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YOUR BALANCE
I have recently been made aware of the "Absolutely Ridiculous" phenomenon
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Replies: 31
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I have recently been made aware of the "Absolutely Ridiculous" phenomenon

4

Feb 18, 2025, 1:07 PM
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friend of mine with a Little Leaguer brought me up to speed on the craze kids have with this new line of baseball gloves and equipment.

Wow. We're talking $400+ baseball gloves.

Clemson Baseball is the first school with a equipment contract/NIL deal with them. Our guys are sporting some really wild looking gear.


https://absolutelyridiculous.com/

https://x.com/ClemsonBaseball/status/1882443179753951512

https://x.com/ariagloves/status/1891606633244950539

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This isn't new. When I worked in a sporting goods store, it was nothing

3

Feb 18, 2025, 1:11 PM
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for 20 mamas to come in during tournament weekend and buy Bryyyyyxon a brand new Nakona glove, 4 Easton flex neck bats, a couple of sliding pants, and every accessory you can think of.

I think the largest one I rung up was +$3000 in one purchase.

I asked the kid how he did that day at bat.


0-3

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I like your funny words magic man


no, this specific brand

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:15 PM
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not Easton and Nokona and Mizuno.

Absolutely Ridiculous....its a brand. Apparently a rap mogul in Nashville is the owner/designer.

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My favorite thing about little league is all the

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:16 PM [ in reply to This isn't new. When I worked in a sporting goods store, it was nothing ]
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Bats from $4-600 that kids have.

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$400 bat. $2 swing***

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:17 PM
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I like your funny words magic man


For my son's travel ball bat he uses a handmedown

3

Feb 18, 2025, 1:18 PM
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bat that looks like it has been used to hit rocks for the past 7 years.

Meanwhile, one kid, who isn't good, has a $500 and a $600 bat in his bag and $700 worth of cather's gear. And he can't hit and isn't a good catcher.

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I bet his dad wears a flat billed hat

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:22 PM
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tigermanac®

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I like your funny words magic man


with strong Uncle Rico vibes***

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:29 PM
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2025 orange level member flag link military_tech thumb_downthumb_up

Not after they get a private hitting coach***

2

Feb 18, 2025, 3:59 PM [ in reply to $400 bat. $2 swing*** ]
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"sliding pants"?

9

Feb 18, 2025, 1:28 PM [ in reply to This isn't new. When I worked in a sporting goods store, it was nothing ]
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Coulda used those yesterday.

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Why? Didn't seem to have any problems with it sliding out of you.***

3

Feb 18, 2025, 3:26 PM
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2025 purple level member flag link military_tech thumb_downthumb_up

drunk at the putt putt.


By the way, I learned some very disconcerting news last year

2

Feb 18, 2025, 2:29 PM [ in reply to This isn't new. When I worked in a sporting goods store, it was nothing ]
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FBC and my son worked at the same store, not at the same time, but the same sporting goods store.


Gave me the ick

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Locally Hated since 1992


If you see your son measure the drapes at your MIL's house, you may need to

3

Feb 18, 2025, 3:50 PM
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stage an intervention.

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And that oh-fer had at least one backwards-K, right?***

2

Feb 18, 2025, 3:30 PM [ in reply to This isn't new. When I worked in a sporting goods store, it was nothing ]
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When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven!


Oh yeah, they gotta have those sliding mitts

3

Feb 18, 2025, 1:16 PM
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even though they aren't allowed to slide

baseball is still the cheapest sport in my house

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Re: I have recently been made aware of the "Absolutely Ridiculous" phenomenon

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:28 PM
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Ah, not a new phenomenon. Father-of was a manufacturers rep for fishing tackle for 30 years said to me once, "Son, they don't make fishing tackle to catch fish. They make it to catch fishermen".

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again, talking about a specific brand called "Absolutely Ridiculous"

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:38 PM
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(yeah, I think its a stupid name too)

not the age-old tale of brighly colored baubles and trinkets that lure gullible people to buy them.

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Re: again, talking about a specific brand called "Absolutely Ridiculous"

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:51 PM
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Sounds aptly named then. I stand by my post. Been watching golfers for years drift from one "craze" to the next. They see ya comin for the latest "got to have" toys thinkin it's gonna make Jr into a major leaguer or the next Tiger Woods. Parents gotta have it just as often as the kids. Knew a guy who's trunk was filled with drivers, putters and wedges. All the latest and greatest in their day. Then they all lost the magic.

The parents are looking for the magic. The kids just want to LOOK like they know what they're doing and being cool at the same time.

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I still use the putter I had in high school

3

Feb 18, 2025, 1:58 PM
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old vintage Ray Cook M-1 mallet. About 20 years ago I bought another one off ebay for a spare in case I ever lost it or it got damaged. So far so good. PLayed golf for almost 50 years, had 2 sets of irons. If my brother hadn't given me a set for Christmas one year, I'd probably still be playing my original set of Ben Hogan Medallions I got when I was 13. I have bought a few new drivers over the years because the tech has changed so much from wood to metal to steel to titanium.

Lots of people fall for the newest and hippest, basic human flaw.
Learned a long time ago that it wern't the club's fault, it was the guy holding it.

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Baseball especially youth travel ball has become an elite, country club sport

2

Feb 18, 2025, 1:34 PM
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It is a rich kids game with some middle class kids and parents trying to keep up with the “Jones”. Travel ball is a huge money grabbing business with academy teams, paid coaches and expensive resort type tournaments. Kids have got to have the best equipment, a batting coach, pitching coach and many should have a sports psychologist to help with their emotional maturity. It’s kind of silly but my grandkids and their parents are in to it.

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It's still very blue collar but people are blowing their life

3

Feb 18, 2025, 2:02 PM
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savings on junior doing travel ball.

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All youth sports are like that, even AAU basketball

3

Feb 18, 2025, 2:31 PM [ in reply to Baseball especially youth travel ball has become an elite, country club sport ]
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it's just a money-making machine now

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Locally Hated since 1992


What kind ghey shid is this?

4

Feb 18, 2025, 1:34 PM
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Who TF is wearing this??



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Glad mine noped out on beisbol early. Shid,

2

Feb 18, 2025, 2:03 PM
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I thought the travel soccer was bad.

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Those high end cleats aint cheap though

2

Feb 18, 2025, 3:57 PM
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If you go that route.

We re on our 4th pair of keeper gloves and I think they are about $35 each. Not terrible, I know, but it is just something else you gotta buy.

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I wont miss that part of it

3

Feb 18, 2025, 3:39 PM
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Sonof- decided to stop playing baseball this year at 14 years old. The last couple seasons the only “new” stuff he got was cleats because used cleats are gross.

He needed another glove, so we shopped Play-It-Again. He was fine with that. “Already broken in!” he said.

Needed a BBCOR rated bat, bought one from a family friend’s son who was selling his old equipment to buy the latest $500 bat. He was fine with that, too. Given the way he treated it as he went back to the dugout angry after strikeouts, I’m glad I didn’t pay full price.

Then this year he and I had the “don’t play because you think I want you to play, do it because YOU want to play” discussion. And he told me that he didn’t want to and I was OK with that.

It was immediately followed by “…but you’re not doing ‘nothing.’” Highschool swim had just finished (freshman year) and he wants to keep swimming, so we’re now in a “mostly competitive” year-round swim team (Not that this is less expensive, the $500 is now drawn out over several months). 4x per week, an hour and a half of just swimming. And he’s seeing improvements and is excited.

And that makes me happy.

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When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven!


How come he wasn't doing nothing?***

2

Feb 18, 2025, 3:50 PM
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Because doing "nothing" would mean sitting around just playing video games

2

Feb 18, 2025, 4:07 PM
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So, if he wasn't going to play baseball, fill the exercise void. And he chose swimming. And I'm OK with that.

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When we drink, we get drunk.
When we get drunk, we fall asleep.
When we fall asleep, we commit no sin.
When we commit no sin, we go to heaven.
So, let's all get drunk, and go to heaven!


That seems OK to me.

2

Feb 18, 2025, 4:41 PM
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At least he's staying out of trouble, probably

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In about 1995 a friend of mine gave me a WIlson A2000 baseball glove because

3

Feb 18, 2025, 3:43 PM
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someone gave it to him but he was left handed. It had a real signature in it but I don't remember who it was. Anyways, that was a $250 glove easily. That is like $500 now.

I used it through JV, Varsity, Co-ed Softball, Slow Pitch adult league, and still have it and let my kids use it.

Expensive baseball equipment has been around forever.

People just buy it for 8 year olds now.

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eggsactly

4

Feb 18, 2025, 3:46 PM
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They also buy the 8 year old multiple of them for some reason. And the kid can't even catch.

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Even better, by next year the 8YO will need all new slightly bigger gear.***

2

Feb 18, 2025, 3:56 PM
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Replies: 31
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