Longtime Boston Red Sox player/manager/commentator/coach/ambassador Johnny Pesky died at the age of 93 earlier this week marking an end to his incredible 61 year run with the Red Sox ballclub.
The Boston Red Sox did what any team does these days when an important part of their past passes away, they announced they would be honouring Pesky by way of a uniform marking for the remainder of the season.
As you might expect, the trade that sent Ichiro (!) Suzuki to the New York Yankees has not been without some ripple effects, most notably in terms of merchandise sales around the world. However, what might surprise you is that the increase in the number of Ichiro (!) jerseys being sold in Japan isn’t the result of his countrymen buying up new pinstripe versions of his uniform.
In the most Japanese thing ever recorded, Ichiro joining the Yankees has resulted in increased sales for his old jerseys. Yoko Masuda of the Wall Street Journal explains:
Gen Akiyama, head of the Japanese retail arm of Majestic, Major League Baseball’s official apparel manufacturer, said the store received 15 times the average number of daily orders for Ichiro’s Mariners jersey. Their stock has sold out, meaning those who still want an Ichiro emblazoned jersey will have to settle for one that comes with pinstripes.
Ichiro (!) jerseys that sport the Seattle Mariners logo can still be found online in the MLB.com shop, but with additional shipping charges and additional taxes that are owed upon delivery, Japanese fans can be forgiven for wanting to buy locally.
Patriotism and baseball have always gone hand-in-hand, from Presidents throwing out the first pitch before games to Air Force flyovers to stopping the game to sing God Bless America in the 7th inning. America’s Pastime has had a long history of honouring and paying tribute to the nation while simultaneously entertaining it
Today is the Fourth of July, the 236th anniversary of the United States declaring their independence from the United Kingdom, and Major League Baseball will be honouring the event with ceremonies across the league – including the return of the camouflage team caps, which will be worn by all 30 clubs (including the Toronto Blue Jays tonight in Canada).
Earlier this year we looked at the history of MLB teams honouring America with uniform tributes. Today we’ll continue with that idea on this special day in the U.S.A. by taking a look at baseball’s most patriotic team logos… and no, not the special “one-off” logos just worn for a game then forgotten. These are all logos worn on the field as part of a club’s regular rotation of caps and jerseys:
The year was 1998 and the Seattle Mariners wanted to try something a little out-of-the-ordinary that season.
Turn Back the Clock uniform days had been done for 9 seasons now, the idea was getting a little stale, plus the club had already flashed back to just about every uniform they could possibly want to at that point.
Enter Mariners marketing co-ordinator Kevin Martinez who came up with the idea to, instead of turning back the clock, turn the clock ahead 30 whole seasons, to the year 2027 to celebrate the Mariners’ future 50th anniversary.
Exactly what year is it out there?
With so many Major League Baseball teams in throwback-inspired uniforms or participating in “Turn Back the Clock” games this year it’s a reasonable question to be asked by the average baseball fan.
This past weekend Major League Baseball and New Era unveiled the 2012 edition of their “Stars and Stripes” line of ballcaps. This product line is designed to honour the United States, it’s servicemen and women at home and abroad, and it’s veterans. This summer will be the fifth consecutive season that teams will be participating in this program and the first time they will feature a camouflage pattern rather than a US (or Canadian) flag design.
All Major League Baseball teams will wear the “Stars and Stripes” caps during games on Memorial Day, Independence Day, and on September 11th.
The Chicago White Sox entered the 1972 season as a franchise in danger. They only narrowly survived a relocation attempt to Milwaukee and were now in the sights of the City of Seattle which was licking its chops at the idea of a Major League Baseball club returning. A regular at the bottom of league attendance charts, the White Sox averaged only 5800 fans per game in 1970 – even those sad-sack Montreal Expos never drew so few fans over the course of an entire season.
But something happened in 1972, things just started to “click” in all the right ways. Newly acquired first baseman Dick Allen hit .308, with 37 homers and 113 RBI’s to claim the American League Most Valuable Player Award and starting pitcher Wilbur Wood threw 20 complete games, going 24-17 with an ERA of 2.51 and was named The Sporting News’ AL Pitcher of the Year. A 20-year-old kid by the name of Goose Gossage also stepped onto a Major League field for the first time to kick off his Hall of Fame career. Slowly but surely fans started showing up at the ballpark again.
