The boys and I were headed to the gym (it's monsoon season here so being inside is necessary!) to throw, and lo and behold......can't find the catcher's gear, mitt, bucket of 4-dozen balls, and the Strike Zone screen we hang between some poles. Well over $500 worth of stuff.....gone? Did someone steal it out of the van? Did we leave it sitting in the parking space behind the van (waiting to be put in) and drive away? NO idea where this stuff is or what happened to it. Major bummer, with some sentimental value attached.

Also, about eight years ago, my son borrowed my A2000 - (one I bought in Prescott, Arizona when I was 16, as my mom and I dropped my older brother off at Yavapai JC to play ball) - when he was 9 or 10, and then left it at the field -- gone! My 23 year old glove -- one that had been with me through high school, college, all my years playing rec softball in Santa Barbara, the glove old girlfriends had worn, my friends borrowed, had traveled from Arizona to Michigan to Washington to Georgia, to California, to Pennsylvania, and finally to Korea......and son borrows it just ONCE and loses it!!

The loss/theft of baseball gear always pierces my heart for some reason....I attach almost mystical significance to these objects (especially that glove of mine)......

What special baseball items have you lost?

Hi Krak -
I understand.....I've got my old A2000 and guard it pretty well. Doubt I will ever really use it again, but you're right, there's some pretty strong emotional attachement between a player and his glove.

Sorry about you and your team losing your gear. I hope it turns up soon.

I wish I had lost my A2000 from HS!! I located it in my parents garage and it was green and black from sitting in a moist area.........

Two summers ago my son was getting set to leave for the state legion tournament. He had all his baseball gear in his big bag - catchers gear, cleats, bats, two gloves, etc. He took the bag out to his mom's car (she was going to take him to the meeting spot for the team van.)

Her trunk was shut so he left the bag behind her car, and went back in the house to finish getting his other stuff ready. We live on a dead end street, a very quiet neighborhood.

He came back out to load the rest of his stuff and get in the car to leave, and his baseball bag: gone. Apparently someone drove by (maybe a worker remodeling a house at the end of the street?) and took the bag.

What a scramble! Easily a thousand bucks worth of stuff, and the hassle to cobble together all the stuff so he could play was a huge headache.

Rob

Why do you target a construction worker ?

Quite a few years ago before I started playing baseball again, I had an a2000 from my junior year high school. Best glove I've ever owned and then left it 5 hours away at a tourney sitting on the fence, still miss that glove

My son is on his way to a game this morning. He just called me to see if I knew where his $150 Oakleys were.

Lying in the yard next to where the van was parked.

Lucky for him he didn't drop them behind the van!

Simple, TR: because I know every one of my neighbors on the road above me. It is a dead end road, only 8 houses beyond mine. No reason to go up the road unless the destination is one of those houses.

Two of them had work crews at their homes, doing remodeling. So, if it wasn't one of those crews my choices were: 1) neighbors; or 2) some random thief who just happened to cruise up a dead end road hoping to find something to steal.

So, don't worry - it wasn't some kind of elitist, classist presumption. It was simple deductive guessing, with plenty of basis.

When I went away to college my freshman year my "new stepbrother" lost my First Baseman's mitt I had used through four years of HS ball.

Went to college to play basketball, should have brought that glove with me & left the basketballs and extra sneakers behind!

Haven't really lost anything of signifigance, but we sure have found a lot of stuff. Usually things people leave at games on bleachers in dugouts or in parking lots. Many items including a few very nice cameras, we were able to return to their owners because there was a name and phone #.
Most people are honest and want to return things to their rightful owner, can't.

Note to all: find a way to get your name and # on your stuff, even on the very inside of things, most of us will look. On those big bags, slap a piece of duct tape on the inside somewhere with your info on it.

People looking to steal, will still do it.
Those that want to find the owners will make an attempt if you have your number there.

When we have called to say "Hey we found your glove , come and get it" You can just feel the grin through the phone!

We once had to return a camera out of state. Called the family told them to send us a check in the amount to send it back to them, they did promptly, and with it a nice crisp $50.00 bill - pays to be honest-plus I sure would want to get my things back if I lost them - good for your Karma too