gator vs. thumb to thumb

Hi Ag

In my mind, the "gator" is one of the last stubborn hangovers from the old "cup your throwing hand over every caught ball" school.
(Here is my chain of logic)
A. Every glove made today is a trapper. Define that as a big web and the fingers strung together.
B. the proper way to catch a ball is with a "trapper" more or less perpendicular to the path of the ball.
C. Every living ballplayer you will ever see on TV, from LL allstars, to Major League Pros, catch the ball as if they are using a trapper...which in my definition, they are...WITH ONE NOTABLE EXCEPTION...here and there one still sees the gator for grounders taught by fellows who just haven't figured it out yet.
D. You yourself, and I myself, utilize the "trapper" catch on every ball, every catch, every day.....with the possible exception that you use the "gator" method on grounders.
E. If one catches a ball most efficiently with the "trapper glove" facing the on-coming ball perpendicularly, then if you would, get in a receiving position for a hot low grounder with your glove hand pretty much straight down.....Now put your throwing hand in position for the "gator" hand-heel to hand-heel. Now lift those throwing hand fingers as high as you possibly can with the glove-hand still pointing straight down! Hmmmmmmmmmmm? Not much room for error to prevent a jammed finger is there?
F. Ah you say, but why don't we just lift the fingers of the glove hand so the glove fingers are more horizontal? Then the throwing hand can tilt higher too.
G. Correct! Now we have compounded the error. The trapper is no longer perpendicular to the path of the ball, giving a ball the tendency to run up the fingers onto the heel of the glove, and up into our face and throat. That being the case, we had better have some sort of guard there, hadn't we?

H. Why just not solve the problem at the source? Get the glove down perpendicular to the path of the ground ball, (vertical). Most "throat or face" balls are deflections off a tilted glove...NOT a bad hop.

I. If a ball does bounce UP, the glove should come up in a snatch straight up but still vertical. The elbows go OUT to the sides, and the whole body is launched upwards at the same time at the knees and waist.

J. If the ball happens to be one of those, (rare), headknocker ricochets off the ground, at least there won't be a hand in the way to block the view of the oncoming ball. Self defense reflexes can take over, and it is a base hit.

That's "Bean's About Baseball"
Best regards
Kenneth Bean