There is no better time to follow Batflips and Nerds if you’re a baseball player. From former MLB star Travis Blackley dishing out advice and great stories, to a competition for a free, custom-made bat, to our latest giveaway, a personalised, professional-standard glove worth £180 courtesy of Rolin Baseball.
GIVEAWAY: Win this custom made baseball glove worth £180, as used by @MLB stars @Hvelazquez38, Joakim Soria and Marco Estrada. RT this tweet and follow us and @RolinEurope. Winner at 300 RTs! pic.twitter.com/PjGmj2KbvA
— Bat Flips and Nerds (@batflips_nerds) December 10, 2017
Seriously, all you have to do is click retweet and follow two accounts and you’ll get a kick-ass glove absolutely free of charge.
Okay, enough about us. Let’s talk about Rolin, the stars of the competition.
A couple of weeks ago, I met up with José, the European representative for Rolin, a Mexican company who have an office in Cardiff. He showed me a variety of gloves, all personalised in different ways, from size, to colour, to fabric and beyond. There are catchers gloves, specialised gloves for each infield position, there are gloves with deep pockets, with specific webbing styles, with initials or names on the glove – these guys literally do whatever you want to do with your glove.
I’m one of those strange ‘two in the pink’ fielders, who finds a glove more comfortable with my ring and pinky finger in the same hole (stop giggling) and José told me they would even be able to make a glove especially designed for that bizarre preference.
Having long been a believer that ‘a glove is a glove, how great can they be?’, it was cool to see the effort and intricacy that went into these gloves. Anyway, enough from me, how about a few words from the man himself – here are some answers from José.
Q: What do Rolin do and how have they grown since their inception?
Rolin started back in 1983, noticing there was a demand among Mexican professional players for personalised gloves, not off-the-shelf ones. Since then our gloves have been the choice of amateurs as well as professionals in the Mexican leagues. Currently thirty five of the most important players in the Professional Mexican League are our Ambassadors. Our biggest export market is the United States with 15% of our total production going there! We have presence in Central America and the Caribbean too. And now, it’s nice to be here in Europe!
Q: What is special about the gloves that you produce?
All our gloves are bespoke, every single one of them. We can recommend the perfect glove (size and web) for your position. We produce, on request, gloves with a mix of leather and fabric, which make them lighter but durable. Also we manufacture XXL palm sizes and the quite specialist pinky finger and ring finger together in the pinky slot of your glove. If you realise that we can make this for lefties too, in whatever colors you prefer, it’s a lot for you to choose and enjoy!
We pay special and diligent care to our customer’s particular requests and needs. We have the best team for design and production of baseball gloves in the whole of Mexico! Alongside this, we are proud to select the highest quality materials to manufacture the glove of your dreams! We have been in Europe for just one year, but you can ask around: our gloves and service are second to none.
Q: Why choose Rolin over other personalised gloves?
Because we listen to you on a one-to-one basis, and we are certain that our variety and flexibility with materials, embroideries and total personalisation does not have a rivalry in Mexico or the US. Other brands have a limit on the number of letters you can use in the embroidery. We make gloves for commemorative occasions, like awards and special events. Also, some sponsors request their brand on them. Diversity and adaptability are our strengths.
All of our gloves are manufactured in our only factory in Aguascalientes, Mexico. The renowned fame of the Mexican leather is well known in the world. But the craftsmanship of our glove makers is what deserves applause. We have been around for just one year in Europe and our customers are very satisfied.
Q: What made you choose a venture in Europe (and why Cardiff!)?
Personally, I have been carrying a baseball glove with me since 1966. Here is the picture!
Since I came to the UK I have been missing the game terribly. After going to some games here in the UK, I noticed the same attachment players had to their gloves, so it was easy to share the passion with them. After twenty years living in the UK, it was time to go back to the baseball family. It does not matter where you are: that family will always welcome you…after you show them your true stripes. Go Giants! (Eds note: booooo)
I am based in Cardiff because I choose to follow my wife’s work and we are lucky to have the chance to raise a family here: The Land of the Dragon, or the Land of Song, depending on your point of view.
Q: How can I get my hand on (in) a glove?
Go to our website www.rolineurope.com and start to browse the different models for different positions. Then look at our many photo galleries for inspiration. Once you have a clearer idea, you can start designing your own glove here: https://baseball.rolin.com.mx/
Our price includes: the design, international shipment, clearance through UK customs, VAT and delivery by Royal Mail. The turnover from the order date to delivery at your door is six weeks. Not bad, huh?
Q: Will it make up for my crippling lack of talent?
I would not even trust my own talent! But wearing our gloves, you could, with enough reflexes, avoid a broken finger or nose. Let me explain: our gloves are not toys, even our kids line is robust enough to protect you, handled properly. That’s why, as a player I do not recommend cheap gloves; I have seen some nasty accidents because of them, especially with children and novices. As I said before, talent is rare, but almost anybody can develop the basic abilities to use any type of glove: a gardener, a firefighter, a baseball player, etc. If that doesn’t help, I have a piece of advice for you: run, and run fast! (Good advice it is too)
–
Hopefully that gives you a little more insight into what Rolin do and why we’re so pleased to be able to offer you the glove in our competition. Stick the tweet in your baseball group chat, tell your mates to give it a retweet and send us a video of you making a sweet diving play once you’ve won it!
