So, you decide to get back into baseball, or maybe you’re just helping out with your kid’s team. You think you’ve got it all covered. Bats, gloves, cleats. What else could there be, right? Well, let me tell you, there’s one piece of gear you don’t think about until you really wish you had.
For me, it was one of those sunny Saturday afternoons. Just a casual pick-up game. Nothing too serious, or so I thought. Then, crack! A line drive, fouled off, straight into the dirt, then up. And yeah, it found me. Found that one spot. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to curl up and disappear more in my life. Walked around tender for days. That was it. Never again, I told myself. Time to get serious about protection. The baseball underwear cup. Yeah, that thing.
First step, actually buying one. I figured, how hard could it be? It’s a cup. For your, uh, sensitive areas. You go to the store, you pick one, you leave. Nope. It was like an entire aisle dedicated to these things. You got your classic jockstrap style, which looked like something out of a medieval torture museum. Then you got these compression shorts with a little pocket. Seemed more modern, I guess. And the cups themselves! Some were plain plastic, some had soft edges, some were ‘ergonomically designed’. Ergonomic for what, exactly? I just wanted something to stop a baseball, not cradle it like a baby.
I eventually settled on one of the compression short setups. Seemed like the least offensive option. Got it home. The shorts themselves? Pretty comfortable, actually. Like those fancy athletic shorts everyone wears now. But then came the cup. Getting that stiff piece of plastic into that tiny pouch… it was a struggle. Felt like I was trying to wrestle a live fish into a Ziploc bag. A very angry, very rigid fish. Took a few tries, a bit of awkward maneuvering, but eventually, it was in. Victory?
Wearing it for the first time was… an experience. I felt like I was walking with a dinner plate strapped between my legs. Super self-conscious. Kept thinking everyone was looking, probably judging my newfound waddle. But, you start running around, diving for a ball (carefully, at first), and you kind of forget it’s there. Mostly. It’s definitely there when you sit down too fast, though. Lesson learned.
Then came the real test. Few games in, I’m up to bat. Pitcher throws one a little inside. I try to check my swing, kind of turn away. The batter before me had fouled one straight back, hard. This time, it was my turn to face the music, just differently. Foul tip, hard, straight down. And thwack. Right onto the cup. I mean, I heard it. Felt a dull thud. But that was it. No searing pain, no dropping to my knees praying for the sweet release of unconsciousness. Just a thud. I stood there for a second, took a breath, probably looked a bit stunned. Catcher asked if I was okay. I just nodded. Okay? I was fantastic. That stupid piece of plastic had just saved my weekend, maybe my month.
So yeah, the baseball underwear cup. Is it glamorous? Nope. Is it the most comfortable thing in the world? Definitely not when you first put it on. But is it necessary? After my little experiences, I’m gonna say absolutely. You don’t realize how much you need it until that one moment. And believe me, you don’t want to find out the hard way. It’s one of those things. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and, well, you get the picture. Took me getting whacked good and proper to figure it out, but hey, lesson learned. Some gear you just don’t skip.
