A lifelong player, coach, and student of the game bringing 40+ years of baseball experience to every glove restoration.
A lifelong love of baseball drives every restoration
The Craft
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I started playing baseball at age five, and from that first catch, I was hooked. My parents didn't just support my love for the game — they nurtured it. Every family vacation centered around going to a baseball game, visiting a new MLB stadium, learning the history at the Baseball Hall of Fame, and experiencing the game at its highest level. When I was eight, I was lucky enough to meet Mickey Mantle. We share the same birthday, and to this day, I wear number seven in his honor.
That early foundation shaped everything. I played through high school at West Seneca East and into college at (DIII) Waynesburg University. But I never stopped playing. For the past ten years, I've competed in Buffalo's MUNY leagues — the Men's Senior Baseball League with teams across the AA Open Age, 35+, and 45+ divisions. I primarily play catcher, but have also spent time at first base, third base, and recently shortstop. I enjoy traveling the country for national tournaments with various teams, facing elite competition, and testing my skills against the best adult players in the game.
Beyond playing, I enjoy coaching. Through my program "The Catcher's Edge," I teach youth baseball and softball players the fundamentals and finer points of catching—the position that taught me everything about reading the game, leading a defense, and understanding what a player needs from their equipment.
"It's not just repairing gloves to me."
Laces break or loosen or wear out, but there's also a desire to add some pop to your glove—adding your favorite color or your team colors just to add a little fun to your equipment. Every glove tells a story, and I get to be part of keeping those stories alive.
Backstop Glove Works started when my catcher's mitt broke just weeks before a tournament in Las Vegas. After talking with teammates, opponents, and coaches in the area, I realized there was a real need for quality glove repair in Western New York—service from someone who understands what players need because I'm still out there competing myself.
Whether it's a glove still being used 15 years after high school or college, or restoring a glove that belonged to someone's late father, every restoration matters. I work out of my home shop in Buffalo, and every glove gets the same attention to detail I'd give my own gamer. Because when you've spent 40+ years loving this game, you understand—a glove isn't just equipment. It's part of who you are as a player.
Baseball runs in the family—my brother Steven serves as "The Voice of the Landsharks" as PA announcer for Oceanside Collegiate Academy in Charleston, SC, and was inducted into their inaugural sports Hall of Fame class.
Featured in West Seneca Living Magazine (April 2026) - "Stitching the Game Back Together: The Man Who Brings Baseball Gloves Back to Life"
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