FOUND: RARE FLANNEL
Ebay featured what would be one of the rarest of post-1960 flannel styles a few weeks ago…the script front 1961 Tigers home jersey.
As the story goes, Travers City sportswriter Nick Edson had lunch with a high-level front office employee from that era of the Tigers. The ex-Tiger suit told Edson that a higher ranking front office guy ordered the jerseys destroyed after use, as he hated them vehemently. The only one he acknowledged had survive was an Al Kaline that Kaline himself took home.
Well, there’s one out there now. A jersey originally issued to coach Billy Hitchcock in 1959 (standard Olde English D styles) was overhauled with logo and number changes (and braiding removal) and reissued in late ’61 to call-up George Alusik, #26 in your program. The jersey sold for $1,075, a steal in my book, even with the cosmetic overhaul.
NOT THE FIRST TIME
Oddly enough, that jersey isn’t the first time I’ve seen an MLB ballclub overhaul a jersey style to accommodate a newcomer. No less a name than Rocky Colavito found himself in a similar situation with the low-budget 1967 White Sox. Colavito’s road jersey was a reconstructed 1966 road flannel! In addition to number changes, the arched, block-lettered CHICAGO was removed, and the scripted navy Chicago, with a white chain-stitched WHITE SOX on the slash underneath, was added. This piece was part of the White Sox style collection of the late Dr. John Goldberg, who turned down a $2,000 offer for the flannel while he was alive.
Has anyone else seen or do they own a front script-changed MLB gamer. Share it with us on the MEARS bulletin board or at sox83cubs84@hotmail.com
YANKEES WEAR VA TECH LOGO CAPS
On March 18th, the Yankees continued their remembrance of the Virgina Tech shooting victims by playing an exhibition game against the Va Tech varsity, which the Yanks won, 11-0. For the event, the Yankees had two different style caps they wore. The first was a standard navy blue Yankees cap, but with the VT logo added to the left side in white letters with red trim. The other carried the same front and side logos, but was done in Virginia Tech’s team colors. Prior to that, Owner Emeritus George Steinbrenner donated $1 million to the victims fund.
NCAA PATCHES
The past few years, Final Four teams in the NCAA basketball playoffs wore a F4 patch for those season-ending games. The practice has been expanded during the current March Madness exercise, and all 64 teams sport a blue round patch with a white NCAA inscribed.
b> MIEDEMA’S MAILBOX
Q: I landed a Billy Grabarkewitz Dodgers home knit by Goodman. Is it a player jersey (1972) or a later (Old-Timers Game) piece? Photos included.
A: The jersey is a late 1970s or 1980s Old-Timers game piece. The telltale clue is the two-toned (blue trimmed in white) number and name on back. In 1972, those elements were single tackle twill blue.
THE CUBS WILL BE GREAT IN 2008!