I was reading some clickbait article on the gloves major leaguers use. I know Nike has gotten into the glove and catcher gear business (big logo opps) and now their stuff is everywhere. But this got thinking about the old gear I used as a kid like black Riddell spikes, Rawlings gloves or the Blue Chip stamps special "Yaz" Spaulding model, or Chuck Taylors.

What gear did you get as a kid or youth, or even at Cal that you remember...for whatever reason. Any stories behind it? Or what did you hold on to? I only kept my baseball gloves, an old gym bag and one practice jersey from HS.

Or do you remember when Nike landed and how things changed. In the early 80s I remember the Nike reps going to track meets and giving gear away if you won.

Baseball was my only sport from ages 6-12. I started out with a hand-me-down glove from my cousin Glennie in Queens and it wasn't very nice. Every time I was in ANY store that had gloves, I would always try every one on. One day, I slipped on a Rawlings "Rick Reichardt" model glove and I had to have it, which involved a lot of pestering of my dad (who always gave in, in the end).

It lasted me through a youth of sporadic sand lot ball and recreational softball at Cal and beyond. Then, I forgot what I did with it. Twenty-five years later, when I coached my son's U6 team (three years ago), I HAD to find it, which I eventually did and I took a couple of hours during a "family movie night" to recondition it. I used it yesterday when my son and I played catch!

Another Bear said:

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I was reading some clickbait article on the gloves major leaguers use. I know Nike has gotten into the glove and catcher gear business (big logo opps) and now their stuff is everywhere. But this got thinking about the old gear I used as a kid like black Riddell spikes, Rawlings gloves or the Blue Chip stamps special "Yaz" Spaulding model, or Chuck Taylors.

What gear did you get as a kid or youth, or even at Cal that you remember...for whatever reason. Any stories behind it? Or what did you hold on to? I only kept my baseball gloves, an old gym bag and one practice jersey from HS.

Or do you remember when Nike landed and how things changed. In the early 80s I remember the Nike reps going to track meets and giving gear away if you won.

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Fun topic!

In baseball, when I was a kid, almost everyone wore Franklin batting gloves. Most wore white, preferably with the accent color being your team's color. For example:



A few others wore these Mizuno ones that Deion Sanders wore. These are not exactly them, but as close as I could find:



TPX bats became all the rage, especially white ones. Example:



(The listing on that one even called it "Vintage...from the mid 1990s"..hah.)

In basketball, lots of kids wore Jordan's exact knee sleeve (black with red interior folded down), even if they didn't have knee problems.



In football, everyone loved the big plastic chin strap, cowboy collars, and neck rolls.







When properly tucked in, the neck roll made you look particularly tough.

Big C, I had this crappy hand-me down Regent ball glove. In 6th grade I finally got to pick my own. So I picked the Rawling's Mark Belanger fastback model with the star web. Same deal, put it on, had to have it and it was very cool. I still have it somewhere.

GMP, I still have a pair of Franklin batting gloves. Okay not from back in the day but from 20 years ago when my BIL bought a few dozen for the nephew and his team.

I had old school Riddell black spikes, with the white collar to tighten them. I wore those for 2-3 years. I thought they were okay until kids started getting Adidas.

Baseball:
Rawlings glove, Brooks shoes, Louisville and H&B wooden bats, and Bike jock.

Onitsuka Tiger wrestling shoes. I coulda sworn they dropped the Onitsuka name when they became ASICS, but after a quick search it looks like the Onitsuka name has returned.

I still have a canvas Foot Locker small athletic bag I used throughout high school and at Cal.

When I got my first pair of Adidas Superstars (from Mary and Joe's in Albany) for JV basketball in 1970, they were a revelation. I still wore Converse All-Stars, but never again for a serious game. Never played LL baseball, but I did buy a pretty good glove (Spalding Mike Andrews) that was stolen from my garage 20+ years later. I got into running my last year at Cal and (because I had a friend who worked at the Nike store on . . . was it Center St in Berkeley?) I bought some white leather Cortez running shoes. I've never been brand-loyal when it comes to running shoes. Right now, and for the first time in 20 years, I wear Adidas.

Another Bear said:

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I was reading some clickbait article on the gloves major leaguers use. I know Nike has gotten into the glove and catcher gear business (big logo opps) and now their stuff is everywhere. But this got thinking about the old gear I used as a kid like black Riddell spikes, Rawlings gloves or the Blue Chip stamps special "Yaz" Spaulding model, or Chuck Taylors.

What gear did you get as a kid or youth, or even at Cal that you remember...for whatever reason. Any stories behind it? Or what did you hold on to? I only kept my baseball gloves, an old gym bag and one practice jersey from HS.

Or do you remember when Nike landed and how things changed. In the early 80s I remember the Nike reps going to track meets and giving gear away if you won.

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BB - tools of ignorance. Rawlings padded dinner plate and the standard catcher's garb of the day - mask, chest protector, Bike, and shin guards. Nothing much has changed except the glove. Oh, and Chuck Taylor high tops - no spikes til hs, then a bean ball ended my career (no batting helmets of any kind back then).

FB - leather helmet early, then plastic with no face mask. Plus, minimal shoulder pads and canvas pants with pockets for hip pads, thigh pads and knee padding. Sneakers only. 'Course, to me, the equipment was high cotton. I loved sandlot tackle the most. We wore nuthin' for that.

Naked football in the 1950's? You grew up in France?

joe amos yaks said:

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Naked football in the 1950's? You grew up in France?

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I was going to say something smart-ass about a little town in Indiana, but thought better of it.

Started Little League in late 50's. First glove was from Sears, a six-finger Bob Buhl model. Talk about obscure. Wooden bats, of course. The same Little League fields are still in use today, and I can take pride that I hit it just as hard then as they do now with the aluminum bats. Probably.

Freshman football in 1965, our school still had leather helmets as the athletic director was a former incredibly successful football coach who apparently thought it was still 1945. Broke my leg the first week of school, a blessing as I was tall, skinny and weak and didn't want to play anyway.

Basketball - short, tight, satin shorts and Chuck Taylors. Adidas, Puma, Nike, etc., were totally unknown.,

Baseball in the 50's-60's - Three finger mitt "Puddinhead Jones" autograph (seriously). Wooden bats, wool uniforms, metal spikes. Batting helmet? Head protection - an elastic strap that held two plastic ear protectors like today's wrestling head gear. Football? Suspension helmet, fiberglass, two bar facemasks for all positions except punters and QBs - single bar. It's incredible that we are still alive facing our 50th high school reunion this summer!

72CalBear said:

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Baseball in the 50's-60's - Three finger mitt "Puddinhead Jones" autograph (seriously). Wooden bats, wool uniforms, metal spikes. Batting helmet? Head protection - an elastic strap that held two plastic ear protectors like today's wrestling head gear. Football? Suspension helmet, fiberglass, two bar facemasks for all positions except punters and QBs - single bar. It's incredible that we are still alive facing our 50th high school reunion this summer!

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forgot about those 3 finger mitts. I had one - pinky and ring finger went in the same place. Useless. All gloves were overstuffed pillows in those days anyway.