A Glove of Their Own

Ideas for a book come from many sources. Bob Saloman got his idea from a children’s birthday party. The idea, how can we make sure all children have basic baseball equipment. As he writes, the mission is “to ensure all children have equipment and a chance to play”. How do you write a book that will accomplish that mission? Simple, you appeal to the good in sports.

Mr. Saloman first got some people to write and illustrate the book. Then he began reaching out to athletes to help publicize the book. After some time he got a number of active and retired players to support the book and its cause. Among the athletes supporting the book are Yogi Berra, Don Mattingly, Jason Grilli, Phil Niekro, Nelson Cruz and Tommy John. There are many more and the list grows daily. It’s refreshing to see athletes demonstrating the good in sports. A complete list of players and organizations involved in the project can be found at http://www.agloveoftheirown.com/Bobletter.html

As with any book, the first goal is to sell books, with proceeds from each sale going to organizations that supply baseball equipment to children across the nation. Another goal is to raise awareness of the need for every child to have a glove of their own. Bob uses the term Play It Forward to indicate the hope that people will share the ideas and equipment into the future. Think of it as passing along information and items to future generations.

Do you remember your own youth? How did you feel when you got your first glove, bat or ball. It could have been a baseball, a football, a basketball or some other piece of equipment. I remember playing with balls that would have long been tossed out of a major league game. I had a bat that cracked so I put a couple of nails into it and then taped over the nails. It may not have been the best equipment but was far better than having no equipment.

Bob is currently working on a book about football titled Beyond The Laces.

A Glove of Their Own has been gaining recognition. It won the 2009 Benjamin Franklin Children’s Book Award and was a finalist for several other awards. For more information on the book visit http://www.agloveoftheirown.com/index.html