I think bob jenkins has mentioned it before - buy Leather Lustre and it will give them a patent leather like shine. Follow the directions and they should look pretty awesome. It even works well on older shoes and protects them through most of the conditions we find. Again, you just need to wipe them clean after the game and forget about daily polishing.

I keep noticing things when looking at the New Balance shoe - are the toe and metatarsal protector steel? Sometimes they put a polycarbonate piece in to make them lighter, bad idea for a shoe. The other thing is the way that the plate is attached. That is a stress point and with only two rivets and some stitching, it looks like it will last only a year or two of hard use. Give it a shot if you've got the money. Let us know - old feet and ankles need all the help we can get.

I think the NB shoes are in a leather called High Shine, which is supposed to clean up real nice and buff to a high gloss.