The game is named for the ball. It is pitched, thrown, tossed and caught. The ball is at the center of every aspect of the game, however, the tool used to catch the ball is the most endearing and intimate piece of equipment used in the game. Since emerging on the diamond, gloves and mitts have been personalized and tactile from the shape, feel of the leather, and the scent of the hide, all of it creates and connotes memories that last a lifetime.
“A baseball glove is one of the few gifts you can give a six-year-old, 16-year-old or 60-year-old, and have them equally excited.” – Baseballism
Gloves and mitts are significant artifacts that help tell the story of the game in the armed forces. This area of the site is an attempt to document the gloves and mitts made for and used by service personnel. While a significant number of the gloves and mitts shown are part of the Chevrons and Diamonds Collection, we will also use this part of the site to document what was available for service personnel from the earliest days of the 20th century to the Vietnam War era.
Gloves and Mitts:
- Military Fielding Leather
- Interwar (1919-1941)
- World War II and Post-War (1942-1949)
- Korean War-1959
- 1960s – Vietnam War
“It’s your glove, your baseball glove. It’s got a soul, a memory all its own, and a future that never fades because it has never let go of the grasp the past has on you and so many others.” – Mike Barnicle
Chevrons and Diamonds 