MIEDEMA’S MAILBOX
Q: I have an Oakland A’s BP jersey, size large #3. It’s from either 1998 or 1999. Can you ID the player? I’m hoping it’s Eric Chavez.
A: Chavez was a member of the A’s in both 1998 and 1999. However, his size (6-0, 204) and his having worn #30 in 1998 likely takes him out of the picture. In ’98. diminutive infielder Bip Roberts (5-8, 165) wore #3, making it to likely be his.
Q: On the 1992 White Sox jerseys that featured the memoriam diamond on the sleeve, what color is the logo on the black alternate jerseys?
A: While the logo, a memoriam for Jerry Reinsdorf’s personal assistant, Sheri Berto, and longtime team front office employees Don Unferth and Millie Johnson, was black on the home whites and road greys, th black alternates used a silver logo. All three logos were actually part of the sleeve fabric, not sewn-on patches.
Q: Could you tell me a little about Brooks Robinson Sporting Goods?
A: The Hall of Famers’ sporting goods company was a minor player in the uniform supplier market in the 1970s. For baseball, they manufactured an orange alternate knit jersey in 1971 for the Orioles, which, as of a few years ago, saw only two common player specimens, both of the NOBR variety, in the organized hobby. They also made Old-Timers Game jerseys for some Baltimore-based events, such as a 10-year reunion of the 1966 World Champs, in flannel, no less. They also were the supplier of a team which never got of the ground, the ABA Baltimore Claws, of which at least one prototype saw auction bidding in the past year.
AUCTION ACTION
The second round of NHL auctions bidding (www.nhl.com) for preseason Europe exhibitions will be active until the evening of November 13. It will involve the white Ottawa Senators sweaters worn in Stockholm and the blue Rangers gamers from the Prague games.
Also ending on November 13 will be NBA Rookie Photo Shoot event-worn jerseys of Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and Robin Lopez. Check these out at www.nba.com .
WILL HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF?
With Barack Obama’s recent election, this means that the last two Democratic First Ladies will be Chicago natives and baseball fans. It makes me wonder: will Michelle Obama be tapped to throw out the first pitch at the White Sox 2009 home opener? And, if so, will it be more or less controversial than the 1993 ceremony at Wrigley Field involving Hillary Clinton?
In April of 1993, Clinton, born in the Chicago suburbs and raised as a Cub fan, did the honors during which a) Harry Caray gave her a kiss in the broadcast booth, b)her introduction brought on a crowd reaction that was pretty much evenly split between cheers and boos, and c) several Cubs players (including Mark Grace and Randy Myers) making a political statement by refusing to autograph a team-signed jersey the Cubs were planning to gift her with. Stay tuned for further developments.
DC DOINGS
You can check the team’s website (www.nationals.com) for more information, but, to summarize, the Nationals will have different uniforms for 2009. The team will wear 4 different styles, with the white home, grey road and red alternate jerseys gaining new sleeve patches and front logos. The red jersey (now with the cap’s curly W) will become a home alternate jersey, with a blue shirt showing an diagonally interlocking DC emblem with a red, white and blue color scheme becoming the new road alternate jersey, in the manner of what Atlanta did for the 2008 season.
OBITUARIES
Two athletes left our earthly realm this past week-plus, both at age 61. The first was former Houston Astros 1B-PH Rafael Batista. Batista played for the Astros in 1973 and 1975, and, according to the Baseball Almanac website, died November 1.
Also deceased at age 61 was G. Larry James, who succumbed to cancer. James was a US Olympian who won track-related medals, gold and silver, in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
SORRY, COLLECTORS…2009 CUBS CONVENTION SOLD OUT IN 24 MINUTES