From $44.25
Softball has a motion all its own: the pitcher's arm wheels in a full circle and snaps the ball in underhand, fast enough that the batter gets a blink to decide. Then comes the crack off the bat, the sprint down the line, the slide into second in a cloud of dust. This piece captures the game in a single word, SOFTBALL in sturdy varsity capitals, where the O is a round softball with its two curved seams cut clean through. Every sign is cut by hand from a thin sheet and finished in a hammered coat of black or silver that gives the surface a fine, grainy texture. It spans about 23 inches by 4 inches and weighs close to a pound, so a couple of small nails, picture magnets, Velcro, or heavy-duty double-sided tape will hold it on the wall. Place it above a player's bed, beside the trophy shelf in a family room, or across a team room wall, or group it with other sport words for a household that plays a bit of everything. A fun gift for a pitcher heading into her first varsity season, a catcher who never misses a pitch, or the coach who drags the infield before every game.