This Jackie Robinson tribute thing is turning into quite a phenomenon. At first it looked like one player per team would be wearing No. 42, except for the Dodgers, who planned to have everyone wearing 42. But now two other teams have joined the Dodgers — the Cardinals and Pirates (last item on the page) — and several other teams will have multiple 42ers, including the Cubs (Jacque Jones, Daryle Ward, and Cliff Floyd, plus Derrek Lee, who had previously been announced), A’s (Milton Bradley, Shannon Stewart, and coach Tye Waller), Twins (Torii Hunter, Rondell White, and coach Jerry White), Royals (Reggie Sanders and Emil Brown), Tigers (Gary Sheffield, Curtis Granderson, Craig Monroe, Marcus Thames, and coach Lloyd McClendon), and Blue Jays (Vernon Wells, Frank Thomas, Royce Clayton, and coach Mickey Brantley). And although it hasn’t officially been announced yet, it’s a safe bet that the Yankees will have at least two 42ers: Mariano Rivera (duh) and Robinson Cano, the latter of whom is actually named after Jackie Robinson and normally wears No. 24 — the reverse of 42.
Other forty-deucers announced in recent days include Andruw Jones, Carl Crawford, Corey Patterson, Bill Hall, Orlando Hudson, Carlos Lee, LaTroy Hawkins, Jermaine Dye (second news item on the page), and Rangers skipper Ron Washington. To my knowledge, each of these players is his team’s lone 42er, at least for now.
When you toss in the other 42ers who’d been previously been announced (Ken Griffey, Barry Bonds, Mike Cameron, Willie Randolph, Coco Crisp, Dontrelle Willis, Gary Matthews Jr., Jimmy Rollins, Josh Barfield, C.C. Sabathia, and Dmitri Young), that means the only teams that haven’t yet announced a 42er for this Sunday are the Yankees and the Mariners (who’ve presumably been too busy making snow angels in Cleveland to deal with this Sunday’s festivities). If either of those teams has announced a 42er and I’ve missed it, or if there’s some other team I’ve overlooked, speak up.
Meanwhile, Lawrence Kuhnast notes that when Jackie Robinson made his Dodgers debut 60 years ago, he was wearing a zip-front jersey (additional views here and here), while his teammates were wearing button-fronts (additional view here). According to Dressed to the Nines, the Dodgers wore zip-fronts in 1946 and button-fronts in ’47, so it appears that Robbie was given an old jersey to begin his career.
And Bob Timmermann has done a bit of a research to clarify the Marc Sagmoen situation. According to an item that appeared on April 16th, 1997, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “Sagmoen wore No. 42 in the [April 15th] game, his uniform number in spring training. Midway through the game, Sagmoen learned that acting commissioner Bud Selig had declared in New York that No. 42 will be retired throughout baseball in honor of Hall of Famer Jackie Robinson.” A subsequent item in the April 20th edition of the Salt Lake Tribune noted, “Among that group [of players already wearing 42], only Sagmoen changed numbers immediately. He wasn’t exactly attached to 42, having been issued it only on Monday, when he was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City. … ‘I just didn’t think it would be right,’ said Sagmoen, who switched to 37. ‘I thought it would be better to retire it now. It was nice to wear it for one game, but I wouldn’t have felt right to wear it every game.’ ” So it looks like Sagmoen wore 42 only on April 15th — the same day Selig’s ruling came down — but not thereafter.
Incidentally, that Salt Lake Tribune article had an interesting quote from Scott Karl, who was wearing No. 42 for the Brewers at the time:
Karl, who like Sagmoen is white, believes he is entitled to the number he has worn throughout his career.
“I hope this will not become an issue, but I don’t want to give it up,” Karl said. “It’s my number. It’s not a number that was given to me randomly. I chose to wear the number and it has been a part of my life since I got to the big leagues [in 1995]. [Also], I feel I have a chance to be a part of something special.”
Unfortunately for Karl, in 2000 he was traded to the Rockies, where team owner Jerry McMorris insisted on keeping No. 42 out of circulation. Karl himself was out of circulation a year after that.
Uni Watch News Ticker: Shawn Green’s superscript “Y” was finally fixed on Friday. … Speaking of superscript letters, Cliff Floyd’s helmet appliqué was riding a bit high the other day. … Citadel played a serious throwback game against College of Charleston last Thursday. How serious? The umpires wore suspenders and straw hats! … Brandon Garrett notes that home plate ump Hunter Wendelstedt appeared to have the remnants of a football helmet sticker on his chest protector during Friday’s Mets/Braves game. … Wanna look like this guy? Look here. … Johnny Estrada usually wears stirrups with very little white showing. But for Friday’s game, with the Brewers wearing their ’80s retro uniforms, his hosiery was period-appropriate. … Fascinating article here about a California Little League operation that got into trouble by outfitting its teams in college-style uniforms instead of pro-style. … Over in Japan, Greg LaRocca’s using personalized batting gloves (as spotted by Jeremy Brahm). … Kei Igawa was doing the blind man on the mound routine again on Saturday. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Interesting bit here about Kelvim Escobar and the Angels’ new red jerseys. … Quite a few readers are intrigued by the shoes Dontrelle Willis wore on Saturday. Anyone know more about them? … Jose Cruz Jr.’s MVP-caliber stirrups were back on Sunday (with thanks to Richard Craig, who also notes that the Padres will be wearing 1973 throwbacks on May 11th).
#1 by Paul P on 04.09.07 8:12 am |
Watching Jon Papelbon blow guys away last night in the 8th and 9th, I noticed he is wearing a cap from last year, with the grey underbrim
http://bostondirtdog...
#2 by Srico on 04.09.07 8:22 am |
Anyone see the end of the Yanks-O’s game Friday night? As the game ends and the O’s were congratulating each other, I noticed something very odd. Some were wearing parkas with a huge MLB logo on the back.
Is this something teams keep on hand in case of unexpected cold weather? Has anyone ever seen anything at all like this before?
#3 by CollinJ on 04.09.07 8:23 am |
I know this is totally unrelated to anything on today’s entry, but does anyone else remember the Los Angeles Galaxy promising a rebranding complete with new colors and uniforms for this season? Well it hasn’t happened yet. The only difference are the sponsors on the jerseys. So are they waiting for their home-opener, their Beckham-opener, or are they totally scrapping this year’s rebranding?
#4 by Ian on 04.09.07 8:25 am |
The Shoes Dontrelle willis is wearing are the new Nike Huarache 2k5 baseball spikes
#5 by DC on 04.09.07 8:26 am |
This year, Dontrelle is wearing a customized version of the Nike Air Huarache 2k5 baseball spike.
http://www.eastbay.c...
They don’t offer that color (the Marlin teal) to the masses, thank goodness.
Dontrelle has switched to high tops this year, after pitching the past few years with low tops or mids while wearing supportive ankle braces, as seen here…
http://artfiles.art....
#6 by Marcus on 04.09.07 8:26 am |
Willis is wearing a player edition of the Nike Air Huarache 2K5.
http://www.dicksspor...
There ya go.
#7 by LES on 04.09.07 8:26 am |
Hi
the big question today is what uni combo will the NY Mets wear today in there home opener ,id like it to be Blue cap and pinstripes or at worst blue cap and snow white ,but whats the chances ? If the Mets are serious about wearing less black al they have to do is wear a blue cap with any one of the home whites at least 85% of the time at home. I dont mind the black so much as its part of NY National League history ,just alot less .
Les
Lets go Mets (Irish Chapter)
#8 by Cornellian on 04.09.07 8:27 am |
Srico,
I noticed one of those parkas during yesterday’s game. I only saw a quick shot of it in the Oriole dugout. My thought was a) what’s an MLB official doing asking questions in the dugout? and b) damn that’s a big logo. I guess it makes some more sense that they are players and not some random official there for a urine sample or something…
#9 by LES on 04.09.07 8:30 am |
Here is an Idea for the Mets on Jackie Robinson Day, if they can get the permission from the verious people ,lets wear a Blue cap with an Orange Brooklyn “B” with our snow white home jerseys ,basically the Dodgers throwback cap but with an orange “B” instead of white.
Any Thoughts?
Les
#10 by Joe on 04.09.07 8:31 am |
I saw that too! I didn’t grab a picture though because I didn’t want the world to see how terrible MASN’s low def broadcast looks on my big screen. The only way to get HD in B-more is to go to the game…which I will be doing at 3:05 today!
#11 by Rich Bruns on 04.09.07 8:34 am |
I noticed the parkas with the giant MLB logo on the back Friday night in the Pirates dugout in Cincinnati. I couldn’t see into the Reds dugout, so I don’t know if they were wearing them too.
#12 by Shaftman on 04.09.07 8:36 am |
I don’t dislike the idea, but at the same time I think respecting Jackie Robinson means respecting your own identity by wearing your true (blue) uni’s.
If they really wanted to honor this man, throw out “CitiField” and name it Jackie Robinson Park then we can all go and hang out at “The Jack”.
#13 by Adam on 04.09.07 8:36 am |
Two things:
White Sox coach Harold Baines is also wearing 42, per http://chicagosports...
Also, I was at the White Sox-Twins game yesterday, and somebody (I couldn’t tell who) in the Twins bullpen was also wearing the parka with the giant MLB logo. I thought it was as weird looking as the rest of you do.
#14 by Rich on 04.09.07 8:36 am |
Why not just have every member on every team wear 42? That would be quite the tribute…!
#15 by stuby on 04.09.07 8:38 am |
I admire Johnny Estrada for trying to be ‘period’. Unfortunately, the period he has achieved is early ’60s not early ’80s. By 1982, players were usually wearing the skintight uniforms with pant length between the knee and mid-calf and only a vertical stripe of the stirrup showing.
#16 by Talon Lardner on 04.09.07 8:39 am |
Sadly, I just noticed Saturday that the Kansas City Royals does the interesting Captain’s C Patch like hockey teams do. Are they the only professional non-hockey team that does a Captain patch like this? That patch isn’t available via their shop (as well as De La Rosa’s weird looking nameplate (Sadly, my Google Fu is failing me, I can not find a pic for him)
#17 by Ryan B. on 04.09.07 8:40 am |
Can’t provide you with visual evidence, but it was mentioned on ABC’s MLS broadcast on Saturday that the Galaxy would debut their rebranding efforts once Beckham came to town.
#18 by Matt R. on 04.09.07 8:42 am |
A question regarding the Cliff Floyd note: is it correct to call the logo on the batting helmet a decal even though it’s an applique and not a sticker?
#19 by LES on 04.09.07 8:44 am |
That would be brilliant butI serpose someone has to pay for the new park they could at least call it Jackie Robinson Park at Citi Field. But wearing the “B” wouldnt be that big a departure from our identity since we represent Brooklyn anyway.
#20 by Shaftman on 04.09.07 8:45 am |
Jason Varitek wears a “C” as well.
#21 by Ethan on 04.09.07 8:45 am |
Out of the Mouths of Babes…
A quick question completely off topic…My brother in law was in town yesterday, watching the Red Sox game with my 5 year old daughter. He’s converting her to a junior member of the Red Sox Nation (a dangerous prospect in a house full of Blue Jays and Yankees fans), and my daughter had a rare moment of uni-related insight:
“how come, if they’re called the Red Sox, all the guys aren’t wearing red socks?”
Seems a fair question.
#22 by Shaftman on 04.09.07 8:47 am |
We represent Brooklyn Blue and Giant Orange. As much as it would be an honor to the Brooklyn Dodgers it would be slight of the New York Giants. I think that maybe we go LA Dodger style and have the entire team outfitted with “42″.
#23 by Bryan on 04.09.07 8:48 am |
The Tigers will have 4 people other than Sheffield wearing 42. They are the only African-Americans on the team: Curtis Granderson, Craig Monroe, Marcus Thames, and hitting coach Lloyd McClendon. Link
#24 by Dave on 04.09.07 8:56 am |
Sorry I don’t have an answer for you; I remember the re-branding stories also (supposedly because Becks did not care for the green-and-gold) and have been wondering the same thing, but I haven’t heard or read anything in quite a while.
It’s hard to believe that the Galaxy would change their uni right in the middle of a season just to wait for Becks to start play.
Perhaps a UniWatch poster from LA will be able to enlighten us??
#25 by DJ on 04.09.07 9:00 am |
Sorry I don’t have an answer for you; I remember the re-branding stories also (supposedly because Becks did not care for the green-and-gold) and have been wondering the same thing, but I haven’t heard or read anything in quite a while.
Galaxy GM Alexi Lalas was thinking out loud a while ago (before Beckham was signed, I think) and said something to the effect of “when I think of a galaxy, I don’t think of green and gold, I think of dark blue.” A hint, perhaps?
#26 by The Ol Goaler on 04.09.07 9:05 am |
When Barry Larkin was captain of the Reds, he also wore the “C”. I’ve also seen the “C” on the occasional NBA uni, but I can’t recall any examples this morning…
#27 by MarkFore on 04.09.07 9:16 am |
On the ump’s football helmet sticker: I wonder if it is a lacrosse sticker instead. Lacrosse keepers wear similar chest protectors as catchers/umps plus the helmet looks more like a lacrosse mask than a football mask. I couldn’t find any examples that have that decal but the chest protectors certainly look the same.
#28 by Frank on 04.09.07 9:26 am |
Shawn Green sports a superscript ‘Y’, and they sweep the World Champion Cardinals. They fix the ‘Y’, and then they lose two out of three from the Braves. Coincidence? I think the Met’s equipment manager needs to put the ‘Y’ back up where it belongs!
#29 by mg12 on 04.09.07 9:27 am |
John Franco used to wear one with the Mets as well.
http://www.nyc.gov/h...
#30 by LouUmp on 04.09.07 9:28 am |
Re: the Citadel/Charleston ump throwbacks: they should do it at the MLB level too: if the teams are wearing 20s/30s/40s/50s throwbacks, have the base umps wear suits and jackets again! And for 70s/80s throwbacks, bring back the old turtlenecks, or the old Elbeco button down shirts…if they can find them…
If someone could find links to images, Id love to try a history of umpire uniforms/equipment.
When I started as an ASA softball ump twenty + years ago, both us and the big league guys were wearing the button down light blue Elbeco shirts..them with grey pants, and us with navy blue slacks. The professional guys went to the new mesh based shirts about 95 or so…ASA only went to mesh when Elbeco ( who also made the USPS shirts ) stopped making those kind of shirts…this was around 99-2000 or so…What is interesting is that ASA a couple of years ago introduced…yes…an ‘alternate’ uniform - a dark navy blue top and gray pants - just like baseball! This has engendered much conversation in the softball umpiring community. The dark top/gray pants combo looks awfully sharp at night games, and the gray pants and regular powder blue top is a nice combination when it is very warm…there is much discussion on whether the navy blue slacks are on their way out.
#31 by Lake on 04.09.07 9:28 am |
Technically, they probably are, just under their overly-long pants. The better question is why the White Sox wear black socks?
#32 by Kim on 04.09.07 9:33 am |
All MLS teams will be brandishing a Lamar Hunt memorial patch for the entire season.
Shown here as well as a decent look at Houston’s new jersey.
Also, here’s a decent look at Real Salt Lake’s new Xango look.
As well as Colorado’s new look, and a glimpse of their new stadium.
And here’s DC United’s Fred, and Colorado’s Pablo Mastroeni sporting leggings under their unis in 30 degree weather.
#33 by Tom on 04.09.07 9:38 am |
Ah that Chief Illiniwik logo is a real trouble maker…
http://abclocal.go.c...
#34 by Phil Pereira on 04.09.07 9:54 am |
The only MLS team that I really dig uni-wise is DC united. Not a very gimmicky name and nice clean design (I especially like that they only use a crest and not the team name emblazoned across the front).
I think I ranted about this last year, but I’ll bring it back. I think Real Salt Lake is the most ridiculous name for an American team. Real is Spanish for “royal” and it’s a title bestowed on teams by the king of Spain. It’s a stupid, stupid name for an American team and a lame attempt at having a European soccer name. That’s my rant for this year :)
#35 by Stu on 04.09.07 9:59 am |
When tracy mcgrady was with the magic he had a captain’s “C”. I dont think he has it with the rockets. He’s the only guy in the NBA i can think of right now
#36 by chicago_cheesehead on 04.09.07 10:09 am |
Quote
and this and this, but i found this, this, and this. Paul, what knowledge to you have on this topic? I have no pictures (help), but I don’t remember him wearing a uni so far with the cubs, and he isn’t wearing one today, for sure.
I was @ the Brewers game yesterday vs the Cub. I think the reason Lou isn’t wearing his jersey top is that he looks like he’s 8 months pregnant!!
http://sports.espn.g...
These aren’t great pics but my God Lou, lay off the fried foods, huh??
#37 by Talon Lardner on 04.09.07 10:11 am |
Thanks for the help, all, now my mind won’t be AS drifty during classes.
#38 by Anthony on 04.09.07 10:15 am |
I think it’s funny that we all bash Nike for logo creep, but no one says much about Adidas being (in my opinion) MUCH worse about it. Just look at how many places you see the Adidas logo or (more prevalent) the three stripes on every uniform. I’m as big a fan of stripes as the next guy, but does the logo need to be an integral part of the uniform? Good Lord.
#39 by Tim on 04.09.07 10:22 am |
The Padres also have two other retro nights on their schedule. June 22 is 1980’s night, and September 14 is 1990’s night. The pocket schedule does not specifically name what year’s uniforms they’ll be wearing on those nights.
#40 by Scott on 04.09.07 10:25 am |
I have no source, but I’m relatively certain I read somewhere that Arthur Rhodes plans to wear 42 for the M’s.
#41 by Phil Pereira on 04.09.07 10:25 am |
Adidas, in my opinion, is much more subtle than nike and works its way naturally into the design, instead of placing swooshes all over the place. Branding is important, and adidas for the most part doesn’t compromise look of teams (although I wish both adidas and nike moved away from the template system).
#42 by Kim on 04.09.07 10:38 am |
I don’t mind the three stripes on the sleeves, other parts of the jerseys, shorts and socks. But the little adidas logo that also appears on everything seems to be overkill.
#43 by DR on 04.09.07 10:41 am |
Question: If teams like the Pirates are all going to wear 42 with no names, how will the fans and umpires know who’s who?
(I apologize if this was already covered on a another day.)
#44 by Kim on 04.09.07 10:51 am |
It’s the Pirates. Do you know who’s who now?
#45 by bj in gainesville on 04.09.07 10:54 am |
Actually, “real” is also a cognate. “la vida real” means “real life”, not “royal life” although when you describe something using the term to mean “real” it does impart a connotation of “royalty”.
RSL also has a relationship with Real Madrid, which adds a bit of legitimacy to their name (not to mention pay for a $25mil youth training center).
#46 by Kerry on 04.09.07 10:55 am |
Pardon my ignorance…but what’s the difference?
#47 by Willy Billy on 04.09.07 11:02 am |
In regards to the photo of Jose Cruz jr. Can you spot the Oompah-Loompah in the background?
#48 by Brian from Ohio on 04.09.07 11:05 am |
#49 by Phil Pereira on 04.09.07 11:05 am |
Yeah I was aware of the relationship between Madrid and Salt Lake, but the name still seems contrived (and in a sense this can be interpreted as American soccer being minor league compared to Europe with this naming relationship). There could still be a financial relationship between the clubs without having a name that is completely out of context. Seems like Madrid should have tried to uphold the tradition of the term real (there are other Real teams in Spain, but obviously none of them have leverage to do anything, and Madrid’s only leverage is financial).
#50 by Brian from Ohio on 04.09.07 11:10 am |
Well, I just answered my own question:
http://www.scag.com/...
Although, I’m still not sure how the intricate logos/patterns can be done.
#51 by Robert on 04.09.07 11:11 am |
I am just about tributed out. I am all for honoring Jackie Robinson, but at some point, the importance of the occasion gets lost in everyone trying to out-tribute one another.
#52 by Ray on 04.09.07 11:12 am |
PL — I really liked your ESPN column last week about the Master’s green jacket. A couple questions i came up with while watching the coverage over the weekend.
> Who are the guys on the course in the RED Jackets? Marshalls?
> Is it totally necessary for the guys moving the ropes for the patron walkways to be wearing HARDHATS?
#53 by Derek on 04.09.07 11:33 am |
ESPN is running the Jackie Robinson celebration into the ground. Every commercial there is something about “On April 15th”. I’m all for celebrations and I am in no way a racist, but seriously this thing is really getting out of hand. If I’m the only one I’ll shut up.
#54 by ThresherK on 04.09.07 11:36 am |
1) Back across the ocean, what does United strictly mean? Two football teams that have merged (like Rushden and Diamonds, or the Hamilton Wildcats and Tigers: Hamilton Tigercats)?
2) When someone reading off a TelePrompter says “The DC United”, does it sound just not quite natural?
#55 by Anthony on 04.09.07 11:37 am |
No, I agree with you. I love the idea of a tribute, as well as teams all wearing #42, but there’s no need to run it into the ground. It’s a tribute, not a show-and-tell.
#56 by Anthony on 04.09.07 11:44 am |
But Adidas’ placing the three stripes everywhere is exactly the same as Nike placing swooshes everywhere–the three stripes is their trademark; hell, their tagline is even “The brand with the three stripes.” I have no problem with placing a small logo on the jersey for branding’s sake, but the stripes EVERYWHERE (jersey, shorts, socks) is TOTAL overkill. It ruins the uniforms, in my opinion. Nike’s certainly bad, but when you have three brand-marks on one jersey (both sleeves and then the Adidas logo on the chest), it’s just way too much. The stripes wouldn’t be bad if they weren’t a logo, but it strikes me as completely out of hand and worse than Nike.
#57 by Ethan on 04.09.07 11:46 am |
What about FC Dallas or Toronto FC? FC meaning “Football Club” in the traditional British parlance, i.e. Fulham Football Club. Why then, in a North American culture that rarely, if ever, uses “football” to describe soccer, in a league with soccer in its name, do these clubs insist on using the FC? Perhaps to give it a sense of pseudo-legitimacy? (In defense, I love MLS and am anxiously looking forward to Toronto FC’s innaugural season…great kits by the way).
#58 by Brian from Ohio on 04.09.07 11:47 am |
What I don’t understand about it all, is why is this year special in the first place? I know it’s the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s debut, but 60 doesn’t really strike me as one of the tradional landmarks that are celebrated. 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, etc…but 60? Are they going to do this every 10 years? Because, if they do, it will lose all significance. I just don’t get it. If there’s some special reason it’s been made a big deal, please let me know.
#59 by Sam on 04.09.07 11:52 am |
…. that means the only teams that haven’t yet announced a 42er for this Sunday are the Yankees and the Mariners (who’ve presumably been too busy making snow angels in Cleveland to deal with this Sunday’s festivities). If either of those teams has announced a 42er and I’ve missed it, ….
Don’t know if any Yankee will step up for the Jackie tribute, but they’ve got a pretty good relief pitcher who wears No. 42 every day.
#60 by Joey Guns on 04.09.07 11:55 am |
This MLB auctions website is showing a Mets jersey with blue pinstripes as the opening day jersey that can be won through their auction.
We’ll know for sure in a few minutes which jersey they’re wearing!
http://auction.mlb.c...
#61 by patrick on 04.09.07 12:00 pm |
.rel=”nofollow”>here’s DC United’s Fred, and Colorado’s Pablo Mastroeni sporting leggings under their unis in 30 degree weather.
All I can say is wow…. A professional soccer player wearign elggins underneath his uniform? I’ve gotta tell you, of all the soccer games I’ve seen in my life, I have never, EVER seen that before. It looks like a bunch of amateurs playing. Looks dispicable to me. I played soccer in New York in the month of december and never wore anything but a long sleeved shirt under my uniform… in fact, any team wearing sweaty P’s (sweatpants) or anything else under their jersey/shorts were ridiculed to no end for the next 90 minutes..
#62 by stuby on 04.09.07 12:04 pm |
I agree. Its become a ‘look at me’ thing for all the guys wearing the number. Sort of defeats the purpose of having numbers if every one is the same.
I remember way back when the Dodgers retired #42, they just had a ‘42′ painted on top of second base for that day’s game.
Simple. Classy.
#63 by Andy from KC on 04.09.07 12:04 pm |
Keith Hernandez too. (Never thought I’d miss those unis.)
#64 by Rich on 04.09.07 12:06 pm |
Y’know, I never thought of that. Sort of reminds me of the ‘Skins 70th anniversary celebration few years back. Sorry, can’t give you an answer.
(well, maybe I can for the ’skins: money?)
#65 by Mr. Met on 04.09.07 12:09 pm |
*Sigh*… Snow whites with black/blue caps. Will they never learn?
#66 by Andy from KC on 04.09.07 12:10 pm |
#67 by JamLlew on 04.09.07 12:10 pm |
It’s not so much the jersey, but the cap that bugs me. Very big disappointment.
#68 by Jill on 04.09.07 12:10 pm |
Cleveland vs. the Angels in Milwaukee?
For some reason this seems like a horrible idea to me.
#69 by Rydell on 04.09.07 12:12 pm |
you’re not. I almost can’t wait till April 16th, so then this could be put to rest, way overplayed, it’s a special time yeah, but c’mon, enough is enough. I’m just scrolling by the posts that are like blah blah blah is gonna be wearing #4…..I can’t even type that overplayed phrase. and No!-I’m not racist.
#70 by GoTerriers on 04.09.07 12:17 pm |
If only County Stadium was still standing. The Indians could wear 1990’s throwbacks and have “Major League” night.
#71 by GoTerriers on 04.09.07 12:18 pm |
Just so everyone knows . . .I’m going to wear number 42 on April 15th also. I don’t play for anyone (in fact softball season up here doesn’t start until May) I just feel left out by not “honoring” Jackie Robinson.
#72 by Big O on 04.09.07 12:19 pm |
They could always go to Baltimore and have “Major Leauge II” night.
#73 by Acer on 04.09.07 12:21 pm |
I was on the freeway and saw the temperature gauge on a huge sign, it was 42degrees, the sign just announced it’s gonna honour Jackie Robinson too.
#74 by GoTerriers on 04.09.07 12:22 pm |
I’m just relieved that someone got the reference!
#75 by Phil Pereira on 04.09.07 12:26 pm |
I can respect using FC more than I can Real, because the british aren’t the only ones to use FC; my favorite team is Futebol Clube do Porto, in Portugal. Spain has Barcelona FC. Using the term football is acceptable to me, even when soccer is in the league’s name. Perhaps using Soccer Club is more apropos, but I’m fine with FC (and I prefer it to names like Dallas Burn). The use of Real is just plain wrong, because it has nothing to do with soccer outside of the fact that it’s a title bestowed on several Spanish teams. I’m totally for MLS trying to align itself more with other world leagues in terms of naming (I think all the original names, except United, are stupid), but Real is a term I am totally against using in any league other than in Spain.
#76 by Paul Lukas on 04.09.07 12:27 pm |
There are two articles indicating that he’d like to wear it (here and here), but I haven’t seen anything that definitively says he will wear it.
I’m surprised by the vitriol some of you are expressing about April 15th. Personally, I think it’s both fun and instructive, and I don’t think it’s a “Look at me” thing at all. We usually bash MLB for being tone-deaf, stuck in their ways, etc., but I think this is an instance when they’ve loosened up and allowed something interesting to develop. Is it good or is it stupid? I think it’s clearly good.
As for “Why this year, what’s so special about the 60th anniversary?,” I think it could just as easily have happened last year, or next year. They’ve been doing Jackie Robinson tributes (with cap patches, sleeve patches, field logos, etc.) on April 15th for 10 years now. This just happens to be the year that Ken Griffey asked if he could wear No. 42, and the whole thing snowballed from there. And I think it’s pretty obvious that it will now become an annual thing, every April 15th.
#77 by schuby on 04.09.07 12:28 pm |
No.
#78 by Anthony Verna on 04.09.07 12:30 pm |
How many Clevelanders are in Milwaukee? Or how many are going to drive out to Milwaukee for a HOME game?
Sheesh. That’s a bad idea.
(It’ll have a crowd reminicant of a Serie A game from this year.)
#79 by Michael James on 04.09.07 12:35 pm |
Hell, I’ll go tomorrow… I don’t have any significant plans (I am busy Weds and Thurs, though). Remember, the Brewers now play real baseball… we don’t get to see the American League that much.
#80 by Mets Fan in Chicago on 04.09.07 12:36 pm |
Anybody know where I can get the home or alt versions of the mid-90’s Brewers jerseys shown in this link ?
I am a brewer and would love to get my hands on a bunch of these for my staff.
#81 by Michael James on 04.09.07 12:36 pm |
Sorry about the sloppy link… didn’t the old server have an “edit” option?
#82 by jesse on 04.09.07 12:40 pm |
AMEN.
Flags (national and state), yellow ribbons, blue ribbons, pink ribbons an on and on and on. It’s too much and because of that it’s lost all meaning.
Can we get rid of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch too? I really hate that, there I said it.
#83 by Phil Pereira on 04.09.07 12:43 pm |
I agree, without being too political, it’s unnecessarily jingoistic, and I’ll leave it at that.
#84 by Robert on 04.09.07 12:52 pm |
Agreed.
On a Uni Note, will the teams be selling off their numerous 42-numbered jerseys after the game (and presumably giving the proceeds to charity)? Or will they tear off the numbers and re-use them?
#85 by jesse on 04.09.07 12:54 pm |
My problem is primarily this; there seems to be more emphasis placed on appearing to honor something than actually honoring it. Barry Bonds is a total creep and liar, but he “honors†Jackie Robinson by wearing his number. That’s crap, and the second they said everybody do this the gesture lost, it lost all of its meaning. I am absolutely certain there are baseball players that honor Jackie Robinson by doing things in their own lives that would honor his memory, regardless of their race. If some effort was made to single those players out, it would honor them and Jackie. Just letting everybody wear his number however is nothing more than a PC sop, regardless of how well intentioned it is.
#86 by Robert on 04.09.07 12:57 pm |
And another thing, why doesn’t Larry Doby get credit for anything? He joined the Indians not all that long after Robinson began playing for the Dodgers. The American and National Leagues were much more distinct entities back in those days, and Doby no doubt encountered the same ill treatment (and therefore demonstrated the same bravery and character) as Robinson.
Doby was also the second black manager, following another Robinson (Frank). But does he get mentioned or honored? Barely and rarely.
#87 by Alex B on 04.09.07 12:58 pm |
I’m curious - which was the last MLB team to wear a zip front jersey regularly? And why doesn’t anyone wear them now?
#88 by RC on 04.09.07 1:02 pm