Rec Sports
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 […]
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 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.
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.”
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.
Rec Sports
Orlando Magic forward Wendell Carter Jr. hosts free kids camp in Mableton
MABLETON, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Orlando Magic forward Wendell Carter Jr. continues giving back to the community that raised him, hosting a free youth basketball clinic Saturday in Mableton. “I’m forever grateful (for) the fact that I can come back home and see so many familiar faces,” the former Pace Academy standout said Saturday. […]
MABLETON, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Orlando Magic forward Wendell Carter Jr. continues giving back to the community that raised him, hosting a free youth basketball clinic Saturday in Mableton.
“I’m forever grateful (for) the fact that I can come back home and see so many familiar faces,” the former Pace Academy standout said Saturday.
Held at Whitefield Academy, Carter‘s “A Platform2 Foundation” provided 8th through 12th grade boys with hands-on coaching through various basketball drills along with a free lunch, t-shirt and financial literacy workshop.
Saturday served as the fourth installment of the kids camp, which was slightly more streamlined from years past, according to the 7-year pro.
“Camps that we’ve had over the years were mostly about trying to teach kids African American studies, financial literacy and allow them to play basketball,” Carter Jr. said. “Knowing that most kids just got out of school, they’re enjoying summer now … we want this to be more of a relaxing camp.”
Carter Jr. averaged 9.1 points per game over 68 appearances for Orlando in 2024-25.
“Give them a little bit of knowledge here and there but be a little bit more interactive with them,” Carter Jr. said.
Copyright 2025 WANF. All rights reserved.
Rec Sports
Ky. coach accused of shoving child to the ground during youth soccer game
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WKYT) – A Lexington man is facing an assault charge after parents say he shoved their child during a soccer game. Robert McKinnis says his 13-year-old son Joseph has been playing soccer since he was just 4 years old. “It’s the only sport he’s played. It’s the only sport he wants to play. […]
ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WKYT) – A Lexington man is facing an assault charge after parents say he shoved their child during a soccer game.
Robert McKinnis says his 13-year-old son Joseph has been playing soccer since he was just 4 years old.
“It’s the only sport he’s played. It’s the only sport he wants to play. Totally in love with the game,” said McKinnis.
Joseph, who goes by JK, has spent countless hours on the field, many of those moments captured by Robert’s camera.
“I’ve got thousands of pictures of him,” said McKinnis.
Sunday’s game in Elizabethtown was like any other. Robert had his camera out, taking photos of JK on the field, as his team faced a visiting team, Tiburones F.C., from Lexington.
However, it was a moment captured by another parent’s camera that made the game different.
Robert says a coach from the opposing team shoved JK to the ground.
“I hear a bunch of yelling and then I realize that that’s my kid,” said McKinnis. “He’s sitting on the ground. He’s crying, and he’s holding the back of his neck. I go up to him and I said, ‘Did he hit you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, Dad.’”
Robert and others who were at the game have identified the man in the video as Tim Jenkins, the head coach of the opposing team.
An article on Lexington Sporting Club’s website from 2022 announced Jenkins’ hiring as one of their youth phase directors.
WKYT reached out to Lexington SC to ask about Jenkins. They said Jenkins no longer works there, but they did not have any information about his departure.
“I started screaming, ‘Don’t let him, don’t let him leave, because I’m calling the cops,’” said McKinnis.
Elizabethtown Police tell WKYT Tim Jenkins was charged with fourth-degree assault at the game, after he was accused of assaulting a child at the soccer complex.
Jenkins was cited, but not arrested.
“I hope that it just never happens to any other kid,” said McKinnis.
WKYT has attempted to reach out to Tim Jenkins for comment on this story. As of its publishing, we have not heard back.
Copyright 2025 WKYT. All rights reserved.
Rec Sports
WPKY Optimist Kiwanis Radio Auction Raises Over $27,000 for Local Youth
The WPKY Princeton Optimist Kiwanis Radio Auction finished strong Friday night, with late bidding pushing this year’s total near last year’s mark despite a sluggish start. The auction began slowly on Monday, raising under $1,000, but momentum grew each night, with Thursday marking the first time bids surpassed $2,000. The strong pace continued through to […]
The WPKY Princeton Optimist Kiwanis Radio Auction finished strong Friday night, with late bidding pushing this year’s total near last year’s mark despite a sluggish start.
The auction began slowly on Monday, raising under $1,000, but momentum grew each night, with Thursday marking the first time bids surpassed $2,000.
The strong pace continued through to Friday’s final night, and Optimist Club member George Kilgore said he was pleased as the week-long auction finished with over $27,000 raised—about $1,600 shy of last year’s total.
click to download audioKilgore said he’s glad the auction is over, and looks forward to the money going back into the community.
click to download audioEdge Media Group President and CEO Beth Mann thanked everyone who took part in the auction.
click to download audioShe also encouraged anyone interested in joining the Princeton Optimist Club to speak with a member, and said they will tell you what “a great blessing it is to serve the community and to give more than you take.”
The five-night auction took place at the First Baptist Church Christian Life Center in downtown Princeton. Each year, WPKY partners with the Princeton Optimist and Kiwanis Clubs to host the radio auction, raising funds to support youth in Caldwell and Lyon counties.
Rec Sports
Lalley: Dear softball parents, shut up – Sioux Falls Live
Like a lot of parents, Miss Ohio and I are deep into youth sports. Did not see this coming, if I’m being honest. In fact, if you’d have asked me a few years ago if we’d ever find ourselves plopped in camp chairs next to a softball diamond in various spots around the Upper Midwest […]
Like a lot of parents, Miss Ohio and I are deep into youth sports.
Did not see this coming, if I’m being honest.
In fact, if you’d have asked me a few years ago if we’d ever find ourselves plopped in camp chairs next to a softball diamond in various spots around the Upper Midwest for hours on end riding the emotional roller coaster of elation tied to the success of a 14-year-old young woman… well, that’s just not a reality that could have been imagined.
We were a bike racing family.
And yet, here we are, deep into softball.
Tournaments, practice, extra hitting, whacking fly balls and grounders, strength and agility.
Plus catching a few games at the South Dakota high school tournament in Sioux Falls this weekend.
And watching the Women’s College World Series on TV.
Plus, replays of college games all winter.
All in on softball.
It’s truly been the experience of a lifetime and we wouldn’t change a minute of it.
Except…
You probably know where this is going. That’s right, it’s the adults.
We also have the unique perspective in that the young lady with whom I share a residence – and serve as general transportation manager – is also an umpire.
We don’t watch her ump that often – it’s her job – but I’ve been in the stands enough times to get highly irritated, if not angry, at what I hear from the people sitting around me.
Shut.
The hell.
Up.
Look, I’ve been there, suffering through balls called strikes and strikes called balls.
I’ve seen the obvious out called safe.
I’ve been the frustrated coach and the tortured parent.
It’s hard. You want to scream like you do at home in front of the TV.
Go ahead and roll your eyes, exhale aggressively or hum a happy a happy tune.
Just suppress the urge to speak.
I don’t think there’s anything worse than hearing an adult in the stands berate a teenager for balls and strikes calls. Or even recently at the state tournament, ongoing commentary about the adult umps.
The young women deserve better from you.
For generations, girls’ sports were treated as the other, the lesser. We know that wasn’t ideal and as a society have made incredible progress toward remedying that inequity.
Guess what? It’s good. It’s fun. It’s exciting.
The Women’s College World Series was great. The atmosphere looks amazing and we’re already planning a trip to Oklahoma City to watch the Olympic softball competition in 2028.
Viewership for the World Series was up by 25 percent – about a million a day – according to ESPN.
Bringing it back to Sioux Falls, our daughter is a good umpire. Trust me, she knows the rules, probably better than you do. She’s got a good eye.
She’s not perfect and she’ll admit that. Nobody is.
So again…
Shut.
The hell.
Up.
Here’s a suggestion. Instead of chattering away about the strike zone, how about you strap on the chest protector, put on the mask, and trot your dad bod out there for a few innings.
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
The thing is, you’re not helping your team or the coaches with your “expertise.”
It’s certainly not good for your kid.
And it’s terrible for the game.
None of this is particularly new to youth sports. It was the same thing on the Bantam Baseball diamonds at Covell Lake back in the 1970s, though nobody had delusions of scholarships or superstardom.
If you’re this invested in a 10U softball game on a Tuesday night, it might be time for some serious self-examination.
In the meantime… you know.
Rec Sports
Local high schools to hold youth sports camps
One of the ways local high school sports programs give back to the Robeson County community is through the youth sports camps that many of them hold in the summertime. With school now out for the summer, many of these camps are fast approaching. Here is a look at the various camp offerings around […]
One of the ways local high school sports programs give back to the Robeson County community is through the youth sports camps that many of them hold in the summertime.
With school now out for the summer, many of these camps are fast approaching.
Here is a look at the various camp offerings around Robeson County.
Lumberton
Lumberton will hold both a baseball and softball camp this month.
The Pirate Baseball School will be held June 16-17, for ages 6-10, and June 18-19, for ages 11 and up, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day at Finley Read Field.
The Pirate Softball School will be held June 23-24, for ages 7-11, and June 25-26, for ages 12 and up, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. each day at the LHS Softball Field.
Both camps are designed to teach advanced skills and strategies of baseball, through instruction, drills and competition, camp flyers say. They are directed by the coaching staff, players and alumni from LHS; softball instructors include former Pirates and current college players Halona Sampson, Alona Hanna, Tiara Stueck and Aniya Merritt and former college players Morgan Britt and LeeAnn Nobles.
Registration for both camps is $60.
For more information on the baseball camp, contact Jeff McLamb at 910-740-9745, or for the softball camp contact Will Britt at 910-740-9117.
Purnell Swett
The first Rams Softball Camp will be held at Purnell Swett on June 30 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The camp will cover fundamentals, offense and defense, pitching and catching. Get ready to swing, slide and learn. There will be exciting prizes and trophies.
For more information, contact Coach Amy Lancaster at 910-827-2699.
St. Pauls
St. Pauls will hold a free basketball camp for rising seventh- through 12th-graders from June 16-20, led by Bulldogs head coach Ted Gaskins. The camp will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. each day.
For more information, call 910-865-4177.
The Empower Middle School Volleyball Camp will be held July 24-25 at St. Pauls High School. The camp is open to students who will in grades six through eight in the fall; fifth-graders may attend if there is space.
Space is limited to the first 20 players; you may sign up for individual days, or for both days at a discounted rate. Each daily session is $15 if registered and paid by June 20, $20 before July 4 or $25 after July 4. Both session s are $25 before June 20, $25 before July 4 and $45 after July 4.
The July 24 session will cover fundamentals of volleyball and serving; July 25 will cover setting, hitting and blocking.
Red Springs
The Red Springs Men’s and Women’s Golf Camp will be held from June 24-26 at Scothurst Golf Club, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. each day.
For more information contact Adam Deese at 910-843-4211.
Rec Sports
2025 Olean High Wall of Honor inductees are Bretzin, Ralston
Olean High School at 410 W. Sullivan St. Olean High School at 410 W. Sullivan St. OLEAN — Two more names will be added to the Olean City School District Wall of Honor during a ceremony set for Friday, June 20, coinciding with OHS’s annual Alumni Weekend. The Olean Schools Foundation board announces that Abigail […]
Olean High School at 410 W. Sullivan St.
Olean High School at 410 W. Sullivan St.
OLEAN — Two more names will be added to the Olean City School District Wall of Honor during a ceremony set for Friday, June 20, coinciding with OHS’s annual Alumni Weekend.
The Olean Schools Foundation board announces that Abigail Bretzin, Class of 2009, and Katie Ralston, ’04, are the 2025 honorees.
They will be inducted at 4 p.m. in the OHS Board of Education Conference Room.
Abigail Bretzin
Bretzin was a top 10% ranking member of her graduating class, participating in soccer — a captain her senior year — track and field, ski club, National Honor Society and Homeless Huskies.
Bretzin earned a B.S. in Athletic Training from SUNY Cortland in 2013, an M.S. in Kinesiology from Temple University in 2015 and became a Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology from Michigan State University in 2019. She served as a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania from 2019–22, and since 2022, she has been a research investigator for the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Bretzin has spent her career devoted to research in sport-related concussion and injury prevention, authoring and co-authoring over 45 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, many recognized nationally and internationally for their impact.
As a presenter at more than 100 international and national conferences, her research has informed consensus updates on sports-related concussion management, while focusing on safety protocols and addressing disparities in access to concussion management resources throughout high school and youth sports.
Bretzin is dedicated to giving back by educating athletes, parents and coaches about concussion prevention and management while also mentoring healthcare professionals and young researchers to encourage evidence-based practices in sports medicine.
Bretzin believes that OHS encouraged a pursuit of excellence in all areas of life, learning perseverance, teamwork and the importance of community. She continues to guide her professional and personal journey.
Katie Ralston
Ralston graduated summa cum laude from Edinboro University in 2008, majoring in Elementary and Special Education, serving as president for Future Elementary Educators of America and as a member of the student board for Council of Exceptional Children.
She returned to alma mater in 2009 as a middle school special education teacher until 2014. A passion for middle school students, Ralston became a certified national trainer for the Language! Program, a program to assist struggling students with reading and writing skills. She became the STEM Enrichment Program coordinator for middle school students and partnered with St. Bonaventure University to bring STEM leaning to Olean students.
Ralston earned a master’s degree in Curriculum Design and Instruction from Gannon University in 2012 and completed her administrative degree in Education Leadership at Canisius College in 2014. In a new role leading Olean’s Curriculum Support and Professional Development, she became focused on student, teacher and support staff development.
In 2015, Ralston was hired as the middle school principal at Cuba-Rushford Central School at age 28, making her the youngest principal in New York state at the time. She was named Educational Leader of the Year by the NYS English Council in 2018 and was promoted to grades 6–12 lead principal in 2019.
Ralston achieved a Doctor of Education in Learning and Leadership in Organizations from Vanderbilt University in 2021. She was later appointed Superintendent of Schools for the Silver Creek Central School District in 2023.
Community-action driven, Ralston is a champion for Sweethearts and Heroes, an anti-bullying program in schools, promoted the Bald for Bucks campaign raising funds for Roswell Park Cancer Institute and is especially active on the Board of Directors for Olean’s homeless shelter, Genesis House, in honor of her mother, Debbie Ralston.
Always an enthusiastic and dedicated Huskie, she credits numerous Olean teachers and administrators for fueling her passion in education and drive for excellence.
The OHS Wall of Honor was established in 2005, with the foundation responsible for the selection of its members. The criteria recognize individuals whose lives, accomplishments and endeavors reflect the values and tradition of excellence fostered by the school district.
The foundation raises funds for program grants that benefit the current Olean students. More than $250,000 has been granted. Programs are funded through several initiatives, including Cattaraugus Gives, Night at the Races and the Red and Gold Golf Outing during Alumni Weekend.
For more information about the foundation or to nominate alumni for the Wall of Honor, visit oleanschoolsfoundation.org or email oscdfoundation@gmail.com.
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