My Dusty Old Rawlings Fernando Valenzuela Glove

I got my first baseball glove when I was six or seven years old. I played with that plastic Canadian Tire brand glove for years until I received a Black Diamond glove made by Cooper.

That Black Diamond glove was used every day of every summer for years until I received the glove that would see me into adulthood. That glove, which I absolutely adored, was a Rawlings mitt with Fernando Valenzuela's autograph printed in the palm. I've had several gloves since, and it now seems like I go through a glove every 18-months, but I've never had one I've liked as much.

I liked it so much, I couldn't throw it out. The insides were completely eroded when I found her stored in my basement last weekend. Here are my final photos of my old Rawlings Fernando Valenzuela glove before I chucked her.