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How Booze Helped Philly Win the Controversial 1871 Pennant

June 06, 2011

There was a team called the Philadelphia Athletic Club that played in Philly in the 1860s and 70s, a separate entity from the American League A's Club that would be gin playing in 1901. But before I tell you much more about the Athletics controversial pennant win of 1871, I should tell you a bit about baseball rules in the 1870s. They were radically different than today (A special thanks to David Nemec's Great Encyclopedia of 19th Century Baseball, an amazing reference book where I am getting a lot of my info.) Home plate was a 12 inch square. The pitcher threw from a box, not a mound, 45 feet from home plate. In 1871, he had to throw underhand, though there was a new rule in 1872 that allowed him to throw sidearmed. The batter was allowed to request high pitches or low pitches. The batter had three strikes, but foul balls did not count as strikes. A hit batsman did not get to take his base until the 1880s. Balls could not roll foul back then. It was deemed fair or foul by where it first hit the ground, not where it ended up. In the 1870s, no-one wore a glove, including the poor catcher, which makes me think that catchers in those days must have been dumb and easily persuaded, because who in their right mind would play catcher with no damn glove? baseball1

Anyways, the Athletics team was owned by billiard parlor operators and liquor store owners. That would come into play in the controversial 1871 pennant chase. Showing all of the foresight of Bud Selig, the league leaders had never decided whether the team that won the most games or the team that won the most season series would win the pennant. There was also controversy over what to do about some games that a team in Rockford had won with an illegal player. The following is taken from the Great 19th Century Encyclopedia: On November 3, in Philadelphia, loop president James W. Kerns called a meeting to sort out the confusion and find a way to name a champion by November 15. Harry Wright (manager of the Boston Red Stockings, the other team the committee was considering for the pennant) could not have felt easy when he realized that Kerns and the Athletics, in their role as hosts of the meeting, meant to provide refreshments-namely champagne. In the convivial atmosphere it was perhaps inevitable that the committee, after waffling all season, resolved enough of the contested issues in the Athletics favor to crown them the first major league champions.

Also in Philly Sports History

Cupid Wears a Dress

August 13, 2012

David Reid's Incredible Gold Medal

August 06, 2012

The Double Life and Strange Death of Phils Manager Arthur Irwin

July 20, 2012

Size Charts

Select your brand and style to read more about how your purchase will fit:

Use these tips as a general guide when finding your measurements:

Chest/Bust: With your arms at your sides, measure around the fullest part of your chest, across shoulder blades and under arms.
Waist: To measure your natural waistline, wrap the tape so it intersects your navel. Keep tape flat, but comfortably loose.
Hips: Stand with your heels together and measure the fullest part of your hips. Make sure the measuring tape is level all the way around your body.
Inseam: Stand up straight, and start the tape measure high in your crotch. Straighten the tape down the inside of your leg to the bottom of your ankle.
Hat Size: Measure your head about a half-inch above your eyebrow where the hat will sit. If you are unsure or between sizes, buy the larger size.

American Needle Fitted Hats

If you do not know your size, first determine where on your head you want to wear your hat. Usually it is worn about a half-inch to an inch above the eyebrows and/or just above the ears. Have a friend hold the tape measure (cloth, plastic, or download a printable version here) at the point where you want the hat to rest on your head. Insert the tip of your little finger between the tape and your head. Record the measurement and find your Fitted Hat size using the chart below. This should provide you with a comfortable fit.

'47 Brand Hats

47 Brand Adjustable Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Adjustable Hats	Men's	6 7/8 - 7 5/8	55 - 61
	Women's	6 5/8 - 7 1/4	53 - 58
	Youth	6 5/8 - 7 1/8	53 - 57

47 Brand Fitted Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Fitted Hats	XX Small	6 1/2 - 6 5/8	52 - 53
	X Small	6 3/4	54
	Small	6 7/8 - 7	55 - 56
	Medium	7 - 7 1/8	56 - 57
	Large	7 1/4	58
	X Large	7 3/8 - 7 5/8	59 - 61
	XX Large	7 5/8 - 7 3/4	61 - 62
	XXX Large	7 7/8	63
	XXXX Large	8	64
	XXXXX Large	8 1/8	65

47 Brand Stretch Fit Hats Size Chart	Size	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Stretch Fit Fitted Hats	Youth	6 1/2 - 6 5/8	52 - 53
	Small / Medium	6 7/8 - 7	55 - 56
	Medium / Large	7 1/8 - 7 3/8	57 - 59
	Large / X Large	7 1/2 - 7 5/8	60 - 61
	One Size Fits All	7 - 7 1/2	56 - 60

47 Brand Knit Hats Size Chart	Hat Size	Circumference (cm)
Knit Hats	Youth	6 1/2 - 6 3/4	52 - 54
Knit Hats	One Size Fits All	6 7/8 - 7 1/2	55 - 60

'47 Brand Apparel

47 Brand Men's Size Chart	S	M	L	XL	XXL
Neck	14"-14.5"	15"-15.5"	16"-16.5"	17"-17.5"	18"-18.5"
Shoulder	21"	22"	23"	24"	25"
Chest	36"-38"	39"-41"	42"-44"	45"-47"	48"-50"
Waist	28"-30"	31"-33"	34"-36"	37"-39"	40"-42"

47 Brand Women's Size Chart	S	M	L	XL
Size	2-4	6-8	8-10	10-12
Shoulder	14.25"	15.25"	16.25"	17.25"
Bust	32"-34"	35"-36"	37"-38"	39"-42"
Waist	26"-27"	28"-29"	30"-31"	32"-33"

Majestic apparel

**Men's Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	S	M	L	XL	XXL	3XL	4XL
Chest	34-36	38-40	42-44	46-48	52-52	54-56	58-60
Waist	28-30	32-34	36-38	40-42	44-46	48-50	52-54
Hip	34-36	38-40	42-44	46-48	50-52	54-56	58-60
Sleeve	32-33	33-34	34-35	35-36	36-36 1/2	36 1/2-37	37-37 1/2
Neck	14-14 1/2	15-15 1/2	16-16 1/2	17-17 1/2	18-18 1/2	19-19 1/2	20-20 1/2

**Women's Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	XS	S	M	L	XL	1X	2X
Size	0-2	4-6	8-10	12-14	16-18	16W-18W	20W-22W
Chest	32-33	34-35	36-37	38-40	41 1/2-43 1/2	43-45	47-49
Waist	24-25	26-27	28-29	30-32	33 1/2-35 1/2	36-38	39-41
Hip	34 1/2-35 1/2	36 1/2-37 1/2	38 1/2-39 1/2	40 1/2-42 1/2	44-46	46-48	49-51
Sleeve	29 1/4	30	30 3/4	31 1/2	32	32 1/2	33

**Youth Sizing** (measurements in inches)
	S	M	L	XL	XXL	3XL
Size	6-8	10-12	14-16	18-20	20	22
Chest	24-26	28-30	32-34	36-38
Waist	21-23	25-27	29-31	33-35	37-39	40-42

Majestic Jerseys

Adult Men's Replica Jersey Sizing
Jersey Size	Small	Medium	Large	X Large	XX Large
Neck (diameter of neck)	6.5	6.75	7	7.25	7.5
Chest (underarm to underarm)	20 1/2	22 1/2	24 1/2	26 1/2	28 1/2
Sleeve (back of inside neck to end of middle sleeve)	8 1/2	8 3/4	9	9 1/4	9 1/2

Apparel Sizing Tips:

Use these tips as a general guide when finding your measurements:

Chest/Bust: With your arms at your sides, measure around the fullest part of your chest, across shoulder blades and under arms.

Waist: To measure your natural waistline, wrap the tape so it intersects your navel. Keep tape flat, but comfortably loose.

Hips: Stand with your heels together and measure the fullest part of your hips. Make sure the measuring tape is level all the way around your body.

Inseam: Stand up straight, and start the tape measure high in your crotch. Straighten the tape down the inside of your leg to the bottom of your ankle.

Red Jacket apparel

Junk Food apparel

Next Level apparel (Shibe Originals)

General Size	Neck (in inches)	Chest (in inches)	Waist (in inches)	Arm (in inches)

Small	14-14.5	34-36	28-30	31.5-32
Medium	15-15.5	38-40	32-34	32.5-33
Large	16-16.5	42-44	36-38	33.5-34
X-Large	17-17.5	46-48	40-42	34.5-35
XX-Large	18 – 18.5	50-52	44-46	35.5-36

All Eagles

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