Sliding mitts a ‘must-have,’ even if they’re all fashion, no function
By WILL GRAVES, AP National Writer PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hasn’t had the conversation with 7-year-old son Steel yet, but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it’s probably coming at some point. Steel, already playing in a youth baseball league, will probably come home at one point and ask his five-time All-Star father if he […]
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Andrew McCutchen hasn’t had the conversation with 7-year-old son Steel yet, but the Pittsburgh Pirates star knows it’s probably coming at some point.
Steel, already playing in a youth baseball league, will probably come home at one point and ask his five-time All-Star father if he can have whatever hot item his teammates might be wearing during a given spring.
McCutchen plans to accommodate Steel up to a point. The oldest of McCutchen’s four children is already rocking an arm sleeve, just the way dad does.
Yet if Steel is hoping his father will spring for a sliding mitt — a padded glove a player can slip over one of their hands to protect it should the hand get stepped on while diving headfirst for a base — he probably shouldn’t get his hopes up.
McCutchen, who has stolen 220 bases at the major league level, has never worn one. And he’s quick to point out the next time the cleat of a fielder mashes his hand will also be the first.
Still, the 38-year-old understands. Once upon a time, he was a 20-something who epitomized baseball cool, from his dreadlocks (long since shorn) to his goatee to his rope chain to the occasional skull cap he wore underneath his batting helmet, all of it designed to accentuate McCutchen’s innate blend of talent and charisma.
“It’s all about the drip,” McCutchen said with a smile.
Even if the “drip” (Gen Z slang for stylish clothes and their accessories) emphasizes fashion over function, particularly when it comes to the gloves — which look a bit like oven mitts — that are becoming just as ubiquitous in the Little Leagues as they are in the major leagues.
FILE – Chicago White Sox’s Scott Podsednik steals second base during a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, June 29, 2009, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan, File)
Safety and self-expression
Former major leaguer Scott Podsednik (career stolen base total: 309) is credited with “inventing” the sliding mitt during the late stages of his 11-year career.
Tired of having his hand stepped on, Podsednik worked with a hand therapist for a solution. The initial mitts were relatively simple. A 2009 picture of Podsednik sliding into second base shows his left hand covered in what looks like a padded modified batting glove, all wrapped in black to match the trim on his Chicago White Sox uniform.
Things have gotten considerably more intricate over the years. Google “sliding mitt designs” and you’ll find themes ranging from the American flag to an ice cream cone to aliens to a poop emoji ( yes, really ).
Scott McMillen, a lawyer in the Chicago area, had no plans to get into the baseball accessory business. He first took notice of sliding mitts when his son Braydon, then 10, pointed out one of his teammates had one and said basically, “Oh hey dad, wouldn’t it be nice if I had one, too.”
They headed to a local sporting goods store, where McMillen was surprised at the variety available.
That was around 2021. By early 2024, McMillen had launched “ Goat’d,” a specialty baseball accessory company with everything from sliding mitts to batting gloves to arm sleeves to headbands and more, many of them religiously inspired.
Sales during their first full year? Over 1 million units.
“We were surprised at how large the marketplace is,” McMillen said.
Maybe he shouldn’t have been.
The pressure to keep up
Here’s the thing: In most — if not all — youth baseball leagues, headfirst slides that would require a player to stretch out their hand to secure the bag are illegal.
In Little League, for example, stealing bases for players 12 and under is rare because the player can take off only after the ball has reached the batter. And even if they do bolt for the next base, they have to slide feetfirst. The only times in Little League that a baserunner can dive headfirst toward a base is when they are returning to it while in a rundown or during a pickoff attempt, both of which are also rare.
That doesn’t stop the players from wanting a sliding mitt. It also doesn’t stop their parents from buying them, all part of the pressure to “keep up with the Jones” that has practically been a part of youth sports culture since the first time somebody came to practice with a batting glove or wristbands.
It’s a phenomenon Chelsea Cahill and her family has known for years. The longtime educator who lives just east of Columbus, Ohio, has spent most of the last decade shuttling her three boys from practice to games to tournaments.
What she and her husband have learned over the years is that some trends come and go, but the pressure to have the right stuff remains.
“There’s always that feeling of ‘This is the next new thing’ or ‘This is what you’ve got to get,’” Cahill said.
They appeased their sons up to a point, but only up to a point.
Last summer their youngest son Braxton, then 11, and the rest of the kids on his travel team kept pestering their parents to buy sliding mitts. Entering the final tournament, the team moms decided to give in.
Sort of.
Rather than plop down that kind of money for something they didn’t actually need, the moms headed to a local dollar store and bought them actual oven mitts — the kind used to pull tonight’s dinner from out of the oven. Average retail price? Less than a cup of coffee at the gas station.
Oh, and the kids loved them, and wore them during the game. Cahill posted video of them playing with the mitts stuck in their back pocket to her TikTok account. The video is now at 12 million views and counting.
“They thought it was hilarious, but we didn’t really think they would wear them for the rest of the tournament,” Cahill said. “We were wrong. They really embraced it!”
Among viewers of that TikTok, by the way, were the people at Goat’d, who sent Braxton a couple of mitts as a result.
The good news is, Cahill now won’t have to buy one for Braxton this spring. Yet there’s also something else she has learned through the years: This time in her boys’ lives is fleeting.
For proof, just look at her calendar. Her two older sons — the ones who played travel baseball just like Braxton, and asked for all the cool stuff their teammates had, just like Braxton has — gave up baseball by the time they got to high school.
Her advice to parents who might be feeling the financial pinch of what it takes to play these days: Relax.
“We’ve learned as parents is to stop taking it so seriously,” she said. “They’re kids. Let them have fun.”
San Diego Padres’ Fernando Tatis Jr., left, scores before Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart can apply the tag on a wild pitch by pitcher David Bednar during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, May 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
The reality
A day after hundreds of members of the Monroeville Baseball and Softball Association marched through the Pittsburgh suburb’s well-appointed community park, the regular season is in full swing.
All four fields are alive with the chatter of coaches, parents and boys and girls aged anywhere from 5-12.
Over on Field 1, the Rays are in the middle of their season opener. Playing first base, Josiah Jones has his glove at the ready, with a black sliding mitt noticeably sticking out of his left back pocket.
Per the league rules, the Rays and the other players at the “Bronco” level (ages 11-12), play actual full-on baseball. They can take leads and steal bases whenever they like, though headfirst slides are only allowed when returning to a base, just like in Little League.
Longtime MBSA executive commissioner Josh Plassmeyer is milling about, trying to keep tabs on everything. Plassmeyer outlawed sliding mitts on his son Grant’s 10-and-under tournament team, calling them a “distraction” because players would spend so much time fiddling with them once they got to first base, they would miss signs from the third-base coach.
About 50 feet away, Jones settles into the box and rips a ball to left-center field. His long legs carry him past first base, and he cruises into second with an easy double.
As his teammates erupted in the dugout, Jones beamed for a brief moment. Then, as the opposing pitcher stepped onto the rubber, he took an aggressive lead off second and eyed third.
His back pocket, the one where his sliding mitt had been 30 minutes before, was empty.
Paying tribute to families of gun violence victims
The War Cry 4 Peace “Run Your Race … & Finish” event included testimonials, a youth sports clinic and awards. Kimberly Pompey Wilkerson, president of War Cry 4 Peace, right, embraces Fashun Ivery, center, and Jairah Raines Jr., left, who offered a testimonial for Jairah Raines Sr., who was killed on Feb. 16, 2023. WC4P […]
The War Cry 4 Peace “Run Your Race … & Finish” event included testimonials, a youth sports clinic and awards.
Kimberly Pompey Wilkerson, president of War Cry 4 Peace, right, embraces Fashun Ivery, center, and Jairah Raines Jr., left, who offered a testimonial for Jairah Raines Sr., who was killed on Feb. 16, 2023. WC4P provided comfort and support to the families of gun violence victims. [Photo by Andy Fillmore]
Posted June 3, 2025 | By Andy Fillmore, [email protected]
War Cry 4 Peace, an organization that provides support and comfort to families of gun violence victims, held a Children’s Awards Ceremony and Sports Clinic event, with testimonials from families, on June 1 at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place. The theme of the event was “Run Your Race…& Finish.” The event […]
Polis signs bill to expand Colorado emergency youth detention beds
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a bill into law that will increase the number of young people Colorado can hold in pre-trial detention facilities in emergencies. Current law allows the state to detain up to 215 teens at any one time, with 22 emergency beds that don’t count towards the bed cap. House Bill […]
Gov. Jared Polis on Monday signed a bill into law that will increase the number of young people Colorado can hold in pre-trial detention facilities in emergencies.
Current law allows the state to detain up to 215 teens at any one time, with 22 emergency beds that don’t count towards the bed cap. House Bill 1146 keeps the 215 number the same, but adds an additional 17 emergency beds. These beds can be used only when the state reaches its 215-bed limit.
The Colorado District Attorneys’ Council spearheaded the bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Shannon Bird, D-Westminster, and Dan Woog, R-Frederick, and Sens. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, and Judy Amabile, D-Boulder.
The DA group originally wanted to bump the number of detained youth up to 324, a hike that received forceful pushback from juvenile justice advocates.
Prosecutors argued the state doesn’t have enough beds to house violent youth offenders awaiting trial.
Since fiscal year 2021, detained youth admissions with violent charges have increased by 49%, and admissions for homicide or manslaughter have risen by 80%, state figures show. As a result, prosecutors say, authorities have been forced to release teens who might otherwise be deemed a danger to the public to free up spots for someone else.
Critics countered that the lack of safety in these facilities — highlighted by The Denver Post in March — proves the state should not be dramatically increasing the bed count.
The legislation also includes a body-worn camera pilot program for juvenile detention and commitment staff. The test program in one youth detention facility and one commitment facility requires every staff member who is responsible for the direct supervision of youth to wear a body camera while interacting with them.
Hon. Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture, remarks for the Rt. Excellent JAGS McCartney wreath laying ceremony on Monday, May 27, 2025.
Theme: Honouring the Legacy of Our Hero, Inspiring Our Nation! Allow me to establish the already protocol and to also acknowledge the presence of my Permanent Secretary Mr. Jane’s Astwood, Deputy Permanent Secretaries Mr. Amin McCartney and Mr. Edgar Howell. Your collective efforts continue to strengthen our Ministry and by extension our Departments. It is […]
Theme: Honouring the Legacy of Our Hero, Inspiring Our Nation!
Allow me to establish the already protocol and to also acknowledge the presence of my Permanent Secretary Mr. Jane’s Astwood, Deputy Permanent Secretaries Mr. Amin McCartney and Mr. Edgar Howell. Your collective efforts continue to strengthen our Ministry and by extension our Departments.
It is with deep reverence, immense pride, and heartfelt gratitude that I bring greetings on behalf of the Ministry of Education, Youth, Sports, and Culture, as we come together in this sacred moment to honour the life and enduring legacy of a national hero, The Right Excellent James Alexander George Smith McCartney. It is fitting to honor not only the legacy of the nation’s first Chief Minister and only National Hero but also to remember his wife Mrs. Dorothy McCartney, children and family , who continue to uphold his vision and values.
Today is more than a wreath laying ceremony and unveiling of the Moseleum, it is a call to remembrance, yes, but more importantly, it is a call to purpose.
We gather not just to look back at what JAGS McCartney accomplished, but to look forward, inspired by the unshakable principles that he lived and died for justice, equity, education, cultural pride, and national unity.
JAGS was a young man, yet a visionary far beyond his years. At a time when the Turks and Caicos Islands struggled to find its footing in a world shaped by external control, he stood firm, bold, and unrelenting in his belief that we, the people, could define our own destiny.
He believed that the young had a voice, that the poor had worth, and that the voiceless could lead. Through the Junkanoo Club, he created not only a space for political thought but cultural expression. He taught us that freedom is not given, it is earned, it is demanded, it is built. Today, more than ever, we need to be reminded of that truth.
Our country is at a crossroads. We face threats to our cultural identity, social challenges that weigh heavily on our youth, and the global shifts that test the resilience of small island states like ours.
So, what would JAGS say to us now?
He would say: “Don’t wait for the change, be the change.”
He would challenge us to build a country where every child has access to quality education, not just in classrooms, but through the values they absorb in their homes, their communities, and their jobs. He would push us to value our heritage, to preserve our identity, and to champion the strength of unity over division.
We are proud that through the Department of Culture, the JAGS McCartney Memorial Site has been restored and transformed into a space that not only commemorates his life but also educates and empowers. It is now a living classroom, rich in historical insight, vibrant with cultural expression, and deeply rooted in the ideals he fought for. I encourage every family, every school, every citizen, visit the site. Let it speak to you. Let it awaken your purpose.
Let us applaud the efforts of Evina Brooks James, the designer of the Mausoleum and Information Center. Your creativity has brought much richness to JAGS Memorial Site and to our Minister of Technology we appreciate the incorporation of Technology within the mausoleum.
This year, on June 30th, JAGS would have celebrated his 80th birthday. And just recently, on May 9th, we marked 45 years since his tragic and untimely death. But his legacy lives on, not only in history books, but in the hopes and dreams of every young person in our schools today, in the voices of artists, in the advocacy of youth leaders, and in the actions of every citizen who still believes in building a Turks and Caicos Islands that is strong, sovereign, and united.
Let us live it, through our policies, through our parenting, through our education, through our cultural expressions, and through our courage to do what is right, even when it is difficult.
To the elders: continue to share your wisdom. You are the torchbearers of memory. To the youth: be bold, be curious, be committed. The future belongs to you. To every citizen: stand up. Speak out. Serve.
Let us honour JAGS, not just with flowers and speeches, but with action. We will continue to build a Turks and Caicos Islands that reflects the greatness he saw in us all. How fitting is it that on a day when we honor his legacy, we also recognize his daughter Yaa McCartney as Acting Attorney General.
Before I take my seat, I must express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated team at the Department of Culture. Acting Director Trazel Prospere, along with Karina Been and Ashanti Morris—your hard work and commitment have not gone unnoticed. You truly deserve a round of applause, as I’m sure your efforts today have JAGS smiling down with pride and joy.
At the Department of Culture, we remain committed to working in partnership with all relevant stakeholders to further enhance this space. Our goal is to ensure it continues to be a vibrant hub, embraced by students, the wider community, and the many guests who arrive on our shores by plane and cruise ship.
May JAGS legacy lives on in every classroom, in every festival, in every fight for justice, and in every dream that dares to shape a better tomorrow.
Thank you, and may God bless these Turks and Caicos Islands.
Az youth confront lawmakers over anti-LGBTQ+ moves — including from Democrats
Organizers from across Arizona gathered at the state Capitol on Monday to mark the start of Pride Month and push back against what they called a continued onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed by the state Legislature. While LGBTQ+ rights groups have often used Pride Month to criticize Republicans for targeting trans and queer youth, two […]
Organizers from across Arizona gathered at the state Capitol on
Monday to mark the start of Pride Month and push back against what they
called a continued onslaught of anti-LGBTQ+ bills passed by the state
Legislature.
While LGBTQ+ rights groups have often used Pride
Month to criticize Republicans for targeting trans and queer youth, two
Democrats were also named this year for advancing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric
and legislation: U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego and Gov. Katie Hobbs.
Last week, The Dispatch
published an interview with Gallego in which he broke from fellow
Democrats on the issue of transgender youth athletes, saying they should
not be allowed to participate in youth sports.
“As a parent of a daughter, I think it’s legitimate that parents are
worried about the safety of their daughters, and I think it’s legitimate
for us to be worried also about fair competition,” Gallego said. “And I
think the parents of these trans children also are worried legitimately
about the health and wellness of their kids. There are some sports that
some of these trans children should not be playing.”
Gallego said there should be separation based on biology, adding:
“Hey, listen, we love you. We want you to be part of our community, but
this is just the one place you can’t play, and let’s find other
activities for you to be involved.”
His comments echoed “separate
but equal” arguments once used to justify banning gay and lesbian people
from teaching or serving in the military—language that LGBTQ+ advocates
say has no place in progressive politics.
Still, Gallego appears to be applying similar logic to trans youth.
Following publication of the interview, LGBTQ+ advocates and progressive groups in Arizona—and nationwide—voiced their dismay, saying Gallego has abandoned the values that won their support during his Senate campaign.
“Senator
Ruben Gallego’s recent remarks targeting transgender youth have left
many of us in Arizona, and across the nation, feeling disheartened and
outraged,” said a petition issued by Scott Blades,
executive director of the Tucson Interfaith HIV/AIDS Network. “These
comments serve to perpetuate harmful stereotypes and discrimination
against an already vulnerable community, undermining the principles of
equality and inclusion that are fundamental to our society.”
At the Capitol, youth leaders and young people directly called out Gallego’s shift.
“We
must ensure our schools are safe spaces,” said Kado Stewart, a program
director at Phoenix-based LGBTQ+ youth organization one•n•ten, which
operates statewide. “That means ensuring our transgender students have
the ability to participate in school athletics, which are proven to
improve mental health, reduce anxiety and depression, and build teamwork
skills. Those who want to participate in sports shouldn’t have to find
other activities.”
Violet DuMont, a transgender student from Tucson, addressed Gallego directly.
“Hey
Ruben, if you can’t stand up for trans kids, maybe Congress isn’t the
right place for you—and let’s find another activity for you to make fair
competition,” DuMont said.
Gov. Katie Hobbs, a longtime LGBTQ+
ally who has vetoed numerous anti-trans bills, was also criticized for
signing HB 2112—a sweeping anti-pornography law that has been used in
other states to label LGBTQ+ content, such as books and sex education
materials, as “adult content.”
“Few organizations across Arizona
actually supported this piece of legislation, and the governor still
decided to sign it,” said Harrison Redmond, a community organizer with
the ACLU of Arizona. “LGBTQ+ youth deserve to be seen, heard, and have
access to medically accurate, identity-affirming, and life-saving
information readily available online. HB 2112 risks taking that away—and
Gov. Hobbs was wrong to sign this bill, full stop.”
The statements challenging Hobbs and Gallego were made at a youth day
for LGBTQ+ people at the Capitol. The event is an annual gathering on
the start of Pride month hosted by Rep. Lorena Austin of Mesa with the
help of LGBTQ+ advocacy groups such as Human Rights Campaign of Arizona,
ACLU of Arizona, the Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce, and
Education Action Alliance, formerly known as GLSEN-AZ.
Youth are
given a chance to speak confidentially to Democratic lawmakers
face-to-face on how legislation and politics affect their daily lives.
But
more than an opportunity to express grievances publicly, the day is a
celebration for queer youth to show up for each other in numbers. One
Tucson student, Mya Figueroa, urged her fellow trans youth to stay
hopeful and positive: “I’m proud of myself and my siblings,” she said.
“Don’t forget that you are not alone, you are loved, and needed in all
spaces. You are whole just as you are.”
Vivien Palmieri hit a home run as Warren Music Conservatory beat Jones Chevrolet 23-12. Peytynn Kirby and Alliesun Woodin each had a double in the win. Khloe Morse was the winning pitcher and Brooke Scott took the loss. —— Katelyn Krall was the winning pitcher for I.O.O.F. in a 16-3 win over Superior Plus Propane. […]
Nevada basketball sharpshooter Izzy Sullivan makes Ireland’s under-20 national team
Izzy Sullivan, a rising junior on the Nevada women’s basketball team, was named Monday to Ireland’s under-20 national team. The squad led by coach Karl Kilbride named its final 12-player roster, which includes only two new players who will make their EuroBasket debuts, including Sullivan. The Irish team will compete at the FIBA Youth EuroBasket […]
Izzy Sullivan, a rising junior on the Nevada women’s basketball team, was named Monday to Ireland’s under-20 national team.
The squad led by coach Karl Kilbride named its final 12-player roster, which includes only two new players who will make their EuroBasket debuts, including Sullivan.
The Irish team will compete at the FIBA Youth EuroBasket in Miskolc, Hungary in Group B in August along with Great Britain and Ukraine. Ireland will play Ukraine on Aug. 3 and Great Britain on Aug. 4. Sullivan is the only Division I college player to make Ireland’s roster.
A 5-foot-10 guard, Sullivan has averaged 9.1 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game in 25.5 minutes per game in two seasons at Nevada. She’s shot 38 percent from the field, including 35.5 percent from three, in 59 games with 38 starts. Sullivan was born in Dublin but moved to the Seattle area in her youth when her father got a job with Microsoft. It’s in the Pacific Northwest where Sullivan found basketball.
“They just put me into it for something to do, like the Parks and Rec foundation we had by me,” Sullivan said during a Q&A with NSN in January 2024. “And then I just fell in love with it, just watching NBA and WNBA and college sports. It just kind of grew from there and they kind of learned the game along with me.”
Sullivan, who played for Eastside Catholic High in Sammamish, Wash., still makes regular trips to Ireland.
“They’re a lot of fun,” Sullivan said. “It’s pretty busy. Everybody wants to see you, so you’re busy every day, but especially in the short break we have. I’ll probably have a week there, so I just try to make the most out of it and see as many people as possible. … They’re really just huge supporters even though they’re not close to America. I love it there. I love all my family there. They’ve just been a big part of my journey knowing that I have that support.”
Ireland’s under-20 roster includes Sullivan, Lucy Hynes, Aisling Moran, Ava Walshe, Caitlin Gloeckner, Emer Dunne, Emma Gribben, Emma Tolan, Grace Prenter, Katie O’Sullivan, Rachel Lynch and Rebecca Sexton.
“We’ve been so impressed by the intensity levels and commitment from the group over the last few months,” Kilbride said in a news release. “Over the course of two open trials and six training weekends, they’ve made our lives as coaches really easy on the court, but that makes these kinds of decisions all the harder. We’re in a really enviable position, where we have to leave players behind who are more than good enough to play for Ireland, but were just unlucky this particular year.
“We have an absolutely hectic summer ahead with six games against Iceland, Croatia and Switzerland before we kick off our EuroBasket campaign proper against Ukraine on August 3. We’re so excited to be working with the group we’ve selected and with the commitment levels and improvements shown so far we have a chance to have a really successful summer ahead.”
(via @zackystrong.pt/TT)
