I just have to wonder..........
If anyone had come on here & said that they condition their new glove, put it in a bag with a few drops of water & stick it into a hot oven for a few hours, what would the reaction be?
Yes, heat & moisture can be good for breaking in a glove, but do you know what else it's good for? Bacterial growth. Cars are not the most sanitary environment as it is & trunks are even less so! I prefer a much more controlled method when adding heat & moisture.
I'm distinctly old school when it comes to break-in. Conditioner ---> Mallet work---> Elbow grease---> Field work. I am pretty meticulous & deliberate with what I do. If I do add heat & moisture, it's usually early in the process during mallet work & elbow grease. I live in the NE so breaking in a glove is usually a winter process for me. Breaking in a glove is not a rushed process for me & it's normally a minimum 6 month process before I will even use a new glove in a meaningful game. Now don't get me wrong. I can get just about any glove game ready in less than a month but I choose not to do so. I like to get a glove about 80% to 85% of the way there on the bench & then the rest of the way with field use. I'm more in the Ozzie Smith camp of things so most would not think of my glove as "broken in" at the point I am ready to game them at. I'm also very regimented & meticulous about glove care:
- Ball always in pocket when not in use
- NEVER leaving a glove in a car or equipment bag longer than necessary
- Always air dry after games in hot weather
- Clean & condition when needed
Longevity is a malleable subject. A lot can depend on region, care & frequency of use. If you live & play where it's consistently in the high 90"s & 100's & you play year round, it shortens glove life. If you play on natural fields that don't have a neutral soil composition, that can shorten glove life. If you play a high amount of games or don't do adequate glove care, you shorten glove life.
In NYC, the Clincher is king for the majority of play so needing a higher end glove is often overkill. A mid tier glove is often good enough & will last for years if taken care of. Only with the more serious leagues & players do you see better gloves. What I learned to do was to keep my better gloves for more serious play on natural & turf fields. My older gloves were relegated to asphalt/concrete play.