Manzella Powerstretch Gloves

UIC said it all...I agree with him on a point by point basis on these gloves...yet another great product introduced to umpires by Ump-Attire.

I have never worn gloves behind the plate before. I then saw the positive feedback here people had given to these gloves and kept them in the back of my mind to get someday. Then I when preparing to go to camp I saw Atlanta got hit w/ 10" of snow and the extended forecast for the area to have temps in the mid-40's. I then thought is was probably a good time to grab some gloves.

I initially went into town to just grab some at the local big box sporting goods store. I found the Under Armour equivalent and really liked them. Unfortunately, the store somehow had paired 2 right hand gloves. Fortunately my wife noticed this as we were checking out but they didn't have other in my size.

So I went home and fired up the laptop and placed my order at Ump-Attire.

I get down to Atlanta and then it was absolutely beautiful. The gloves didn't get used. Just my luck I rush and get the gloves and then didn't need them.

Well today I got my chance had a HS scrimmage the temps were in the mid 40's with a really strong wind.

These gloves fit really well as the name implies they are made of a stretch material. In the past I've had problems with gloves because I have long thin fingers, but these gloves stretch material made the difference in giving the perfect fit.

I was pleased with the warmth. Not perfect given the windy conditions, the wind did cut through the gloves but anything thicker would have been over kill and clumsy behind the plate. But overall they will provide enough warmth for the cold weather we experience here.

These gloves function well. Which was my biggest concern. I wondered how it would be working my indicator and handling baseballs. I will admit it was awkward for the first couple of innings and initially I didn't throw any balls back to the pitcher myself. I must have looked like a rookie having to look at my indicator as I changed the count because I couldn't feel the wheels click into position through the gloves and I was constantly over rolling the count. After a while I decided to throw one back to the pitcher myself and was amazed how much control I had while throwing. I think with more time I could get the hang of using the indicator with the gloves.

These gloves also look really good and I actually like their look over the gloves I almost bought. They are solid black with the Manzella logo discretely placed on the wristband in a black on black design. As you may know from my other posts I'm not a fan of big logos on my clothes or other items. The Control Dot Grip does the job and fits the look of the glove well. Now unlike the picture above they have the whole palm all fingers and the thumb have the dots. They are very sharp looking and will look good with any uniform.

I think umpires will really enjoy these gloves as long as their expectations are in check. These are classified by Manzella as their "warm" series which is their basic level. They will do well in cooler temps above the freezing level. I don't think they'd cut it in freezing temps for you guys in the north, west or other colder climates. But for moderately cool temps they'll do the job well. Also in windy conditions like I experienced today the wind will cut through.