Baseball Players Hold Annual Meeting To Discuss Benefit Of Wearing Index Finger On Outside Of Mitt

In what has become the foremost annual conference of baseball-glove-wearing theory, major-league players past and present once again gathered at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan this week to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of wearing their index fingers on the outside of their baseball mitts.

Now in its 47th year, the weeklong convention is intended to explore some of the unanswered questions surrounding forefinger baseball glove placement, such as whether wearing one’s index finger on the outside of the mitt can increase pocket-depth and reduce sting; whether forefinger placement is a case of personal preference and, if so, what genetically predisposes an individual to choose an inner or outer placement path; and whether people just wear their index finger on the outside of their gloves because they saw their favorite baseball player do so.

...
This year’s program features convention mainstays, such as the Cal Ripken, Jr.–moderated panel “Increased Injuries? The Biggest Myth About Wearing Your Index Finger On The Outside Of Your Glove.” In addition, many players have visited the Rawlings-sponsored history exhibit, which explains that, because outside index finger placement became so popular in the 1980s, the company began making gloves with an actual forefinger aperture. On Saturday at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Mike Schmidt will present his seminar, a perennial favorite, devoted to the 1982 season, during which he wore his index finger in the inside of his mitt for the first half of the year and on the outside for the second half.

The Allium Cepa strikes again!