Sports
Birds of a Feather: The Double Knits
New uniforms. Is there anything so exciting as that? The prospect that maybe, just maybe, the perfect design will be unveiled. In the 70’s a big change in the way ball players dressed themselves took place. In came the era of the double knit. Polyester replaced flannel, but much more than just material changed.
Many teams took the chance to streamline and reinvent just what a baseball uniform was. Troublesome things like buttons and belts gave way to pull-over style jerseys and elastic snap waistbands. Polyester also gave way to bold new colors, exhibited by the prevalence of the baby blue road uni several teams had, and the greens, golds, and blacks of the A’s and Pirates.
The O’s made the switch in ’71 and things get a bit complicated. So, the home uniform design didn’t 
change drastically, in true O’s fashion. The script remained the same, the buttons stayed, the little bit of neck piping stayed. The biggest change (along with the polyester) came with the new tri-color striping that appeared down the legs, around the arms, and on the elastic waistband. The caps stayed the same, and the database shows the socks changing to solid orange this year, which they did eventually, but there are photos of the O’s in the polyesters wearing the striped socks, so…take from that whatever you will. The year is most notable for one of the biggest uniform debacles ever.
The story on the street is that the all orange atrocities came at legend-hero-hall-of-famer Brooks Robinson’s request, as it related to a sports apparel business that he had a stake in. Fortunately nobody was under the delusion that they looked good and stories range from the O’s having worn them as little as once and as much as a handful of times.
The next big change came for the 1973 year. The Baltimore script was pulled from the road jerseys in favor of the same Orioles script that was on the home jerseys. The reasons for this bears some explaining. Washington D.C. had just recently lost their Senators and so the O’s brass saw the opportunity to brand the team as more of a regional entity. Many debate whether such an effect ever really took place, but in any event, Baltimore wouldn’t return to the road jerseys for 35 years.
1975 brought a new cap, the tri-color, black back, white front, 
orange bill cap. Also introduced was the orange pullover alternate jersey. A cap with an orange front was around for a scant two years. This main uniform, however, became the standard all the way up until the 1989 change. Also of some note, the O’s wore a hybrid 40 years anniversary/world series patch in 1984.
The uniforms of this era are pretty iconic. For some O’s fans they are the best. I like them as a throwback, they are dated enough so that they are good identifiers for their time, but not so much that they just look silly (a la the Padres). It’s nice to have the throwback nights for the team and to have the smiling bird logo availiable for purchase for the fans, but it remains a throwback. So while the uniform which saw some of the best years in the Orioles’ history has earned a place as a classic, it’s far from timeless, and I am nonetheless happy that it’s been changed.
Birds of a Feather: The Flannel Years
By Stephen Turk
Uniforms are pretty subjective. I think most people, sports fans and non-sports fans alike, can agree on a handful of basic generalities when it comes to what is nice, what looks good, and what works when it comes to uniforms. But those little details, the nitty-gritty things can really draw some deep division lines.
And so the discussion on the recently revamped Orioles uniforms inspires a good bit of healthy discussion amongst fans. Everyone has a perfect uniform in their head, that dream look that goes woefully unfulfilled. Indeed, I’ve spent many a worrisome hour thinking “why can’t the team just know what I want and do it?”
My perfect idea is a combination of some older designs and some things pulled from other places. I think most people have a similar situation, never feeling like any one set was ever absolutely perfect.
So here is a brief uniform history of the Baltimore Orioles. Oddly enough, though they’ve changed uniforms a good number of times, their basic design has yet in the 54, going on 55, year history of the team to really change drastically. › Continue reading
Be Poignant! Reference Boxing Part II
By Stephen Turk
There are several Jack Dempsey’s in the history of boxing. The first was a champion in the late 1800s. Later there was a second, Bernie Dempsey, who assumed the name Jack as either a way to gain notoriety, revere the former champ, or just sound tougher. I don’t really know which. Bernie had a little brother, Harry. Harry boxed under the name Kid Blackie.
Bernie trained his little brother Harry. At age eleven, Harry was soaking his face in brine and crewing pine tar gum, all in an effort to toughen up. Soon after the family settled out west and Harry dropped out of school.
He was a hardscrabble kid coming up in rural America. He traveled throughout Colorado, Utah, and Nevada by means of hanging on railroad cars to get into barroom fights. Eventually, he got a manager who would get him fights on a circuit that specialized in fights in hard mining towns, a circuit similar to what his brother Bernie/Jack Dempsey fought in. › Continue reading
Be Poignant! Reference Boxing Part I
By Stephen Turk
What we see here is one of the greatest works of art ever created. As far as sports related paintings, this one can’t be touched. It shows the 1923 match up between Jack Dempsey and Luis Firpo. Dempsey, the reigning champ is the one careening out of the ring.
There would be some controversy with the count, as it is believed Dempsey didn’t make it back in by the requist ten count, but he would later go on to knockout Firpo in the second round. And so ended one of the most celebrated boxing matches ever. › Continue reading
Limbo Teams: The Dallas Texans
By Stephen Turk
Naming a team can be a tough endeavor. Previous posts here have dealt with the various processes that take place in giving a team an identity. Some names, however, just don’t seem to work out, as if the name itself dooms the team to failure. It seems kind of silly, but it isn’t totally without merit, those in the sports world are a superstitious bunch. The Texans seems to be one such name.
There is a current team, the Houston Texans, who entered the NFL in a recent expansion. They have struggled in their years of existence, and I can only hope for Houston fans that these current Texans fare better than the Texans of old. › Continue reading
AFL Follow-up
by Stephen Turk
Recently, I wrote on the interesting situation surrounding the merger of the AFL and the NFL, which gave us, of course, the modern NFL as we know it. My primary source for all this was the great and extremely detailed and informative book Remember the AFL by Dave Steidel. Well, I’ve had the opportunity to communicate with Dave, and he has generously fielded a few specific questions. So here is some additional information from the expert:
Q: In watching today’s NFL, what reminds you of the AFL?
A: The names on jerseys, the two point conversion, side line reporters, the game clock being the official time were all started in the AFL. Also in the beginning the AFL offenses were very creative and wide open. Some people suggest that the West Coast offense started in the AFL with San Diego’s Sid Gillman in the early sixties. The type of game played by the NFL today is more like the old AFL then the old NFL. › Continue reading
Limbo Teams: The Baltimore Colts, Part II
By Stephen Turk
In the ring of honor at the Baltimore Ravens stadium, are the names of all hall of fame Baltimore Colts. Having never played in Indianapolis or for the Ravens franchise, they are in team limbo, and belong to no one but the fans who loved them.
After 1954, firmly rooted in Baltimore, the Colts began their ascent toward greatness. The Baltimore Colts got good the way any team does. They had some smart drafting, some good trades, and a measure of luck. The team had a couple of solid holdovers from the Dallas Texans days, including future hall of famers Art Donovan and Gino Marchetti. In 1956 Lenny Moore, another future hall of famer, was drafted in the first round. A solid team was being built, but clearly the greatest move of all was acquiring Johnny Unitas.
Unitas had been cut by his native Pittsburgh after being picked in the ninth round, and was relegated to playing semi-pro ball before going to a tryout for the Baltimore Colts in 1956. He was signed, and played in the fourth game of the season when the starter went down. He was terrible. › Continue reading
Limbo Teams: The Baltimore Colts, Part I
By Stephen Turk
What is a team in limbo? When a team goes defunct, either through moving or folding entirely, the former team is gone for all intents and purposes. But when considering the historical value of a defunct team, there is a whole story there. There are front office decisions for a team that doesn’t exist any more, there are records set and statistics recorded for a nonexistent entity, there are photos of a team that doesn’t play anymore. It’s in this way that a team becomes a limbo team; a team that exists in memories and stats, but not in the present day. › Continue reading
Fun with Money: Part II
By Stephen Turk
Curt Flood reintroduced the argument for free-agency to baseball, but was ultimately denied. Two years later, in 1974, Catfish Hunter would become the first free-agent due to a unique situation and a contract dispute. Hunter was prolific with the Oakland A’s, but owner Charlie Finley failed to make a payment. Hunter’s contract was deemed void and with no reserve clause to keep him, he was the first major league ball player on the open market, free to go wherever he pleased.
A bidding war ensued, reaching offers as high as five years, $4.5 million. Hunter took a deal with the Yankees, five years at $3.5 million with incentives. The nightmare scenario that Bouton talked about in Ball Four had happened, players knew how much they were worth. If a great pitcher could get that money, then other great pitchers should be getting it. And if that was the case then great position players and hitters should make comparable amounts, if not more for their everyday play. And if that was to be the going rate for great players, then certainly the pay gap between great players and good players should be smaller. But perhaps the greatest new feature going on here was the fact that this was a multi-year deal. That meant guaranteed money, that meant stability and wealth that ball players had never experienced and were quick to welcome. › Continue reading
Fun with Money: Part I
As a fan, I have no problem extolling the importance of the fan in sports. It is the most important role. The fan is the heralder, the bookkeeper, the archivist, and the backbone to the whole system. But in today’s world of sports, with huge contracts, expensive tickets and merchandise, and greed all around, there is much talk about the average fan being priced out of their pastime.
So let’s look at the institution of free-agency in baseball, arguably a big piece of the inflating contracts bubble. › Continue reading