves that I have "custom strengthened" or added a new lace run
though the fingers serve a functional purpose plus they look
great! The owner has increased confidence in his ability to catch
anything and everything that comes his way, and he also can
proudly show off his customized, individualized glove."
Women’s and Girls Softball Gloves
The latest ‘rage’ in Southern California girls’ softball leagues
is a Doctor Glove creation, using designer eyelets instead of the
traditional round brass or black eyelets. “I can add pastel
colors, or bright vibrant team colors, or even eyelets in fun
shapes like hearts and daisies. I’ve even done ‘patriotic’ gloves
with red, white and blue star eyelets. When gloves are
manufactured they use just a few eyelets (also called grommets),
but I can put them anywhere on the glove.”
“There’s no reason why a woman or girl has to leave her
femininity in the locker room when she’s playing softball, and I
help her make a fashion statement with her glove.”
Doctor Glove Invents Glove Potion® Leather Products
"I'm always been creative when it comes to fixing a major
problem, and I believe in the old saying, 'necessity is the
mother of invention.' Remember how 'The Professor' on the old TV
show Gilligan's Island could make just about anything out of
absolutely nothing? Well, that's they way I am with gloves -
finding ways to make even the most difficult of repairs and
inventing tools to get the job done.”
“Anyway, I developed Glove Potion® and Glove Potion #9® cleaners,
restorers, conditioners and protectors for glove leather because
I wasn't happy with any of the other available products. Maybe
someday I'll get rich with the royalties from my Glove Potion®
and Glove Potion #9® (when we start selling it at places like
Wal-Mart and big sporting goods stores)."
Doctor Glove Guarantees His Work
"All of my work comes with an unconditional one year guarantee -
if one of my repairs doesn't hold up for at least a year, or even
if a lace breaks, I'll repair the glove for free.”
For more information, visit Doctor Glove's Internet website
www.DoctorGlove.com or call him at (818) 521-5626.
Owen VanAlden, the author of many books and articles on training,
organization and motivation in corporate America, is an ardent
baseball fan and sports memorabilia collector, especially
baseball gloves. When not writing at his computer or speaking at
a training seminar, Mr. VanAlden is likely to be found at Dodger
Stadium rooting on his beloved Dodgers.
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