The Shibe Vintage Sports History Blog

Has there ever been a red versus orange jersey game played in MLB before this weekend?

The Marlins have donned orange jerseys a number of times in their first season in Miami, highlighting a new uniform wardrobe for ’12 consisting of the only jersey they wear that says “MARLINS” and not “MIAMI.”

But a quick check shows no red opposition for the Marlins so far, as they usually opt to wear the orange for Sunday home games and at the whim of a particular home game’s starting pitcher, so perhaps the Nationals-Orioles games at Camden Yards Saturday and Sunday were the first to feature the not-too-distinct red/orange matchup.

We’ve always felt that if the home team wants to wear non-white, then the road team should wear gray, even if the home team is wearing black.

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Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: Since 1957, when the NFL mandated teams wear contrasting white and colored jerseys, what year, and against which team, did the Eagles first wear their white jerseys for a home game?  Answer on Tuesday.

Friday's answer: 1969-70

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A reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page. 

(Editor's Note: Philadelphia area sports writer Ben Horrow contributes weekly to Authentically Speaking.)

By Ben Horrow

Major sports teams often tweak and manipulate their uniforms to reflect the times, revert to a retro look, or even to change their image completely.  The Charlotte Bobcats constitute the most recent franchise to alter their garb. 

After a all-time worst 7-59 record this season, that included a record setting 23-game losing streak to end the year, Charlotte needed to retool it’s image.  They did so by hiring a new young coach in Mike Dunlap and secondly, changing the actual look of the uniform they wear. 

The Bobcats were founded in 2004 after the departure of the Charlotte Hornets for the more southern pastures of New Orleans.  Since then the team has compiled a record of 229-415 (one playoff series included), which is good for approximately a 36% winning percentage. 

In 2010 NBA legend and former North Carolina Tar Heel Michael Jordan bought the team, thus becoming the majority owner.  

Now that the Bobcats have hit rock bottom, they, like the 2007 Tampa Bay Devil Rays, have decided to change their entire image.  First a new head coach, now a new uniform, and next the 2nd overall pick in the NBA Draft.  

The new jerseys feature navy as the primary color for away games, which is meant to make it easier for team apparel outlets to match the color with other types of apparel, rather than the old shade of blue they used. 

In addition, the name of the team will now read “Cats” on the front of their jerseys instead of the original “Bobcats”.  According to team officials, this change better reflects the actual name used by fans in referring to the team. 

Finally, the jerseys will use Carolina blue as an accent, a likely ode to the team’s owner Michael Jordan.  The Dallas Mavericks performed a similar redesign in the early 2000’s, and have since won an NBA championship. 

Although this change does not imply Charlotte will become a perennial contender like the Mavericks, it signifies a shift in culture and a desire to leave the past behind.

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Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: Before the change to colored jerseys for the home team in the NHL at the start of the 2003-04 season, when was the year that teams wore colored jerseys at home in the NHL?  Answer on Monday.

Thursday's answer: Maryland Terrapins 1961

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(Editor's Note: Longtime baseball uniform expert and author Morris Levin writes weekly for Authentically Speaking.)

By Morris Levin

A long time ago, in a time called the 1990s, there were three Major League Baseball teams that wore purple in their uniforms. There were the two 1998 expansion clubs, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Both have since changed their team colors, Arizona is now a desert flavor red, and Tampa Bay went sunny and blue.

The Colorado Rockies were the first MLB team to wear purple when they entered the National League in 1993. Perhaps it was the Marlins’ full-on teal assault in 1993 that the Rockies’ black and purple on pinstripes has felt so conservative and natural through their full twenty year history to date.

The Rockies moved into Coors Field in 1995. There tends to be more nights like this in Denver then there are at other Major League ballparks. It’s the elevation and geography, and purple signage, and purple and black trimmed uniforms look real pretty under orange and blue skies.

When Denver was first selected as an expansion city, I hoped that they would call the team the Denver Bears after the long time minor league team which even had played at Mile High Stadium, where the new team would play in 1993 and 1994. I was dismayed when the baseball team was named after the defunct 1970s National Hockey League club, until I realized that they might be dressed like this. Alas – not only did they call themselves after a hockey team but they picked purple and black.

But here we are in the twentieth year of the Colorado Rockies project, and their home uni has come to be a classic.

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It's 1979 all over again, or is it? With only a couple of weeks notice to get the job done, Majestic, New Era, and MLB released the uniform looks for the Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers yesterday, when the Rays will take the field as if they existed in 1979, on June 30 at Tropicana Field.

We like the concept and the lower case lettering of the cap (above).  The Rays jersey should have been white for the home team, however, we didn't get to see the back of the jersey yet, and we wonder if they will don matching batting helmets.

We do like the added element of the patch on the left sleeve, the 1979 seal of the city of St. Petersburg.

The Tigers first went with the look they'll throwback to in 1972, the same year they fell to Oakland in the ALCS, with orange trim taking over the road jersey and cap.  The pullover version was worn until 1984, the year Detroit beat San Diego in the World Series, replaced by button ups until 1993.  

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Authentically Speaking Trivia Time:What major college football program was the first to put player's names on the back of the jerseys?  Answer on Friday.

Wednesday's answer: Montreal Expos

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A reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page. 

Photo Credit: Nike

(Editor's Note: A sports apparel industry analyst, buyer, and former manager at Mitchell & Ness in Philadelphia, Ray Jannelli, current PLA president, spoke with Authentically Speaking this week about the new Nike 2012 NFL jerseys which have been widely talked about by consumers.)

AS: The new Nike 2012 jerseys have been arriving at retail stores the last couple of weeks, and they’re proving quite popular among customers who are seemingly drawn to them like magnets to touch and feel.  Can you give us an industry perspective as to why all the fuss?

RJ: From the enthusiast’s side, we (Mitchell & Ness) started carrying the Wilson, the Russell Athletic jerseys back in the late ‘80s to the‘90s and the early 2000s. 

Apex, Champion, Wilson, Russell Athletic; probably out of all of those jerseys, back in say the ‘90s, the Bills era (1990-93), the Champion jersey was probably the best constructed jersey.  It had the Spandex inserts on the side.  The screen print numbers and names on the back were top notch. 

I opened the box on these Nike jerseys when they arrived about three weeks ago at a store called Pro League Authentics in Philadelphia, and it was probably the nicest, best constructed football jersey that I’ve ever seen.

AS: What made that so?

RJ: It’s constructed well.  Almost a complete different redesign of the standard NFL jersey.  It looked like, quite frankly, that 80% of the jersey was actually spandex. 

The content is actually anywhere from nine to 12 percent spandex.  The four-way stretch twill for the numbers was something different, and the two inch names on the back are new also.  Most manufacturers for many years used a three inch name. 

Just the quality of the jersey (stands out).  The neck trim, the tagging and the various sleeve striping makes it a top quality shirt.  Probably the best that I’ve ever seen in my 25 years in the industry.

AS: You mention tagging.  Another unique aspect that has been discussed is the tagging on these jerseys.  What makes the tagging different?

RJ: On the inside tag, the neck label so to speak, each jersey, not just each team, but each jersey has its own serial number.  We believe that it has a direct correlation with what’s happened in the industry, unfortunately, with the bootlegging and counterfeit jerseys.

That’s what’s nice about these jerseys, they are extremely hard, because of the quality and the construction themselves, to be counterfeited which helps retailers around the country.

AS: What’s the upcoming schedule to release the jerseys to retail stores and specifically for Philadelphia since you are based there?

RJ: The jerseys started to arrive (in stores) the first week of May.  The style that’s currently available is the team color jerseys.  Later on in the (summer), probably the first week of September, the white one’s are going to be available.

Eagles jerseys I anticipate are going to be here the second week of August.  The Eagles didn’t change that much except for the new construction of the Nike jersey, and any true fan of the Eagles would like to purchase one.  It’s the first year they’re with Nike (it’s Nike’s second incarnation with some NFL teams from the mid 1990s) and it’s a beautiful shirt.

AS: Lastly, please detail the entire product line of Nike NFL jerseys.

RJ: When I used to order the jerseys by Champion, or Wilson, or Russell Athletic, there were usually two available.  There was a replica and also the authentic.  And, in Russell’s case, they actually had a youth jersey as well.

This year, Nike has added an extra jersey as well; so we have a "Game Jersey" and it’s kind of a misnomer.  The “Game Jersey” is actually the replica.  The next step up from that is called “The Limited.”  That would be comparable to the NBA’s “Swingman Jerseys,” kind of like a replica of an authentic.

Then, the top of the line is called the "Elite Jersey" and that would be the actual authentic jerseys that the players wear out on the field.  Pro League Authentics carries the “Elite Jersey.”

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Photo Credit: Typepad.com

(Editor's Note: Longtime baseball uniform expert and author Morris Levin writes weekly for Authentically Speaking.)

By Morris Levin

The Braves are playing the Yankees at Yankee Stadium through Wednesday.

On Monday night, Atlanta wore their road grays. They have worn this basic road uniform (except for a change in the road cap to all navy) since 1987. The Yankees wore the home pinstripes they have worn since 1973 when they first switched to double-knit polyester uniforms.

So it goes when teams come to wear a specific uniform for multiple generations. Even in the current season of 2012, I turn on the game and see the now classic Braves road uniform in the Bronx against the Yankees pinstripes. I see visual hints and allegations of 1996 and the first great Yankees club of this current cycle of a Bronx Golden Age.

The Phillies played in Toronto this past weekend. Toronto has returned to royal blue and white as its primary colors, and wear uniforms which read as 2012ized versions of the team’s early 1990s home, road, and alternate uniforms.

When the Phils and Jays were dueling at the Rogers Centre, I saw visual traces of the 1993 World Series with the Phillies in their road grays, and the Blue Jays in their home whites. Our visual memories live in these neuro-pathways.

Yes, the 1993 Series ended in a loss for the Phils, but that too is baseball history in general, and Phillies history in particular. And the image rendered by two teams wearing uniforms in a familiar ballpark, simultaneously speaks to the present and the past, and is among the components of a strong brand for the Phillies and Blue Jays alike. The name is in the jersey.

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Authentically Speaking Trivia Time: Name the only NFL team that has never worn its white jersey at home?  Answer tomorrow. 

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A reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page. 

A couple of weeks back we wrote about the MLB teams that wear their city name on the front of the jersey at home such as Miami (except when they wear the orange jersey at Marlins Park that says “MARLINS”) and Texas.

Well, as part of their throwback games this season celebrating the team’s 40^th anniversary in Arlington, the Rangers went retro to 1986 Saturday night hosting the Astros (who are themselves throwing-back at various points this season to celebrate their 50^th anniversary), and the Rangers like in ’86, wore “Rangers” across the front of the jersey at home for the first time since 2008.

We could never understand why they couldn’t have kept “RANGERS” (as shown above, right) in the new larger letters on the white jersey in 2009, while staying with “TEXAS” on the blue and red jerseys, but then again, it’s Texas, a state as proud as any of making sure its brand name is exposed, so perhaps the Rangers are simply following suit. 

The Astros went along with the fun Saturday (and get ready for 18 meetings between the two Texas clubs in 2013 as A.L. West neighbors) donning a mismatch 1986 jersey that had the correct non-belt waistband, but the incorrect non-button jersey.

1986 was identified by the Astros 25^th anniversary patch on the left sleeve, a patch that was alternately worn with the 1986 All-Star Game patch, and usually more often than not after the all star game was played that season, but the ‘Stros did wear both patches in their epic six-game N.L. Championship Series loss to the Mets that season.  

Both patches, originals, are shown above. 

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MLB’s Father’s Day ‘Home Run Challenge’: The blue uniform decals and blue wristbands worn by all on field personnel Sunday around the big leagues was symbolic of the united fight against prostate cancer, part of the league’s commitment to helping to raise money for continued research. 

From trainers to umpires; from players and coaches to groundskeepers, each wore a ribbon decal with the MLB logo attached to the upper left chest area of their jersey/shirt, and a wristband.

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A reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page. 

(Editor's Note: Philadelphia area sports writer Ben Horrow contributes weekly to Authentically Speaking.)

By Ben Horrow

Throughout the 2012 NBA playoffs, the officials have been under much scrutiny.  Pundits, players, coaches, and even the commissioner have spoken about the referees and their officiating.  

One unspoken issue involving NBA referees concerns their wardrobe. In cooperation with the NBA, during the 2012 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat, the officials will wear the number 57 on their uniforms to show solidarity for their fellow referee Greg Willard who is currently battling pancreatic cancer.  Willard, a seasoned official has been an NBA referee for 24 seasons and has officiated more than 1,600 regular season and playoff games. 

Although teams often wear patches commemorating events or people who have recently passed away or remain ill, officials do not often wear patches or numbers on their jerseys in solidarity of their own.  On the other hand, there is precedent for the patch being worn by NBA officials in the finals. 

During the 1989-1990 season, NHL referees wore “J.McC.” on their sweaters to memorialize John McCauley, the recently deceased director of NHL officiating.  In addition, in the 2005-2006 season, NHL officials wore the number 72 on their sweaters commemorating the life of Stephane Provost, a linesman who died in a fatal motorcycle accident in May 2005.    

For the  2012 season, Major League Baseball umpires are wearing patches on their left sleeves in memory of Marty Springstead and Harry Wendelstadt.

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A reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page

The batting practice caps (pictured above) for the respective teams in next month’s All Star Game at Kansas City are expected to be worn in both the Home Run Derby the night before the game, and in batting practice prior the annual midsummer event that determines home field advantage in the World Series.

It’s an interesting use of the host team Royals logo, and overall, we give thumbs up to the blend of power blue and navy blue with the gold accessory.

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Authentic store buzz: What is the most popular Phillies throwback cap among customers coming into the store and online?  Why it’s the 1926 road version with the Old English “P”. 

We’ve always liked the 1934-37 model which was a forerunner to the almost forgotten 1994 blue cap which made its debut opening day of the ‘94 season and was to be worn for weekday afternoon games, just as today’s alternate caps are worn. 

Well, after two losses in the blue, the caps were dropped from the ’94 weekday rotation and eventually faded away.

Latest Nike (team colors) 2012 authentic jerseys to arrive - the Bengals Andy Dalton and the Steelers Troy Polamalu. 

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A reminder: For more news about Pro League Authentics and thoughts on the world of sports uniforms, Like our Facebook page, converse with us @PLAphilly, and visit our YouTube page.