Neat's-foot oil is best, if you
can find it. If not, any lanoline
based type will. Pour a half
teaspoon or so into the palm and
gently massage into the stiff leather
with your right hand (left, if you're
left-handed). It helps to have music
playing in the background, something
reverent, like "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"
or "Amazing Grace."
Work the slick stuff outward, rubbing
in clockwise circles (counterclockwise
for you southpaws), lavishing
special care on the laces and seams.
And don's forget the back -
When the oil is absorbed, place
a ball the pocket, fold, and secure
with large rubber bands.
Now for the hard part -
Remove the old mill that has served
you faithfully for fifteen years
from the closet. By this time, it is
slack with age and wrinkled in all
the wrong places, an over-the-hill
veteran that's seen one line drive
in your trunk of prized possessions,
(If you feel too guilty, you can
drag it out now and then for
practice or a pick-up game.)
The above should all be done
in the dead of winter when
you haven't fielded a grounder
in month and are suffering
withdrawal symptoms. Come spring,
after the proper gestation, remove
the rubber bands and slip
your hand into place: your
Rawlings or Wilson or Spalding
an extension of your arm, supple
as new skin.
Baseball & the Lyrical Life
Edited by Tom Colnay
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