Ep 110: Bringing baseball mitts back to life- D&J Glove Repair
“A guy decided to make a logo for us, an 8th grader made us a website, and its really taken off from there”
Episode 110 takes Moonlight Graham into the workshop of Jimmy Lonetti and D&J Glove Repair in Minneapolis. Jimmy and his son Dom started their business as a sort of hobby when they saw the need for repairs in little league. That hobby has turned into a business that brings baseball mitts of all conditions back to life. Tim bought a 1930s glove that looked like it belonged in the trash heap and after a few weeks in the D&J workshop, the mitt was literally game ready.
“You’re telling the history of baseball through baseball gloves”
Like every Moonlighter, Jimmy’s story starts with his family. Jimmy’s grandpa was a shoemaker and Jimmy remembers the smell of leather and glue and even working on his own gloves (before he even knew how!). Many of the gloves D&J repairs have their own father and son story. Many sons send him gloves their dads grew up playing that they want to recondition as a gift or reviving a glove that was a gift from their father. Every glove has a story and Jimmy and Dom use their skills to bring those stories to life.
“Breaking in a glove is a personal thing”
Episode 110 will take you all the way from resuscitating a 1930s mitt to breaking in new mitts. Jimmy knows all of the tips and tricks for breaking in your mitt and caring for it so that it will last longer than your throwing arm will. Enjoy this week’s interview with Jimmy Lonetti of D&J Glove Repair and then go see what your dad’s old mitt looks like.