The Nationals, like every other MLB team, participated in the Jackie Robinson 42fest on April 15th. In fact, they were one of the clubs that dressed the entire team in 42 that night.
But apparently that wasn’t enough for the Nats. Yesterday’s game against the Mets was billed as “Jackie Robinson Night.” They unveiled a 42 on the outfield wall, and 42 was worn during the game by Ray King, Lastings Milledge, and Willie Harris (all shown in that photo).
This raises a bunch of questions for me:
• Why wasn’t the 42 already on the wall? Like, it was already retired, right? I realize it’s a new stadium, but so what? The number was already supposed to be retired on an MLB-wide basis.
• Why did the Nats get to dress players in 42 again? Okay, so they were on the road last week, but so what? Is every road team from April 15th gonna get to do this? I disagree with people who say that the annual April 15th celebration cheapens the number, but I do think it got cheapened a bit last night. I realize some people will say, “Anything that raises awareness of Jackie Robinson is a good thing,” and I generally agree with that, but turning his memory into a way to add another promotion to your home schedule is totally bogus. The whole point of April 15th is that it’s a one-day thing — a tribute day, a special day. If we start to make every day special, the practical result is that no days are.
• Why was Ray King wearing white cleats in the preame ceremony? He switched to black for the game.
• While we’re at it, why is Ray King so fat?
It’s also interesting to see the design scheme the Nats chose for the 42 on the outfield wall. Many (most?) teams have chosen to depict it in the old Brooklyn Dodgers design scheme, or at least in blue (additional examples here, here, and here), although not every team has done this (additional examples here, here, and here). The Nats chose to use their own font with the numbers trimmed in blue and gray, which I find to be an unsatisfying middle ground. By trying to have it both ways, they ended up with neither.
Uni Watch News Ticker: “This site has a ton of photos from the Arizona Fall League (especially from 2002),” writes Steve Delaney. “One of the most interesting finds is this — that’s Jerry Hairston of the Orioles throwing and Alfonso Soriano of the (at the time) Yankees on the right. Looks like a Little League World Series game.” … UMKC is having a logo-redesign contest. … Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: Best shot I’ve ever seen of Pete Maravich’s “Pistol” NOB. … A new book about goalie masks, called Saving Face, will be published this September by Wiley. The editor sent me some sample spreads, which you can see here. These pages are v-e-r-y preliminary — the text and layout will probably change significantly in the finished product — but they at least provide a sense of what the book will be like. … Jon Helf, who runs the awesome Fleer Sticker Project blog, checks in with another Pilots-related post: “Some of the late-’60s Fleer issues had different colors and styles from what the Pilots ultimately used in their intial season. You can see what I’m talking about here.” … Good article here about George Sherrill and his flat-brimmed cap. … Man, I wish I could’ve been in Seattle for this bowling alley auction. … Minnesota’s new football uniforms, unveiled yesterday, look like this, and holy shit do I hate that pants-striping treatment. No rear-view photo yet, but you can see that the stripe does a butt-cheek wraparound, which is bad news. Idiotic piping on the jersey, too. Piece o’. … And here’s the latest on Hawaii’s new uniforms. Not great, but I’m always in favor of more green, and their look has always been somewhat cartoon-ish, so it’s hard to get worked up one way or the other (with thanks to Jeff Osbun). … While searching for something else on YouTube, I came across the classic old Warner Bros. cartoon Dog Gone South, which I hadn’t seen in probably 20 years. I’d forgotten that at one point Belvedere finds himself wearing a Yankees jersey (yes, it’s in inaccurate, but hey, artistic license and all that). … “Great stirrups being worn by St. Helens High in Oregon,” writes Travis McGuire. “But what’s up with that mound?” … Attention, Jeremy Brahm: Steven Wyder spotted this on eBay. Can you offer any insights regarding its provenance? … Helmet logo problems last night for Kosuke Fukudome (with thanks to Cara Morefield). … “I was watching How I Met Your Mother from last Monday,” writes Mike Rich, “and noticed Ted (played by Josh Radner) wearing a bizarre T-shirt with a Cleveland Indians logo surrounded by a Cincinnati Reds logo. There was also a logo on his left sleeve, but they never showed a clear view.” … Several amazing new contributions from northwest baseball historian Dave Eskenazi: The first two are of the Vancouver Beavers, circa 1918. Nice, right? But the real prize is this shot of the 1938 Vancouver Maple Leafs. Man, is that totally gorgeous or what? “The players probably hated it, especially the veterans,” says Dave. … New member of the stirrups club: Matt Kemp. … The NHL’s great front-office coordination strikes again.
#1 by scott on 04.24.08 9:27 am |
Isn’t that just an Indians T-shirt with an old-school look that was being worn on the TV show?
#2 by Tuffy on 04.24.08 9:30 am |
“I was watching How I Met Your Mother from last Monday,” writes Mike Rich, “and noticed Ted (played by Josh Radner) wearing a bizarre T-shirt with a Cleveland Indians logo surrounded by a Cincinnati Reds logo. There was also a logo on his left sleeve, but they never showed a clear view.”
Cleveland once used that “C” crest, so it’s a throwback t-shirt.
I’m surprised Paul didn’t catch that himself.
#3 by Josh on 04.24.08 9:30 am |
yeah, it used to be the hat logo… as you can see on various ones on this page:
http://shop.mlb.com/...
#4 by fiesta on 04.24.08 9:31 am |
The Indians logo was not in a Cincinnati logo, but a wishbone C that the Tribe used in the early ’50s. At times they also had a red wishbone C on navy caps.
On an unrelated note, the Minnesota Golden Gophers unveiled new football uniforms, including mix and matches of two jerseys and three pants.
http://www.startribu...
#5 by Ben on 04.24.08 9:31 am |
Yeah, that’s the Tribe’s cap logo that was used from 1954 to 1957, however I believe the C was in front of Chief Wahoo, not behind.
#6 by who cares on 04.24.08 9:32 am |
Who’s on first? has been recreated with classic baseball cards as the backdrop.
#7 by Robert on 04.24.08 9:34 am |
It would be funny if things came full circle on Jackie Robinson’s 42. Instead of the number being retired by every team, each squad will instead be required to have one player on the field wearing 42 at all times.
#8 by Chris is Nashville on 04.24.08 9:34 am |
I don’t want to burst your bubble but Paul mentioned that in the ticker, in between the bowling thing and the new Hawaii uniforms.
#9 by Chris is Nashville on 04.24.08 9:36 am |
That was painful to watch
#10 by Mark on 04.24.08 9:37 am |
I think Ray King is just wearing tennis shoes in the unveiling ceremony.
#11 by Joe H on 04.24.08 9:39 am |
I’m surprised that quote even got into the ticker without explanation…usually Paul would point out the origin of the logo
#12 by Carl G on 04.24.08 9:39 am |
• While we’re at it, why is Ray King so fat?
I don’t know, why was Christopher Reeves a cripple? Do you have so little to discuss that you need to make fun of a baseball player for being fat? Does that have something to do with uniforms that I am missing? C’mon, you can do better than that.
#13 by Steve on 04.24.08 9:40 am |
I agree. AWFUL Acting! I want my 5:20 back!
#14 by Garrett on 04.24.08 9:40 am |
Come on, I love Ray King. He looks exactly like a teenage mutant ninja turtle.
#15 by Paul Lukas on 04.24.08 9:42 am |
So am I. I was rushing to put the Ticker together this morning and wasn’t thinking. Shame on me.
#16 by fiesta on 04.24.08 9:42 am |
Oops, Chris in Nashville, that’s what I get for skimming. Sorry all.
#17 by Bryan Redemske on 04.24.08 9:43 am |
I know why Ray King is so fat:
Hot dogs. Thousands and thousands of hot dogs. Oh, and he’s a left-handed specialist. The dude’s job is to sit around and wait for that one situation where he has the upper hand. After that situation is dealt with, he’s done — go take a shower Ray. The whole thing takes probably 20 minutes. And then it’s hot dog time.
#18 by Mike Miller on 04.24.08 9:45 am |
That mound in Oregon looks like a portable mound that can be placed anywhere. I’ve seen those a few times, mostly indoors so pitchers can get more realistic practice inside. From the many lines on the field, it looks like a multi-purpose field and having a permanent mound on it would wreck the multi-purpose aspect of it.
#19 by Pells on 04.24.08 9:45 am |
Interestingly, the Nats have a graphic dedicated to Jackie Robinson in their bullpen already, so I’m not sure why they also put the 42 on the outfield wall, regardless of the font it appears in. The graphic is the baseball on the wall of the bullpen in the twelfth photo in the linked gallery.
#20 by Mike Engle on 04.24.08 9:45 am |
Matt Kemp’s stirrups…backwards?
Speaking of which, Mr. Lukas, how did the trip to Camden/Stirrups Day/the first pitch go?
#21 by Steve on 04.24.08 9:46 am |
I agree. The guy makes $850k a year. If I was that size and made that money, I could care less about my weight! Especially if my bosses didn’t care either….
#22 by baseball » Blog Archive » Forty-Deuce Redux on 04.24.08 9:46 am |
[…] Duste wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptSeveral amazing new contributions from northwest baseball historian Dave Eskenazi: The first two are of the Vancouver Beavers, circa 1918. Nice, right? But the real prize is this shot of the 1938 Vancouver Maple Leafs. … […]
#23 by Nicole on 04.24.08 9:47 am |
In that 1938 Vancouver Maple Leafs shot, there’s no “s” on the jersey. It just says Maple Leaf.
In regards to that Indians shirt from “How I Met Your Mother,” I’ve seen that shape C used on Chicago Bears hats/shirts, Cleveland apparel and Cincinnati stuff. I was never able to find any answers and just kind of figured that the typography was used in the past at some point.
#24 by Chris is Nashville on 04.24.08 9:47 am |
Christopher Reeves was cripple because of an unfortunate equestrian accident. Not even close to Ray King.
#25 by Mike on 04.24.08 9:47 am |
I was at last nights Nat’s game and I have question about Ray King…why is he do bad?
#26 by Paul Lukas on 04.24.08 9:47 am |
That’s not until early June.
#27 by Pells on 04.24.08 9:48 am |
#28 by D.H. on 04.24.08 9:48 am |
I think Minnesota has some of the worst uniforms…from the school to the Vikings to the Wolves. It got me thinking about what city/state has the worst uniforms for all sports combined. On the other end of that, NY has some of the classiest uni’s from the Giants, Jets, Yankees, Knicks and Mets.
#29 by Dustin Pomprowitz on 04.24.08 9:48 am |
The interesting thing dealing with the “42″ links is that Busch Stadium is in there twice. Which one is the current one, the one with the blue 42 or the one in red?
#30 by joe on 04.24.08 9:50 am |
Reeves is a cripple becuase he took a header off a horse. Ray King is fat because he wont pass up a cheeseburger. And it makes him look like he’s wearing a tent, which makes it uni related.
#31 by chance on 04.24.08 9:50 am |
Speaking of Seattle’s rushed design, there’s a photo floating around of manager Joe Schultz wearing a third possible Seattle cap, with an italicized “S” in the same style as their wordmark.
I know I have a better copy somewhere on my archival hard drives, but I can’t find it at the moment.
#32 by Zach on 04.24.08 9:51 am |
This is actually a Retro Sport t-shirt with what is apparently a vintage logo for the Canton-Akron Indians (the AA team for the Cleveland Indians). You can buy it here: http://www.distantre...
Ted actually wears Retro Sport t-shirts pretty much every episode (or at least has for the past 5 or 6 episodes).
#33 by kj on 04.24.08 9:52 am |
Interesting that two of the pictures that show a retired 42 are of the same wall in Busch Stadium, but in two different styles.
42 in blue, numbers in circles
42 in red, block numbers
#34 by interlockingtc on 04.24.08 9:54 am |
Sunset Bowl’s demise is yet another slice of old Seattle’s soul being lost to gentrification. Sigh.
Meanwhile, those Gophers uniforms are yet another example of gentrification. And stupidity. Yeech.
#35 by chance on 04.24.08 9:55 am |
Just to make it official….
FWIW, the Tribe used a plain wishbone “C” on their caps before Cincy did.
#36 by Jim on 04.24.08 9:55 am |
Retiring Jackie’s number league wide is a great honor, but I’m sorry, then having most of the league wear it goes against the EXACT reason of retiring a number. No one is supposed to wear it again. Cheapens it a little in my opinion.
#37 by Jordan Pope on 04.24.08 9:56 am |
i just thought i would pass this along.
The Washington State football team is supposedly making the switch from Russell Athletic to Nike after this season.
#38 by Jim on 04.24.08 9:59 am |
No love for the Rangers?!? Not even going ask for love for the Islanders (Yuck).
#39 by Mike on 04.24.08 10:00 am |
Anyone have any background or history on the wishbone “C”? With teams in different sports using it, I was curious as to where it came from.
#40 by Thorold Blair on 04.24.08 10:01 am |
Who cares?
#41 by Bill Jones on 04.24.08 10:05 am |
The photo from “How I Met Your Mother” is actually an old logo from the Canton-Akron Indians. They used that as a cap logo before becoming the Akron Aeros.
#42 by Stuby on 04.24.08 10:06 am |
Could be because the Cardinals have also retired #42 for Bruce Sutter
#43 by who cares on 04.24.08 10:06 am |
you rang?
#44 by Jody Moore on 04.24.08 10:08 am |
I don’t know if anybody commented about it yet, but last Friday and Sunday, the Texas Tech Red Raider baseball team played in some pretty snazzy 1930’s throwback unis against Kansas State. Lots of pics here in the photo gallery at the top of this page. I thought you’d enjoy the stirrups especially, Paul, and the K-State unis’ll give you something to groan on about for a while.
#45 by D.H. on 04.24.08 10:08 am |
Sorry….Don’t know how I forgot the Rangers!
#46 by GoTerriers on 04.24.08 10:09 am |
The one in blue is for Jackie Robinson.
The one in Cardinals red is for Hall of Fame pitcher Bruce Sutter, who had his number retired the summer he was inducted into the HOF.
#47 by Perry on 04.24.08 10:09 am |
And according to this, they’ve changed the display again, adding Bruce Sutter’s name to Robinson’s above 42. Which, as a Cardinal fan, I find ridiculous.
http://stlouis.cardi...
#48 by WFY on 04.24.08 10:11 am |
Actually, King lost a lot of weight in the offseason.
#49 by RBCaya on 04.24.08 10:15 am |
Today is the day Hockey Canada comes out and makes the new Team Canada jerseys public.
Good lord, I’ve seen them, and it’s not pretty.
*You’ve all been warned. They are quite ugly*
I’ll just keep wearing my Steve Yzerman 2002-era black alternate, the pinnacle of Canadian hockey jerseys.
#50 by Stuby on 04.24.08 10:15 am |
What’s even more ridiculous is retiring 85 for August Busch because it was his 85th birthday.
#51 by Dustin Pomprowitz on 04.24.08 10:17 am |
Doing some research, the blue was there for 2006, and Jack Buck’s mic wasn’t up there then, either. The update and current should be the red version, which makes sense with the Sutter honor as well.
#52 by LI Phil on 04.24.08 10:21 am |
no it wouldn’t
#53 by James P. on 04.24.08 10:23 am |
The Astros have actually moved their retired numbers to the outfield along the framework that “Minute Maid” sits on, and they changed the design to just be the number on a disk. I can’t find a larger picture, but 42 looks no different than the other retired numbers.
#54 by Carl G on 04.24.08 10:24 am |
Yeah, thanks, because I really did not know why Reeves was disabled. The point is if that the heading made fun of him for being black, mentally retarded or any other disability, everyone would have a conniption. But no problem with making fun of him for being fat.
#55 by Thorold Blair on 04.24.08 10:28 am |
I’m fat.. and I like a good fat joke! Lighten up.
#56 by LI Phil on 04.24.08 10:28 am |
yeah…but he wasn’t born fat
or…was he?
#57 by Ricko on 04.24.08 10:32 am |
It’s an Indians hat logo from 1953 or ‘54 through 1957 (in ‘58 went to just red wishbone “C” edged in white). And Chief Wahoo was in front of the “C”. They reprised it for one season a couple years later (’62, maybe?). I’ve seen that odd Pilots hat before. Based on baseball card photos with obvious Arizona spring training vistas in bkgd, a plain block “S” was the only trim on hat for most of spring training. Then that italic “S” with the scrambled eggs came along but had a very short life (it may even have been used in a few reg. season games) before they settled on the block “S” with the nautical trim. I remember watching it at the time (’69), wondering when they were gonna settle on their hat design.
#58 by Carl G on 04.24.08 10:33 am |
Well, good for you for being fat. You should be very proud. The fact that you like it however, doesn’t mean everyone else does.
And asking why he is so fat is not exactly a good fat joke. It was no George Carlin or Chris Rock.
#59 by Seattle Matt on 04.24.08 10:35 am |
An ESPN.com editorial floated this very idea about 4 years ago.
#60 by Kenny on 04.24.08 10:36 am |
Prove it
#61 by Kris Fulton on 04.24.08 10:37 am |
The black is the pinnacle? The 2008 IIHF Women’s World Hockey Championship marked the first time Canada wore black jerseys in a final - and they lost.
Team Canada is best in red.
#62 by Jeremy Brahm on 04.24.08 10:38 am |
The Japanese pinstriped uniform looks real. Rawlings is a manufacturer of Japanese jerseys. I am a little surprised that the uniform is trimmed. Most Japanese would not destroy their jerseys like this.
My guess is that this was a high school or college uniform, but have no date on it.
#63 by Mike Engle on 04.24.08 10:39 am |
Oh. I was under the impression that that would be in conjunction with the Philly trip. Maybe that’s because you discussed both the Philly and Camden trip in the same blog entry one time. My mistake.
#64 by Hank on 04.24.08 10:40 am |
New Rainbow Warrior unis: Not a bad look. The shoulder sections are a bit reminiscent of Oregon. Now the big question. They couldn’t find a couple of players to model the uniforms? Or has Hawaii been recruting the T-1000 Terminator for next season?
#65 by Pat on 04.24.08 10:41 am |
Right, the opening of the stadium was a bit rushed and there was little recognition of the previous history around the stadium the first season. Remember, the stadium opened 3/4 finished and there was very little acknowledgment of the retired numbers or the 9 (at the time) championships. For the second year the outfield wall numbers were added as well as changing the retired numbers on the scoreboard to match the rest of the signage.
#66 by Ricko on 04.24.08 10:41 am |
Notice the vanilla spring training unis for the Pilots, too. A far cry from the powder blue roads with gold and blue lettering, or the white homes with team logo and number on front they had for the regular season. I remember thinking they must have ordered their spring training gear right out of a catalog.
http://cgi.ebay.com/...
#67 by BM on 04.24.08 10:44 am |
The Pilots color variation would seem to actually be a printing error. For those with PhotoShop, take those picures that are orange/blue and shift the hue for the entire image. In short order you’ll get the correct yellow/navy blue scheme. I think that somebody at Fleer back then simply screwed up the colors when they went to press.
#68 by LI Phil on 04.24.08 10:49 am |
that’s punny ;)
#69 by Mike Engle on 04.24.08 10:51 am |
A question for all of the Mets fans in the house.
Found a picture of this Ron Swoboda rookie card. (It’s an eBay auction.) The question isn’t the number, as Rocky took #14 under Casey, but then let next manager Gil Hodges have it. The real question is, what is that sleeve patch?
#70 by Stan aka the took on 04.24.08 10:54 am |
As we all know and the last bit proves it even more Gary Bettman has the mental stability of a duck… a good way your shitty league no one watches can make money and you shoot it down. Yeah your a twat GGGGaaaaarrrrrrrry.
#71 by Hank on 04.24.08 10:54 am |
Looks to be for 1964 World’s Fair?
#72 by Hank on 04.24.08 10:56 am |
Oops forgot the link.
#73 by Alan on 04.24.08 10:59 am |
Looks like he found it.
#74 by Bryan S on 04.24.08 11:01 am |
Actually, there was already a 42 at Nationals Park, it was located in the visitors bullpen, but it was very small. No pictures right now, I’ll check later.
#75 by Paul Lukas on 04.24.08 11:01 am |
The patch looked like this.
#76 by John T on 04.24.08 11:02 am |
better view here (thanks Chris)
#77 by TK on 04.24.08 11:06 am |
Regardless as to whether or not you should have Jackie Robinson Day again, the unveiling last night was very confusing for me. I knew I’d seen the 42 already retired, but I couldn’t find it when I looked for it pregame. Then I saw the blue tarp and thought that they were just unveiling the number I’d already seen.
But nope. Here’s a picture I took on April 10, which has the number retired and in the visitors’ bullpen. That area is now painted over with green. As you can see, the original is a lot better than the new one.
http://s9.photobucke...
#78 by Rick White in Cedar Park, TX on 04.24.08 11:08 am |
I could tell after ten seconds that the acting was horrific. I stopped there. So, you can have the 5:10 that I didn’t waste. :)
#79 by Robert on 04.24.08 11:09 am |
Oh barf.
#80 by ScottyJ in WV on 04.24.08 11:12 am |
Seeing the photos from the Sunset Lanes auction made me sad. I hate seeing centers close, especially older ones from bowling’s golden age. I’m glad I wasn’t there.
#81 by ScottyJ in WV on 04.24.08 11:15 am |
By the way, I love the idea behind honoring Jackie Robinson, but I HATE how it’s been done the past few years.
Retired numbers aren’t worn during play. They’re retired. Have a banner put up. Have a statue made. Hold a grand ceremony before the game, and then play ball. Everybody doesn’t need to wear Jackie’s number.
#82 by Ricko on 04.24.08 11:18 am |
Pilots colors were light gold and royal blue, not navy.
#83 by Duckstyle on 04.24.08 11:19 am |
Born fat, it\’s possible, my mom had a lot of fun telling my fiancee about my uncle who was 12 lbs at birth and not that long either(I’m talking body length not, well you know). But he could have some sort of genetic predisposition to being fat, like a thyroid problem or something. For me it was getting a desk job with too many nice people that bring in doughnuts because they woke up early(the excuses are great), 25 lbs in 3 years, ugh.
Btw, am I the only one that sees the same anit-spam word every time? Not that I’m complaining.
#84 by Matt Lesser on 04.24.08 11:19 am |
Ewwwww. New Hockey Canada jerseys…
Look
#85 by Ricko on 04.24.08 11:20 am |
LOL. Sorry, I meant “vanilla” as in bland, not as an actual color. They wore off-the-rack white and grays for spring training.
#86 by Eriq Jaffe on 04.24.08 11:21 am |
As far as U.S. Cellular goes, Jackie Robinson is retired with the same type of high-contrast image as the Sox retirees, but they have stuffed (or, uh, segregated?) Jackie all by himself by the visiting bullpen in right field.
#87 by Marty Met on 04.24.08 11:34 am |
Yuch the Rangers sweaters are BORING. Just go across the river. The Devils sweaters are sweet. and their logo is one of the best in the NHL.
#88 by alex on 04.24.08 11:34 am |
Here are the leaked Team Canada Jersey pics from http://nhllogos.blog....
Away
Home
Sleeve Patch
#89 by Joey Guns on 04.24.08 11:37 am |
When sponsorships go too far.
Baseball players aren’t allowed to drink water in dugouts! Geeze!
http://www.nj.com/ya...
#90 by Marty Met on 04.24.08 11:38 am |
I like the Gophers uniforms with the exception of the double outline on the numbers.
#91 by Marc from TN on 04.24.08 11:39 am |
Ray King is wearing the Nike trainers that are the companion shoes to their cleats. There’s really no point for a reliever to wear his spikes an hour before the start of a game he may or may not even pitch in. It’s all about the comfort.
#92 by Tony on 04.24.08 11:44 am |
Yeah he wore an OHIO STATE shirt a few months back(actually apeared in two episodes) that i found once before, now i cant find it at all. it was a red shirt with a cartoony looking football player doing a heisman pose. i really wanted that shirt too
#93 by Ronnie Poore on 04.24.08 11:44 am |
re: the Hawai’i unis…the best part of their previous look is gone. those garter stripes on one pant leg was unique and very cool
#94 by Duckstyle on 04.24.08 11:45 am |
I\’m going to have to disagree with all of you on some accounts. For one, the Knicks and Mets can never be in any decent uni category until they get rid of the black, it looks f\’n stupid. And btw, I still can\’t understand what people see in the hidious Devils unis. There ugly as sin, their just too blocking, the stripes are too wide. Old school or not, they need a big makeover.
On a side note, can anyone from the NY/NJ area please explain the team allegiances in that area. It’s toally confusing to everyone I know. Not that it matters, but I’ve always just been curious. Is it as simple as who your dad roots for, or are the side of town as important as they are to say, Cubs and Sox fans?
#95 by Sean on 04.24.08 11:49 am |
According to mbtn.net , the number 14 has been only worn by 3 people. Gil Hodges originally wore it from the clubs inception util his release in May of ‘63. Then in 1965 (the year of the card’s photo) Ron Swoboda wore it the entire 1965 season. Swoboda would then give up 14 for new acquired Ken Boyer. Ken would wear 14 from the start of the 1967 season until he was traded to the White Sox July of 1967.
The number would be unworn until the Mets “traded” for then Washington Senators manager Gil Hodges. Gil would then wear 14 until his all too soon death in 1972. :(
Yes, The Mets actually traded one of their players, Bill Denehy, for Hodges which was managing in Washington at the time. I beleieve that the Mets thought highly of his time with the Mets as player, mentoring the younger players during the end of his playing career. Something that is unheard of now.
#96 by Brett C. on 04.24.08 11:50 am |
I don’t know if anyone else has posted this or not, but I believe that Ray King is just wearing a pair of turf shoes during the pre-game ceremony.
As for him being fat? Well, I’ve got a feeling he is not stranger to the post game spread.
#97 by Marty Met on 04.24.08 11:51 am |
I live in Jersey and work in mid-town. I root for the Mets, Jets, Devils and Nets. My next door neighbor is dir hard Yankees and Giants fan. A guy across the street roots for the Devils, Giants and Mets.
But, take a look at the Devils logo it is really sweet, and the sweaters are better than the Rangers or Islanders by far. And I’m not saying that just because I’m a Devils fan. I love the Nets but HATE their uniforms.
#98 by Jim on 04.24.08 11:53 am |
Agreed
#99 by Tony on 04.24.08 11:53 am |
Most of the throwback shirts are usually Ohio based teams being Josh is from Ohio(around the columbus area i do believe)
#100 by Carl G on 04.24.08 11:54 am |
I can take a crack at it at least for baseball and football. Obviously, people in the Bronx tend to be yankee fans and people in Queens tend to be mets fans. If you go out towards long island, people tend to be mets fans. if you go towards upstate, they tend to be yankee fans. I live in New Jersey, and it seems like a majority of New Jerseyans are yankees fans (although i am a Mets fan). As to football, I think their is a simialar dynamic, as the Jets used to play in Queens and many people who are Mets fans are Jets fans. The Giants training camp, however, is in Albany, so when you go closer to upstate you get more Giants fans. New Jerseyans also seem to lean towards the Giants, potentially because the Giants moved to Jersey first.
In Hockey, everyone is (and should be) a Ranger’s fan. If you watched the Devils/Ranger’s series, it seemed their were more Rangers fans than Devils fans. Same seems to happen at regular season Islander and Devils games.
#101 by Jim on 04.24.08 11:55 am |
I actually like them, excpet for the swoosh. But where are they going to put the sleeve numbers? There is a Canada patch where they normally go. If they put them above it will look like it will overlap the seam of red and white. Other than that, look good to me.
#102 by Jim on 04.24.08 11:57 am |
Too bad their not a New York Team.
#103 by Jim on 04.24.08 12:00 pm |
Referring to the Devils (Post #87) , forgot to quote the post again after I forgot to type in the code…. dumbass.