Players Weekend Jerseys Make Baseball Fun Again
Uniform aficionado Seth Poho takes a look back at the original Players’ Weekend jerseys.
In an effort to make make more money by marketing merchandise in the hopes of drawing younger viewers, Major League Baseball is doing Players Weekend. A one weekend showing of alternate caps and jerseys that will feature player-chosen nicknames to make the jerseys even more casual. Usually I hate it when they do these special occasion jerseys (i.e. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Independence Day, etc.), but I do not hate this idea.
Major League Baseball needs to find ways to appeal to younger demographics. This is a one small way to do it, but if they lure some more fans in the process, why not? The NBA did it a few years ago and interestingly enough, this would not be the first time baseball players had their handles on their uniforms.
As baseball owners of second division teams tried to draw more fans at the gate, they often resorted to gimmicks. Bill Veeck had his pint-sized pinch hitter, his exploding scoreboard, and attired the White Sox in shorts. Ted Turner had as many crazy promotions and ideas in a similar fashion. Be it holding a night of a mass wedding followed by a wrestling exhibition, to a wet t-shirt contest, and even featuring a game with Turner managing the Braves, there was always something going on at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
One of Turner’s best ideas was putting his players’s nicknames on their jerseys. They were worn for the home games during May and June of 1976. Braves fans were rooting not for Darrell Evans, Jerry Royster, and Phil Niekro but for “Howdy”, “J Bird”, and “Knucksie.” Pitcher Andy Messersmith briefly had “Channel” above his number 17. This was referring to location Turner’s TV station was on the dial. The league fined Turner for the move forcing Messersmith to go by “Bluto.”
Another owner who felt that nicknames added more box office appeal to his players was Charles Finley. Through out the 70's, he tried any visual gimmick to increase attendance. It was common to see Bert “Campy” Campaneris, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, and Dick “Wampum” Allen sporting a handle on their uniforms.
Outside of those teams dedicating themselves to nickname jerseys, there were isolated examples of players donning their alias. Ken Harrelson had “Hawk” on the back of his 1969 Indians jersey. In 1979, The Giants shortstop Johnny LeMaster had “Boo” on his pullover. Even Chili Davis had “Chili” on his Giants jersey at the 1986 All-Star Game.
Sometimes baseball fans take the game too seriously. With the players donning colorful uniforms adorn with nicknames, maybe it will lighten the fans’ mood. I cannot be mad at those jerseys especially if they say “Miller Time” (Andrew Miller), “X” (Xander Bogaerts), or my favorite, “Corey’s Brother” on Kyle Seager’s Mariners uniform.
