Disputed Calls: Should adult fans bring their gloves to the game?

I bring my glove to every game I attend and my lack of shame in it is absolute. There is no reason any man, woman, child or animal should not bring a baseball glove to a Major League Baseball game and the reasons in favor of bringing one are many.

The primary reason: It improves your chance of catching a ball. This isn't arguable. And for those attending a game, the desire to take home a ball as a souvenir is, I think, universal. Fans may put forth differing levels of effort in their attempts to acquire one, but if a ball heading their way, I don't think anyone thinks "nah, I don't want that."

So I can't imagine why there should be any kind of stigma against bringing a glove, when everyone can relate to the reason behind it. It seems to me that those opposed to the glove might be fine catching balls, but just don't want to look like they're trying too hard.

Which is dumb. You're there to have fun, root on your team and go crazy. The stands at baseball games are filled with fans with costumes, ridiculous signs and horse-head masks, and we love them for it. Yet somehow an adult wearing a glove is outrageous?

Which brings me to a secondary reason. Even if your seats give you a better chance to catch a cumulus cloud than a foul, it's still fun to wear your glove. Because in its own small way, it's a way to feel a part of the thing you're watching. It's the equivalent of bringing a wand to opening night of a Harry Potter movie, which is also something I have done, and have zero regrets about.

I'm not saying you must bring a glove; if you prefer decreasing your chance of successfully catching a ball and exposing yourself to possible boos if you fumble one away, that's your choice. But please don't give me grief about mine - or that of anyone who wants to bring their glove, regardless of age.

Should you bring your glove to the ballpark? Let's do some long division:

An average of 30,895 people attended each Major League game in 2012. Most games require 40-50 baseballs. Even accounting for variations in single-game attendance and concentration of souvenir balls in various areas of the ballpark, the odds of any individual fan actually encountering a foul ball or a home run are exceedingly low.

And if you're not using your glove to catch a ball, you're just wasting a limb that could otherwise expedite donut burger consumption.

Now, the desire to imitate your big league heroes is understandable, as is the fantasy of somehow joining the on-field action. But wearing a replica pair of David Wright's orange spikes won't help you traverse concrete stadium ramps any faster and we pity any Buster Posey supporter actually wearing an athletic supporter in the grandstand. Bringing your glove to the game isn't so different from gearing up with that outlandish professional accoutrement.

Personally, I wouldn't bring my glove to the ol' ball game even if I knew with 100 percent certainty that a homer ball was headed my way. The gloved catch, seen every night in every ballyard across this fair nation, is met with a polite round of applause and then immediately forgotten. A barehanded snag, however, is immortalized in the canon of fan greatness and could potentially lead to a professional cricket tryout.

But that's all beside the point. If you want a souvenir ball, your best chance is to hit the gift shop. Don't bring your glove to the game.