Alright guys, so Oak Hill season started soon and my kid needed gear. Coach gave us this fancy list – gloves, cleats, bat, batting gloves – you know the drill. Saw online prices first, nearly choked. Fifty bucks for batting gloves? Nope.
The Hunt Begins
Hit up Dick’s Sporting Goods first Saturday morning. Crowded like crazy. Wandered to baseball section, picked up this blue Rawlings glove – felt nice but $65 sticker shocked me. Checked cleats next – cheapest pair was $45 but looked like cardboard. Left empty-handed.
Dollar Store Gamble
Passed Dollar General on the drive home – big red sign said “BASEBALL CLEARANCE”. Figured what the heck. Scanned the shelves and found:
- Generic fielding glove – $12.99, kinda stiff but decent padding
- Batting gloves pair – $4.99 with that stretchy material
- Wooden bat – $14.99 marked down from $30 (tiny dent near handle)
- Cleats – bright orange for $16, not ugly actually
Total? $48.97 before tax. Threw in a $1 water bottle too.
Testing The Stuff
Took everything to the backyard Sunday morning. First – the glove. Spent twenty minutes working it open/shut while watching TV. Rubbed some olive oil into it (don’t judge, saw it on YouTube). After thirty catches with tennis balls, pocket started forming.
Batting gloves felt weird at first – stitching rubbed my pinky. Used nail clippers to trim threads. Fixed it. Cleats? Ran bases in muddy grass – held up fine. Bat’s the real surprise. Connected solid on six old softballs. That dent? Didn’t feel squat.
Two Weeks Later
Kid’s used all gear at practice. Glove’s still stiff but catching better. Batting gloves discolored from dirt but no rips yet. Cleats surviving daily abuse. Only lost the water bottle somehow.
Honest take? Won’t last forever but gets job done NOW. For under fifty bucks? Hell yeah. Sometimes cheaper ain’t trash.
