Do you have a baseball or softball player in the house gearing up for the spring season? Lots of gear and lots of prep work, right?! Well, if your player is in the market for a new glove or has already bought a new glove, I’ve got some fun news for you. Dick’s Sporting Goods, one of THE best places to go in the QC to be diamond-ready, is hosting the super-cool (but actually really hot ;-)) Mizuno Glove Steaming Week (developed by Mizuno) to get baseball ready as quickly as possible.
My 10-year-old baseball player and I headed to Dick’s last week with a brand new Mizuno glove (thank you, Mizuno!!) to check out this steamer – we had NO idea what to expect, but the minute we got there, the Dick’s Sporting Goods Glo Pros were so incredibly helpful. Here’s a before shot:
Now, I think we all know I am no baseball aficionado (I actually just learned the definition of RBI last season, and it takes me waaaay too long to do the math in most games), so instead of going out on a limb and explaining in my own words the reasons for this glove steamer technology, I asked the pros at Mizuno, and here’s what they said:
Major League players agree, the best way to break in a glove is a combination of heat and pressure. Developed in Japan, the Mizuno Glove Steamer applies both steam heat and pressure without the at-home risk of melting the rawhide or burning yourself (like in the microwave!). The glove is game ready in a matter of minutes, which we know is important with kids’ lack of patience 🙂 As baseball/softball season starts we want kids to be ready to go as soon as they step onto the field without the fear of a too stiff glove for those first tryouts and practices.
Yep, the above is totally accurate. Our Dick’s Sporting Goods Glove Pro slid my son’s brand new glove into the Glove Steamer (set to a whopping 165 degrees Celsius) for several seconds:
And when it came out, it was all bendy and loosened up (just like me after a hot yoga class). The Glove Pro proceeded to mold and shape the hot glove. Here’s what it looked like in action:
Whew. Thank goodness this was him and not me – he totally got his work out in on that glove! I can’t imagine doing this over and over again at home – it would take forever! Plus, there’s enough noise in my house with my gaggle – I really don’t want to add “beating molding a baseball glove” to our symphony. Seriously. Headache just thinking about it. Thank goodness for this Mizuno Glove Steamer.
He repeated the process a few more times – glove in the Glove Steamer, then the molding process. He’d come up for air after each rotation and ask my son to try it on to see how it felt. Seems these gloves are a mighty personal decision – who knew?
So, when it was all said and done, my son had a VERY custom Mizuno glove within minutes (about 10 minutes to be exact, but times will vary). That’s really the reason for this Glove Steamer. According to Mizuno: The Glove Steamer process includes custom fitting the glove to your preference so your glove is ready, fit to your needs, in a matter of minutes as opposed to weeks or months.
Totally true – he was in the backyard that night playing catch with his dad (he knows better than to ask me :-)).
In case you don’t know much about Mizuno, here’s a bit by them about their craftsmanship and quality:
All Mizuno gloves are still made by our master craftsman in Japan. Each glove is hand stitched; from the Mizuno Pro to the Mizuno Prospect. With this careful craftsmanship in mind, it makes sense to break in your glove the right way, specifically for you, so you’ll love playing with it for years to come.
The Mizuno Glove Steamer event is going on all week long at local Dick’s Sporting Goods. We were at the SouthPark Dick’s – call ahead to make sure the one you’re going to is participating. Click here for pricing information.
See you in the baseball stands! I’ll be the mom cheering REALLY loudly (and with a very sharp cheerleader clap – I do have some sports skills ;-)).
Mizuno Glove Steaming Week
Dick’s Sporting Goods around Charlotte
March 4-13
Mizuno Baseball
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