The naming of the Shoeless Jane glove shows the public’s continuing fascination with the enigmatic Shoeless Joe Jackson.
It’s a respect that crosses generations and even genders, since now these gloves are designed for female softball players and not just for male baseball players.
While Shoeless Joe may have been banned from Major League Baseball following the scandal of the 1919 World Series, his actual guilt has been vociferously questioned.
TIP: However, what remains undeniable is the greatness of his accomplishments. He was undoubtedly a great hitter, and baseball fans have voted him 12th among the best outfielders of all time.
What’s more important for players today isn’t really about what Shoeless Joe did or didn’t do as a baseball player.
(Here are Shoeless Joe Jackson’s baseball stats)
It’s about how their fastpitch softball glove can help them play better with more confidence. Ultimately, it’s the glove itself which must prove its own excellence, and this particular line of gloves does that in emphatic fashion.
Hence, we have the Shoeless Jane softball glove.
Technically, they’re actually Shoeless Joe gloves, but then they’re made for girls playing softball. They perform excellently, and they deserve to be named after one of the best players who ever fielded on a baseball diamond.
If you’re in a rush…
Video: 5 Amazing Shoeless Jane Softball Gloves
Common Properties of the Shoeless Jane glove
These gloves all share certain common characteristics.
It doesn’t matter if they were made for the outfield position, for the infield, for the 1st baseman, or for the catcher. They’re all exceptional, for the following reasons:
Each particular glove has been handcrafted instead of machine-made. The gloves were all individually cut and sewn, and then laced by hand.
They’re also all hand-rubbed with a traditional formula of ingredients to soften the leather.
Thus, a human overlooks the process every step of the way. It also means that unlike cookie-cutter gloves, the glove you get is unique.
Each one uses 100% cowhide and they’ve all been aged by the antique tobacco-tanning process. In combination with the hand-rubbed ingredients, all these gloves come with game-worn and well-used look. It feels that way too.
Because of these meticulous preparations, all of these gloves are basically break-in free. All you need to do to really make them ready for a game is to just play catch with them for about half an hour.
That’s all you need, unlike other gloves which may take many weeks of playing catch (as well as other weird break-in methods) to really break them in.
All of the gloves come with an adjustable Velcro wrist strap to secure and fit the glove snugly on your wrist. It’s easy to take off and put on, and it’s no trouble to adjust it to your preferred snugness.
While they come in different and therefore for different age groups, they’re all designed specifically for a girl’s hand.
Men’s hands and fingers are bigger and thicker, but the hands of girls are generally more delicate. That difference has been factored in when these gloves were designed and manufactured.
In the palm of each glove, you will find the addition of the fantastic XRD foam. This is the lightweight foam that doesn’t add much (if any) weight to the glove.
Yet it significantly adds to the protection of the hand and palm area.
The foam absorbs the force of the impact very effectively, and then it dissipates the force throughout the glove and not to your hand.
This means you won’t have to endure the potential hand discomfort that softball players have come to expect, when their hands are stung when catching high impact softballs.
Just because these are called “softballs” doesn’t mean they’re actually soft at all!
All of these gloves are designed to last for a very long while.
In fact, if your Shoeless Jane glove becomes a bit too worn for your taste, you can just send them in to the manufacturer and for $25 they’re reapply their antique tobacco-tanning formula on the glove.
You’ll end up with the same look and feel of the glove when you first bought it—and it even smells like new too.
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Take note of all these defining characteristics of the Shoeless Jane fastpitch glove.
We mention this now, so that we don’t have to keep repeating them for all the Shoeless Jane glove reviews.
All these characteristics are present for each glove.
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Of course, since they’re for different positions and come in different sizes, you can expect several notable unique and different features.
Shoeless Jane 13-Inch 1300FPFB Fastpitch Softball First Base Mitt
FPFB means “fast pitch first base”, so you’re getting precisely the mitt for this position.
This distinction is important, because some people also like to use the Shoeless Joe outfielder’s glove for fielding the first base position.
While that’s perfectly fine, with this one you’re getting exactly what you need to play 1st base well.
This first base glove gives you a really deep pocket, and in addition you also get a large pouter edge.
Combined, these features allow you to snag balls that aren’t thrown perfectly by harried fielders. It’s designed to make it easier for you to get dig the ball out of the dirt as they short-hop to your area.
With the new H-Web design, those off the line balls that you manage to get to won’t bounce off. The H-web stops the spin of the ball when they come into contact with the web.
The softball will stick to the web instead so that you’re able to get the hitter out at first.
This is the 13-inch model, and it’s for players with bigger hand. For average-sized players, the 12.5-inch model may be the better fit.
Shoeless Jane Gloves Fast Pitch Basket Weave Web Brown Glove
- Handmade
- Designed Specifically for Fastpitch Softball
- Fast Break-In Time
- Reconditioning Service Available
- 100% Leather
This is a very versatile utility glove, and they can be used for different infield and outfield positions. Some players even use them for 1st base.
This makes them eminently ideal for players who play different positions.
These are available in 12, 12.5, and 13-inch sizes.
They’re good for infielders who like the basket weave as this helps the ball stick into the glove when it’s fielded. The shallow pocket makes it easy for the player to dig the ball out so they can throw the softball to 1st base.
This also makes for a good outfielder’s glove, for those with smaller hands. For players under 12 years old, th3 12-inch model really makes for an excellent utility glove for multiple positions.
Shoeless Jane Gloves Fast Pitch H Web Brown Baseball Glove
- Affordable leather reconditioning program to make any used Shoeless Joe Glove look, feel and smell like new
- Field Ready Shoeless Joe Gloves require little or no break in time
- Made from 100% Antique Tobacco Tanned cowhide and hand rubbed with old time ingredients to soften the leather
- Shoeless Joe Ball Gloves have that "Game Worn" look but are designed and ready to take to the field at any level of play
For those who prefer the H-web over the basket weave, this is the fastpitch glove to get.
It’s great for the middle infield in particular, as the H-web really stops the spin of the ball when it touches the web. That makes it stay put in the pocket for a clean catch.
At the same time, the design of the glove provides a very quick transition from catching to throwing.
It’s very easy to dig the ball out so you can quickly throw to your 1st baseman for an out—or to get the runner out at home plate.
This can also be used by a younger than 12 years old player as a utility glove. It means they can use this just as well in the outfield. It measures just 11.75 inches so it’s not that big at all.
Shoeless Jane 1125FPCW
- MODEL - Youth Model – Tee Ball – Coach Pitch (9-year old and younger)
- DESIGN - I-Web style with traditional open back
- MATERIAL - Special aged soft antique tobacco leather
- INTENDED FOR - Help train 7-8 year old athletes to catch a baseball and play the game
- FEATURES - Unique unstructured glove, individually hand-cut and sewn, handmade with no synthetic stuff
You may probably tell from the name alone that this measures 11.25 inches. The CW in the model name also tells you that this features a closed web.
Despite the smaller size, it’s actually designed for players who are older than 13 years old. That’s evident to the larger hand area of the glove.
Yet it’s also designed for players who prefer a smaller glove. With the closed web, it gives infielders the chance to make even difficult catches.
It also comes with a shallow pocket. This makes for an astonishingly fast transition to your throwing hand.
Some of your opponents who are used to infield hits will be surprised at how quickly you can throw the softball to the 1st baseman after you’ve fielded the ball.
Shoeless Jane Gloves Fast Pitch Brown Catcher’s Mitt
- Handmade
- Designed Specifically for Women's Fastpitch Softball
- Fast Break-In Time
- Reconditioning Service Available
- 100% Leather
If there’s a position that requires a great deal of thought when picking a mitt, it’s the catcher’s position.
An inferior glove doesn’t just wreck performances—it can destroy hands. Lucky for you there’s this glove, which is available in 32 and 34 inches.
This glove is very soft, so that your hands are protected properly as you catch all those pitches day in and day out.
You won’t have much trouble getting the ball inside the mitt, as it comes with a deeper pocket. The design even made the side walls of the mitt thinner so that the pocket is much larger.
Finally, the glove itself is design to withstand the constant impact of these powerful pitches.
Even though this doesn’t require much of a break-in, it will last you for a very long while.
Video: Shoeless Jane – “A Girl’s Best Friend”
Final Words After Reading These Shoeless Jane Gloves Review
The vast majority of Shoeless Jane softball glove reviews offer glowing words of praise for these excellent gloves, and we concur with their sentiments.
Shoeless Joe himself would have been proud that this line of gloves bears his name. They offer the same feel and look that the legends used a hundred years ago.
Pick the right Shoeless Jane glove for your position and size, play catch for 30 minutes, and then you’re ready to go. Play ball!
Last update on 2024-11-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API