Been a long time since a throwback game — on a weekday afternoon, no less — generated as much interest as yesterday’s Dodgers/Braves match-up. Right from the top of the 1st, readers were buzzing my in-box and peppering the comments section. Why? Let’s take a look:
• The Dodgers wore their 1944 “night satins” (which were not made of satin this time around), complete with Brooklyn cap. Interesting to see that they went with a gray undervisor — green would have been period-appropriate.
• The Dodgers also went the extra mile by using Brooklyn batting helmets and even got a Brooklyn catcher’s helmet for Rod Barajas and for the base coaches.
• As you may have noticed already in those other shots, the Dodgers chose to keep their Duke Snider memorial patch for the throwbacks. (In case you’re wondering: Snider never wore this uniform. His first year with the Dodgers was ’47, by which time the Dodgers had stopped wearing satins.)
• Most of the Dodgers went high-cuffed with stirrups (some high-cut and some low-cut, as you can see here), although Juan Uribe just wore blue socks and Clayton Kershaw had a rather unfortunate look.
• As for the Braves, they went with zipper-front Boston Braves jerseys and northwestern-striped stirrups.
• The Braves had throwback Boston caps but their regular road batting helmets (perfectly understandable that they wouldn’t pack an extra set of helmets for one game). The caps apparently had black underbrims. (As an aside, Phil notes how rare it is to see a game in which both teams are wearing caps representing cities other than the ones in which they play. I couldn’t think of another MLB instance of this, although I did come up with an NFL example: Titans [dressed as the Oilers] vs. Chiefs [dressed as the Texans] during the AFL throwback campaign.)
• My favorite detail of the game: Casey Blake wore his cap under his batting helmet. Was this an old-school gesture by him? Reader David Lassen, who’s a reporter for the Riverside Press-Enterprise, was covering the game, so I asked if he could check with Blake about this after the game. Here’s there exchange, as e-mailed to me by David last night:
Q: You went with a hat under your batting helmet today. Was that part of the throwback thing?
A: It ended up that way. My helmet — we wore different helmets, and my helmet was too big for me.
Q: Well, that was the other possibility.
A: It would have been way too easy to get another helmet.
Q: So you just went old school?
A: Yeah.
Q: Have you ever done that?
A: No.
Q: Since you hit a home run, are you going to continue doing it?
A: No, I will not. Every throwback game, probably.
• Notice anything missing from these uniforms? No Majestic logo creep! That’s because Majestic didn’t make either of these sets — Bob Halfacre’s company, Bobcat Athletic, did. He’ll also be making the uniforms for the Dodgers’ next throwback game (the Cubs are the opponent, and Bob tells me he’s hoping to have striped undersleeves for the Cubbies!), and I believe Majestic will take over for the Dodgers’ remaining four throwback games after that. I’ll have more info about this from Bob next week.
Pretty nice job all around, no? If you want to see more, here are some screen shots and wire photos, and there’s a bunch of cool pregame shots here.
Uni Watch News Ticker: You’re not supposed to hook your pant cuffs onto your spikes anymore, but Tim Collins of the Royals has been doing it anyway (good spot by Jonathon Binet). … A Bronx peanut operation that supplies the peanuts to Yankee Stadium is moving to Pennsylvania (thanks, Kirsten). … Who’s that in the Hopkins Grammar School uni? It’s the modernist composer Charles Ives, who, as it turns out was a big baseball fan (with thanks to Scott Kneeskern). … New yellow kit for RSL. “They wore it Wednesday night against Monterrey in the away leg of the CONCACAF Champions League Final,” says Austin Taylor. “I imagine they’ll stick with the red/navy at home next week.” … Ben Traxel sent along a sensational and sad gallery of abandoned theaters, and wouldn’t I love to poke around in each and every one of ’em. … Did you know that the guys who wrote “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” had never attended a game when they wrote the song? It’s true. … Here’s how this year’s MLB All-Star patch will look on the caps (with thanks to Matt Harris). … Didja ever think it’s a little weird that Majestic’s MLB logo creep is relegated to the left sleeve, while Swoosh Inc. gets to put its mark front and center on the undershirt collars? If so, you’re not the only one (big thanks to Sam Graves). … Logan Morrison of the Marlins had to get a cast on his foot, and he drew pinstripes on it! I like that. A lot. … A Syracuse-area supermarket has gotten an SU-style makeover (with thanks to Mark Kluczynski). … David Purcey of the A’s wears a size 17 shoe, so equipment manager Steve Vucinich had to dye a pair of cleats white for him (good work by Brandon Davis). … Oregon football is apparently planning camo uniforms for their spring game (with thanks to Jim Weber). … Also from Jim: Arizona State’s new logo is raising gang-related concerns. … Patrick Zach notes that the Twins are still using lineup cards with the team’s old logo. … The Wizards will unveil their new uniforms on May 10. … The Mets were apparently planning to wearing their BP jerseys for yesterday’s game but thankfully thought better of it. Still, they went with the road cap and black socks/sleeves — disappointing.
