Wait until y'all's boys are throwing in the high 80's with lots of movement. Then we'll see about some of these comments...
Heck, CADad, I even want to use a catcher's mitt when playing catch these days. The extra padding comes in handy.
It's easier on the hand if I don't catch the ball, hr. For some reason, at my age it is harder to get down & catch those low ones when sitting on a bucket.
As CADad pointed out, it's those inside two seamers that are so tough on the left thumb. And even the heavy duty Nokona catcher's mitt can only do so much.