Glove Affair: Bigger Is No Longer Better

It was Tuesday, May 1. Mayday for mitts.

The major league rule book was dusted off, and beginning Tuesday, an old rule was enforced. For the rest of the season, no glove can measure more than 12 inches from heel to tip.

“I don’t see any sense in it,” said St. Louis Manager Whitey Herzog before Tuesday’s game between the Padres and Cardinals at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Neither does Padre Manager Jack McKeon.

“I’m more worried about catching the ball,” McKeon said. “I’ve got a hell of a lot more to be concerned with than gloves.”

Herzog and McKeon each said they will not ask umpires to check gloves.

The rule will affect outfielders more than infielders, because outfielders use larger gloves in an attempt to snare fly balls that may otherwise be out of their reach. First basemen use large mitts, but other infielders use smaller ones so they can get the ball out quickly.

So, there were outfielder Willie McGee and infielder Ozzie Smith in the St. Louis clubhouse. Smith was cackling.

Smith: “You’re glove is illegal.”

McGee: “No, it isn’t. I measured it.”

Yes, that’s what it has come down to. Measurements. Umpires now come complete with tape measures.

But we already knew it was a game of inches, right?

“It’s something the rules committee obviously felt had to be enforced,” said Bruce Froemming, crew chief and home plate umpire for Tuesday’s game. “They felt that the gloves had gotten out of hand with size.”

Froemming quickly added that he didn’t think it was a big deal.

“What is happening is a bigger deal is being made out of it than need be,” he said. “I can’t see anybody asking about gloves. There won’t be any big scenes. We’ll (check) between innings.”

If a player is found with an illegal glove, the umpires will rule that he can’t use it anymore. It will not be confiscated. If the player uses it later in the game, he will be ejected.

That’s it. You will not be seeing a game-saving, ninth-inning catch being taken away.

“That’s Disneyland stuff,” Froemming said with a sniff. “That’s not going to happen.”

Players have been preparing for this day for a long time. McGee said he started breaking a new glove in during spring training and has been working with it during batting practice.

“Yeah, I measured it, man,” McGee said. “You want to know what’s legal and what’s not.”

But he said he didn’t use his new glove until Tuesday night.

“I’m not real confident in it,” he said. “You think about hitting a fastball, change-up, slider and sinker, then you’ve got to think about a glove.

“It takes a year or so to get used to. You use something so long, it’s like a part of you. You don’t know it’s there.”

Padre outfielder Tony Gwynn said he and Joe Carter both started using smaller, 12-inch gloves during spring training because they knew the rule was coming. The American and National leagues sent notices to each team that the rule would be enforced.

“I’m ready,” Gwynn said.

He said his old model measured 12 3/4 inches.

“It takes awhile to get used to,” he said. “I haven’t had to try any shoestring catches, but the first couple of spring training games, I was a little hesitant with it.”

With a difference of three-quarters of an inch?

“Three-quarters of an inch with a glove is a lot,” Gwynn said. “Not only on the long side, but on the wide side, too. You can feel it.”