Site status update: Comments are turned on, archives still unavailable. We hope to have full functionality restored later today, probably in the afternoon. Once that happens, all today’s comments will, unfortunately, be wiped clean. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t chime in — please do.
Meanwhile: Dugout jackets are fine, but man, it would be great to have been alive back in the days when ballplayers wore sweaters, which were so damn cool. At one point last year I wanted to put together an article about them, but I didn’t turn up enough good photos.
But I’ve got plenty of killer pics now, thanks to the new tome Deadball Stars of the American League, which is a total goldmine of sweater shots. My favorite, shown above, is of Nixey Callahan (here’s a larger view), and there are also excellent shots of such sweater-clad stalwarts as Harry Coveleski and Chief Bender, along with sweater-centric group shots of the Red Sox, White Sox, Yankees, and Browns (note the fleur-de-lis, which the Brownies wore for three seasons). The show-stopper, though, is this team portrait of the Indians — check out those woolen sweater-jackets!
The book also features lots of non-sweater items of interest. Dig:
• Actually, there is a sweater in this shot of the 1907 World Series — it’s being worn by the first base coach. But I’m more interested in all the people in the crowd who appear to have white bags or wraps over their heads. Was it raining? Were these formative do-rags? Very odd.
• I’ve written several times about the old-school style of wearing the belt buckle off-center. But Terry Turner wore his buckle all the way in the back — I’d never seen that before. Looks like Jack Coombs did it, too.
• Awesome shot here of the Red Sox’s old lace-up jersey.
• Speaking of the Bosox, recognize this guy? That’s Babe Ruth, in his pre-pinstripe days.
• You’ve probably seen plenty of photos of Cy Young pitching. But here he is batting — with his glove hanging from his belt loop. Elmer Flick did likewise, and Bobby Veach stuffed his glove in his pocket.
• Ray Schalk’s chest protector is obscuring his jersey insignia, but you can still tell he played for the White Sox, because of the little “WS” initials on his collar.
• This photo of Stan Coveleski had to have been taken in 1920, because that’s the year the Indians wore that black armband. It was in memory of Ray Chapman, who was killed by a beanball thrown by Yankees pitcher Carl Mays (still the only on-field player death in MLB history).
• I’m assuming the black carnation on Harry Davis’s jersey is also some sort of memorial, but I don’t know the details. Anyone..?
• Here’s the weirdest-looking version of the Tigers’ “D” I’ve ever seen. It looks like it didn’t get enough vitamins or something.
• Last but not least, check out the crazy hoop stripes on George Davis’s undershirt.
Uni Watch News Ticker: The Celtics are memorializing Dennis Johnson with a black shoulder band. … On Friday I said this was a thumb guard, but Adam Schulz says otherwise: “It’s designed to give the batter better leverage with the bat. It works kind of like Turbo Slot batting gloves.” … Kim Kolb reports that the Philadelphia Phantoms (the Flyers’ AHL affiliate) wore retro-style jerseys on Friday (except what’s retro about putting the team name on the lower stripe?). … More “Turn Ahead the Clock” news: Look at No. 66 on this list (with thanks to Jeremy Brahm). … J. D. Hutchinson reports that Florida’s basketball team may preview its special NCAA tourney uniforms tomorrow. … Michael Rich notes that Siena’s Kenny Hasbrouck was wearing mismatched socks the other day. … Another note from Rich: “Levi Leipheimer (American and current leader of the Tour of California) chose not to wear the yellow jersey in the individual time trial on Friday, despite his position as race leader. I’m pretty sure they force you to wear it in the Tour de France (Lance tried to not wear it to make a statement in his last Tour, and they threatened to disqualify him), but I guess they’re a little more lax on the rules in the US. Here’s a video of Leipheimer during Stage 5, in the usual Team Discovery jersey rather than traditional yellow.” … Bryan Redemske spotted two notable items regarding Edgar Martinez: (1) He’s got something on his underbrim, and (2) in a stunning development, he actually knows how to wear a glove! … Redemske also notes that Rich Harden was posing for photos in a replica cap. … Three contributions from Brian Crisp: (1) “I work for NASA at Johnson Space Center. We always get these free magazines about different space events. Turns out one of them had a pretty interesting article about mission patches. The article starts on page 6 of this PDF file.” (2) “SI ran a goalie mask design contest for kids, and some of the finalists are pretty good.” (3) “Since former coach Shelby Metcalf died on 2/8, the Texas A&M basketball team has been wearing a ribbon patch for him. The ribbon is maroon and has the initials “SM.” … Japanese baseball news from Jeremy Brahm, who writes: “Yomiuri Giants player Wilfin Obispo, who had just reached a trial contract with the Giants, couldn’t get a uniform with his name fast enough before the spring training game on the 24th, so he borrowed coach Kiite Kim’s uniform which was numbered 130.” … Two other interesting items from Jeremy: (1) An old 49ers pennant with a logo I’d never seen before, and (2) a shot of Wilt Chamberlain wearing No. 54. Anyone know more about that? … Highly detailed critique of the new MLB caps from Jason Peg: “I just picked up my new Rockies hat for the season and went to work on it. The stitching and black plastics haven’t changed at all, but the white threads did seem to pull out from the seams a LOT easier with this hat compared to previous years. Also, instead of having a cloth/cloth underband, it’s got a cloth/papercloth underband. Also, I soaked it in hot water like always, but when I pulled it out, the dye had run into the water QUITE a bit. It wasn’t that the water was a little darker or anything — it was THICK. The MLB logo in back, instead of being fully cross-stitched, now has the rollstitching like the front over the raised portions of the logo. And finally, I don’t know if this is a sign of things to come, but I’m wondering if quality control has gone out the window. The front logo was crooked it each and every hat I saw in the dugout store. The vertical stroke of the ‘R’ usually aligns with the center seam in front, but this time — well, see for yourself.” … South Carolina’s new Under Armour-designed football jerseys will apparently look like this (with thanks to Beau Frankllin). … Can’t wait to see the uniforms for the Israel Baseball League, but for now all we have is a set of logos (as brought to my attention by, of course, Jeffrey Israel). … Bit of cryptic info here on the new Canucks uniforms. … Jorn Schaffner reports that Ohio State wore some weird-ass uniforms the other day. Unusual nameplates, too. … “The pistons ran an ad for next year’s season tix, which included a ‘50 seasons’ logo,” writes Jeff Cohen. “Do you know if they’re gonna wear it as a commemorative patch next season?” No idea, but I do know that the years cited on on the design actually add up to 51 seasons. … More from Cohen: “The ad also had a few pics from throughout the years, and it looks like the Pistons once had an old english ‘D’ on their warmup jackets — looks pretty cool.”
#1 by Paul Lukas on 02.26.07 11:10 pm |
We’re back for real, people — full archives, full everything. Unfortunately, all of Sunday’s and Monday’s comments had to be erased, but that’s a small price to pay.
Welcome back, and thanks for your patience.
Cheers,
Paul
#2 by joe on 02.26.07 11:56 pm |
so where was the 1907 WS photo from chicago or detriot?
#3 by Jeff B on 02.27.07 12:06 am |
Wow look at this. Full, real UniWatch. I have a warm feeling inside me. Much like I have whenever I see a baseball player wearing high socks or a pitcher get down a perfect sac bunt, but much different than the warm feeling I get watching billboards drive in circles really fast or play pro poker.
#4 by Minna H. on 02.27.07 12:18 am |
Paul Lukas said:
No, Paul, thank you and Ek for working so hard and getting things running so quickly. It’s great to be back, and I’d like a rum and diet pop, please.
#5 by Kyle at IU on 02.27.07 12:28 am |
I left this in the pre-fixed comments…
Honda Formula 1 racing team was looking to promote the parent company’s eco-friendly website myearthdream.com, so they put a picture of Earth on their Formula 1 car. It’s…a tad bit odd-looking.
Honda F1 Launch
#6 by Scott on 02.27.07 1:05 am |
Levi Leipheimer probably didn’t wear yellow during the TT because he needed an aerodynamic skin suit. The organizers may not have had a proper yellow skin suit for Levi to wear. Perhaps they didn’t even have one at all. It is likely their issue, not Levi’s.
#7 by Matt from L.A. on 02.27.07 1:25 am |
Glad Uniwatch is back and fully functioning.
#8 by Mike Murray on 02.27.07 1:28 am |
Thanks for working so hard to get everything back online, Paul. I missed it!
#9 by Jay on 02.27.07 2:07 am |
Vanderbilt and Kentucky men’s game from Saturday going color vs color:
#10 by Jay on 02.27.07 2:08 am |
Link didn’t post. Lets see if this works.
http://vucommodores....
#11 by BurghFan on 02.27.07 3:40 am |
Thanks for getting this all up and running again.
Luke Jackson, who would have been the Sixers’ other big man, wore No. 54, so if Wilt’s jersey was lost or stolen, that would have been the most obvious replacement.
#12 by Robert on 02.27.07 8:03 am |
Mikey, here is a shot of the Cornhuskers during the season that you requested. This is at home:
http://www.huskernew...
And here is a shot of the hideous road uniforms:
http://www.okstate.c...
Boy, am I happy that the team slapped Adidas around after that season, and insisted on returning
to their traditional uniform.
#13 by Richard on 02.27.07 8:16 am |
Glad we’re up and running. I can’t wait for the new entries.
Thank you Paul and Ek for your hard work
#14 by Stuby on 02.27.07 8:26 am |
Glad to see that y’all are fully functional again.
In uni-news, the Atlanta Hawks busted out their Tree Rollins era (OK, Dominique era also) barber-pole style unis the other night – an eyesore I hoped would never be revisited. They followed those up with the yellow alternative unis last night. Quite possibly the worst back-to-back display of sartorial garishness in the history of sport.
#15 by Joey Guns on 02.27.07 8:33 am |
The LPGA is changing their logo.
http://sportsbybrook...
#16 by Matt D. on 02.27.07 9:13 am |
joe said:
I’m betting on Chicago. I zoomed in on the pic and there is a really clear “C” on the pitcher’s uniform, and it’s too light to be a road uniform. BUT, Dressed to the Nines/Okkonen says that the Cubs wore a new, pinstriped uniform for the Series, which is definitely not what’s in htis picture.
#17 by Rick V on 02.27.07 10:41 am |
The Pistons got it wrong with their 50 seasons patch. It’s 50 years but 51 seasons. (Unless there was an unplayed season I don’t know about in there somewhere.)
#18 by Rick V on 02.27.07 10:54 am |
Rick V said:
Sorry. :) Should have read further before I posted. Ooops!
#19 by Chance on 02.27.07 11:09 am |
Hi Paul,
The 49er logo in that pennant was used in the 1960s – you can see a better example at Chris Creamer’s site:
http://www.sportslog...
(check out
“1967-1975 SF and football inside a gold and red 49 shield” and
“1967-1975 SF and football inside a gold and red 49 shield”
They also used that shield as inspiration for the 50th anniversary logo:
http://www.sportslog...
#20 by charlie on 02.27.07 11:38 am |
Regarding the ‘carnation’ on the A’s uniform, I went to the archives…
From the Washington Post of April 27, 1909 –
Philadelphia
“The funeral of Dr. Maurice R. Powers, the star catcher of the Athletics, who died yesterday at the Northwestern General Hospital will be held on Thursday morning from the home of his friends, Mr. and Mrs. George E. Flood, 2035 North Twenty-second street.
“Six of his former team mates will act as pallbearers. The other two pallbearers will be selected from the local lodge of the Artisans to which Dr. Powers belonged.
“It has been arranged to postpone the game scheduled at the capital between the Athletics and the Washington teams on Thursday afternoon, and the players of both clubs, Connie Mack, manager of the local nine will come to this city tomorrow evening in time to view the body of their friend as it lies in states (sic) at the home of the Floods, between 9 and 10:30 o’clock.
“The Athletics will wear knots of black ribbon on the bosom of their shirts for 30 days and the flags at Shibe Park will be kept at half mast for the same length of time.â€
(Note – According to another story in the Post that morning, this was the first time a team attended the funeral of a member of another team. “ ’Doc’ Powers was a most popular man with the ball players all over the country, and his death has caused general regret among them.â€.)
#21 by charlie on 02.27.07 11:49 am |
I believe the 1907 photo is from the game played in Detroit. Back to the archives, an article in the Washington Post states:
From Associated Press (printed in Oct. 12, 1907 Washington Post):
Detroit, Mich., Oct. 11–
“It was anything but baseball weather this afternoon. The temperature ranged between 46 and 50 degrees during the game, with a cold 12-mile wind blowing across the diamond. Several times there were showers of rain, one, while Chicago was at bat in the fifth inning, being so heavy that it was necessary to interrupt play for fifteen minutes. Again, in the seventh inning, there was a sharp shower for a few moments, but it did not last long enough to interrupt the game.”
I suspect the fans were seeking protection from the rain, perhaps using handkerchiefs? The conditions would also warrant the wearing of a sweater. The 1907 Tigers played in Bennett Park, and the buildings in the background line up with pictures of that site.
#22 by Jeanine on 02.27.07 2:58 pm |
Hi there! Knotted handkerchiefs were a popular form of impromptu headgear, though it seems to be more of a http://www.icons.org...“>British thing
http://en.wikipedia....“>Monty Python fans might also be familiar with it
(Love the site, by the way! It’s one of my favorite daily rituals. Keep up the GREAT work!)
#23 by Donnie on 02.27.07 5:41 pm |
Those Ohio State sweaters look great.
#24 by Azul Army on 02.27.07 10:33 pm |
My lovely wife got me a 20 game package to the 66′ers for Christmas. I got to chose my games and I chose both of those. Paul- I will provide pics for you.
Peace- Azul (The guy with the purple bobblehead)
#25 by Mark Fimoff on 02.28.07 1:27 pm |
The 1907 WS picture was obviously taken at West Side Grounds Chicago.
Newspaper articles on the following day describe cold and windy conditions. However due to the big crowd, the men’s common bowler hats messed up the sight lines, so those polite folks in the crowd with cold head made use of their handkerchiefs.
#26 by Mark Fimoff on 02.28.07 6:13 pm |
Re above post #25, specifically, in the 10-9-1907 Chi Tribune article by Sy Sanborn, describing the 10-8-1907 WS game 1 at West Side Grounds Chicago:
Half the crowd…sat or stood through the entire game with bared heads….men and women..removing their hats in order to give those behind them a sight of the players….recalled their childhood days by making knotted caps of their handkerchiefs…
#27 by charlie on 03.01.07 12:10 pm |
I stand corrected regarding the site of the 1907 game. (See the photo of Bennett Field at ballparks.com and you will note it is a wider view of the one Paul posted!)
Since I was now looking for games at Chicago I went back to see what the Post had for those games. They ran an Oct. 8th AP story about the handkerchiefs:
“It was an extremely good-natured crowd, remarkable for its spirit of fair play and courtesy, and the half hundred police had no trouble at all in keeping it within bounds. When play started, those spectators in the field seats were unable to see over the hats of the persons in front, whereupon men and women alike removed their hats and tied handkerchiefs about the ears, sitting with this slight covering through two and half hours of baseball and in a breeze that was at times chilly.” (Confirms Mark’s finding)
But another AP story caught my eye:
“Chairman Herrmann called the attention of the other members of the commission to the fact that it was difficult to distinguish the players of the two teams, and an order was issued that the Cubs must wear their white uniforms to-morrow, while the Tigers will have to wear theirs in Detroit.”
The next day the AP story from Chicago says:
“The local team discarded the new gray uniforms in which they appeared yesterday, appearing in their soiled and worn white home uniforms.”
It seems both teams wore their road grays for the first game of the Series, which ended in a 12-inning tie by the way. So, we had color vs. color, albeit gray, in the World Series.
#28 by Mark Fimoff on 03.01.07 1:44 pm |
Hey Charlie,
Yes – and the Cubs also wore road grays at home for at least one (maybe 2 – I will have to check) of the later 1906 WS games vs the White Sox. The intent was to change their luck.
There are photos of this at the Chicago Daily News web site. Search for SDN-052236 and SDN-052235.
At http://baseball-feve... , look at #588 for an great photo of Joe Tinker in a 1907 WS uni.