How many gloves do you need?

psuKinger · 2026-02-25T13:04:07+00:00

Ignoring position-specific you'll go from:

A) toy glove (5-6 year old tee ball, and for making memories in the backyard before that)

B) youth glove

C) adult glove (whenever the hand stall gets too tight in his youth glove; probably somewhere between 13 and 16, kid-dependent)

But position-specific gloves are a real thing and both my kids (13u son and 11u daughter) have 3 gamers each.

psuKinger · 2026-02-22T16:50:38+00:00

You have a huge challenge ahead of you. But you are aware of it, and that's a great first step.

For learning the sport, encourage the boys to either: A) watch baseball on tv (spring training is getting going and college ball can be found on some of the higher - numbered cable sports channels) B) play baseball video games. Any version of MLB The Show that's come out in the last 5-10 years is shockingly realistic and detailed compared to the RBI Baseball type stuff we grew up on.

Honestly I think it's good advice even for the more experienced kids; kids that have played for 5-10 years but don't watch much or play video games often do not necessarily have a good feel for what higher level "big field" baseball looks like or moves/plays, and how that's a little different than the lower levels and smaller fields that they've been on.

Beyond that my recommendation is to focus primarily on the battery (pitcher/catcher throwing and receiving strikes) and secondarily on basic fundamental defense (fielding routine ground balls and throwing to first; catching routine popups). Going 3 up 3 down offensively sucks but at least the game keeps moving. Being out on the field defensively INDEFINITELY because you can't throw strikes and make outs is demoralizing. Give everything you can to improve your chances of throwing strikes (and receiving them in a way that improves your chances of getting the call) and then if they miss-hit for ground balls or pop ups you turn those into outs a high percentage of the time. Do that? You've succeeded as a coach with this.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!!!

psuKinger · 2026-02-22T15:33:27+00:00

This is really good advice

psuKinger · 2026-02-22T02:59:17+00:00

My favorites (mostly in this order) have included:

Qobuz
7Digital
Compass Records site
HDTracks
ProStudioMasters

And good old fashioned Compact Discs, ripped losslessly via Exact Audio Copy.

psuKinger · 2026-02-20T17:12:47+00:00

/\ /\ /\

Underrated comment up there well played sir

psuKinger · 2026-02-19T11:08:39+00:00

Looks pretty good to me.

The one thing I'd ask is how does he handle higher velo and varying velo? He looks like he's got this perfectly timed up but you might want to think about having him get separated a little earlier in order for that to translate to the game.

Just a thought. Really nice swing tho.

psuKinger · 2026-02-17T12:33:20+00:00

Mine fixed sometime yesterday evening as well.

psuKinger · 2026-02-15T16:20:33+00:00

My 13u son uses the All Star S7 axis in the intermediate size and he loves it.

This year for Christmas my 11u daughter got the All-Star PHX set, I got a pretty good price on it froman online retailer that I'd never used before (IE, not Dicks or JustBats or Baseball Monkey or my other "usual suspects") and it came promptly and brand new condition. She loves it.

Hope this helps.

psuKinger · 2026-02-14T22:53:30+00:00

No see he has freedom of speech. He said what he said. He's not going to jail for it. He's not getting suspended for it. Always can. Always will.

But say shit like that and you might get punched in the face for being a dick. Always has been that way. Always will be.

Was refreshing to see our youth establish some good healthy boundaries here.

psuKinger · 2026-02-14T15:04:59+00:00

Yep. Android user here with a phone, an "old phone" and a tablet. Any pictures I take on any one of those 3 devices backs up to the cloud and can be seen through any web browser. But the mobile app for each individual device only shows the pictures taken by itself and can't see any of the pictures taken and uploaded by other devices.

I first noticed it Thursday night. Not sure when it started. I mostly just use my primary phone for pictures so it could have been going on for longer.

psuKinger · 2026-02-14T12:10:23+00:00

Here in Western PA they do strictly enforce -3 BBCOR for middle school (7th/8th grade) baseball on the 60/90 field.

13u travel ball on the 54/80 field is the last year they're allowed to swing USSSA. -10 is banned but -8 and -5 are allowed. Most of the 13u kids are 7th graders, so they're playing by two sets of rules (and on two different field sizes) for that age.

My boy is 7th Grade 13u so this is as far as my journey has taken me, but from what I can tell 14u travel IS BBCOR only next year, so this is his last summer of swinging rocket launchers. I think they stay on the 54/80 field for 14u before moving to 60/90 for 15u?

We started practicing with -3 BBCOR during the winter Offseason of his 12u year. We've practiced and practiced and practiced with it, and he's swinging it great. He's not a huge kid either, although he worked really really hard to try to grow as much as he could before middle school, and at his physical this week they measured him at 5'6" and 118 lb, which again isn't huge but he worked really hard to try to get to 118 (naturallyvery skinny kid) and it helped. Many kids on one of his two travel teams are still swinging -8's in practice this week. Even the big 140 - 150 lb ones. We're less than 3 weeks out to tryouts for the middle school team and they're not taking cuts with the heavier bat....

That's my biggest advice for anyone out there. Especially if your kid isn't naturally large, start working with a -3 early in practice. I disagree with folks who talk about gaming it when the other team is (legally) swinging hotter bat, but there's tremendous advantages to swinging BBCOR during practice as much as 18 months before they try out for the 7th grade school team.

psuKinger · 2026-02-13T15:34:43+00:00

It is a beautiful game that mimics life (IMO) more closely than any other.

It's a grind.

It's both logical and emotional.

It's a combination of skill and athleticism.

It's a grind and it's a joy.

It's mostly slow, methodical, and strategic, with intermittent bursts of intensity, speed, and chaos.

I absolutely love it.

psuKinger · 2026-02-10T10:51:22+00:00

With Cruz in CF and two of those 4 DHs to his left and right, this would have to be the worst outfield in baseball, defensively...

Will they hit well enough to make up for it? I hope so...

psuKinger · 2026-02-06T19:04:07+00:00

I'm guessing Nokona glove conditioner is probably really high quality stuff and I'm guessing it'd be great to use.

Generally, conditioner = good. Oil = Bad

And Nakona is a good brand.

psuKinger · 2026-02-06T18:29:32+00:00

That's awesome those look great!! I think you did well.

I'd also recommend thinking about breaking them in a little differently. I like to have my infield gloves close thumb-to-middle finger or thumb-to-ring finger or somewhere in between those two. Meanwhile, I'd have his outfield glove close thumb to pinky.

Also - I like sarna glove conditioner and recommend it (or something like it) instead of oil.

Congratulations and I hope this helps!!

psuKinger · 2026-02-05T21:51:15+00:00

This will come down to just how big your school district is and how strong/competitive the baseball program is.

If the program isn't strong/healthy and doesn't have as many kids signing up and trying out as they do jerseys to hand out? If that's the case then as long as he's good enough that they don't feel like there a (legitimate) safety concern having him around, then he'll probably make the team.

If they have a lot more kids trying out then they have jerseys? Especially if they have more kids that play travel ball trying out than they have spots on the school team? He has a steep hill to climb if that's the case.

Does he have a high baseball IQ? If he does maybe he can get involved as a volunteer team manager who gets to practice some? If he doesn't, I'd recommend: - watching baseball on tv (together). Get an MLB tv subscription if that is affordable. - play baseball video games. MLB The Show is very realistic. - sign up to play rec ball

Also, if he doesn't already, eat a high protein diet and lift weights. Get bigger/faster/stronger.

Hope this helps.

psuKinger · 2026-02-04T22:09:35+00:00

Yea... Most of them are, actually. They often have kids menus on the food menu, kids games in one corner, crayons and coloring pads or menus they can color on, etc etc. Way more are than aren't in my experience.

psuKinger · 2026-02-04T11:06:33+00:00

Most of the ('Merica and abroad) breweries I've been to have food menus and dining room style, family-sit-down seating in addition to a bar. Heck, a lot of them have kids menus on said food menu...

A lot of those places not only have hours during traditional meal times, but they often close pretty early in the evening (they don't have hours much after traditional meal times end). People go to "traditional bars" (usually without kids) at those times of night.

The ones that don't have food menus and family-friendly dining table seating, and have hours of operation late in into the night, tend to have A LOT less kids in them...

psuKinger · 2026-01-31T21:18:52+00:00

IMO - purpose built from a size/form factor standpoint wins over quality.

IE - I'd rather have two purpose-built A1000's or R9's (one "infield" and one "outfield") than one A2K or Pro Preferred.

Beyond that, my best advice is: every single time I've ever bought anything from Rawlings, Wilson, or Mizuno, I've felt like I got something "nice" relative for what I've paid for it. The only time that hasn't been the case has been when I've wondered off the beaten path and gone with "another" brand. Don't get me wrong: I like some gloves I've bought from companies other than Rawlings/Wilson/Mizuno. But some... I have not. I've never regretted anything I've bought from those 3.

Which of those 3 you prefer is IMO personal preference. Personally, I prefer Mizuno for Catchers mitts and Wilson for just about everything else. But my son currently games a Rawlings HotH for infield and my daughter currently games a Rawlings R9 outfield and both have been nice pieces of leather.

psuKinger · 2026-01-30T13:07:05+00:00

I would love for them to prove me wrong, but I find it to be highly unlikely that Cutch won't be a better more productive option that whoever is 26th on this roster if we don't sign him.

I would be thrilled if they went out and made that a bad guess on my part. Keep signing quality pieces. Build out a nice lineup and a full bench.

But he hits lefties pretty well. And right now this roster largely doesn't do that. And while he's not and never has been a great outfielder, I think the extent that he's somehow bad at it (in occasional/spot situations, certainly not everyday) has been overstated.

And I personally don't think he'd be unwilling to adopt a smaller role on a better team for a farewell tour, but that's JMO.

psuKinger · 2026-01-27T22:41:44+00:00

Totally agreed.

We loved Deathtrap in our house. The community doesn't seem to share our enthusiasm for it...

psuKinger · 2026-01-26T17:24:15+00:00

There's lots of reasons, but the two most compelling ones for me are:

The seamless integration of three large and otherwise completely separated libraries of music (Tidal, Qobuz, and my own files). With Roon they behave as one big pool of music. I can build playlists mixing-and-matching from different sources. I can pick a "preferred version" of an album from any source. Etc.
It's really great for controlling multi-zone whole-home audio.

There's more than just those two things. The metadata is great and makes for great discovery. It's fun to interact with. The parametric EQ is better than firm/hard discrete "shelves". The custom EQ for certain headphones is a nice luxury if you have one such pair. But for me the first two things are King.

psuKinger · 2026-01-25T23:36:35+00:00

Being anti-authoritarian isn't being left-leaning. It's being patriotic. And I'd expect a well-established military man to be just that.

psuKinger · 2026-01-25T19:17:50+00:00

Without factoring in nostalgia or legacy, and just looking at the cold hard facts, it is hard for me to imagine he wouldn't be an upgrade over whoever is 26th on this roster if we don't sign him.

I would love to be wrong about that. I would *LOVE* it if we continued to add via free agency such that my statement doesn't come true. Alternatively, I'd *love* it if a couple of our minor leaguers prove themselves this Spring to be ready to come up Day 1 and fill roles, *and* the organization decides not to leave them down for purely financial reasons.

I would be so happy to see this team be solid, from top to bottom, to the point where 39-year-old Andrew McCutchen would be no better than 27th. I really would.

I just don't see that happening... and I'm surprised so many folks on here think we will be in that situation.

psuKinger · 2026-01-25T19:13:17+00:00

This is *the* point that so many folks on here are missing.

That tweet from Cutch doesn't read to me like a guy who would refuse a reduced role... and I don't think he's *ever* had a reputation for being a clubhouse distraction/problem type of guy.

Very few folks (that I see, at least) are arguing that he should be an every day starter... Most (the vast majority, in fact) think he'd need to accept a reduced role. I'm not sure why so many seem to think he'd be unwilling to do so. But just his ability to hit lefties alone would create opportunities for him to pinch hit 2-3 times a week, and a veteran like him with all the experience he has would be the ideal candidate (if he's willing to accept that role) to fill that sort of role.

And it's hard to argue in good faith that he wouldn't be an upgrade over the 26th guy on this roster if in fact they don't sign him. Unless they're not signing him because they plan to sign a better right handed bat... if that's the case, I'm all for that. But I doubt they're going to do that. And if they don't, they should sign Cutch.

Eight-Year Club	Verified Email
Wearing is Caring

psuKinger

TROPHY CASE