Vince Vukovich had no idea his father’s glove was gone until he spotted it being used by the Blue Jays’ second baseman with an unexpected link. “It was phenomenal.”
Vince Vukovich has lost several baseball gloves. He coaches youth teams and will talk to someone after practice or a game, then leave one behind. This happens. More often than he would like to admit.
Vukovich, 43, was not shocked when a friend contacted two weekends ago to report that another misplaced glove had been found. Only this well-worn Mizuno was unique. It belonged to Vukovich’s late father, John, a hard-nosed Phillies reserve infielder and coach who was well-liked by both players and fans.
Oh, and this is where the narrative becomes really good, even a little unbelievable: The glove is being worn by Toronto Blue Jays rookie infielder Davis Schneider, who graduated from Eastern Regional High School in Voorhees, which also happens to be Vince’s alma school, about 40 years after John Vukovich used it.
“I didn’t even know it was missing, and then once I saw it, I’m like, ‘Oh crap, I was kind of looking for that glove!'” Vince Vukovich stated that last weekend. “I thought it was phenomenal.”
Schneider, 24, will wear the glove this week when the Blue Jays face the Phillies for two games. Perhaps he will record an out or two with it, which would be appropriate given that Vukovich was the Phillies’ bench coach in the 1993 World Series versus Toronto.
“I actually just looked at some pictures of him using it as a Cub,” Schneider said over the phone before last week’s game. “One of my buddies emailed me a picture of him in a Phillies outfit, holding the glove. He said, ‘Damn, this is the glove!’ I said, ‘Yeah, it probably is.’ It was really nice to witness.”
