Fred Bowen

When Jamie loses his lucky glove, his parents refuse to buy him a new one. He thinks two guys in the neighborhood—the Porter brothers—stole it and he sets out to get it back. After a tense few minutes secretly rummaging through the boys' garage, Jamie gives up looking for it. He ends up borrowing a glove, but it's not the same as his old one and his self-confidence sinks. He begins to believe in himself when he discovers some interesting things in the back room of a local sports shop.

The first baseball players didn't even wear gloves. Those who tried were heckled and called sissies until "cool guy" Albert Spalding—the great Chicago White Stocking pitcher and founder of the sporting goods company—donned a glove. He had moved off the pitcher's mound to first base and put on a black leather glove. Instead of making fun of him, baseball players imitated him. The gloves were really small and dorky but plenty Hall of Famers became great using them.