I’ve Been Everywhere, Man: The Many Caps of Edwin Jackson

Click to enlarge

Pitcher Edwin Jackson, the player who puts the “journey” in “journeyman,” made his Blue Jays debut last night, starting and going five innings. In so doing, he set an MLB record by appearing with his 14th franchise (and moving ahead of reliever Octavio Dotel, who played for 13 teams).

The graphic shown above was tweeted last night by Fox Sports. It shows all 14 of Jackson’s teams and, therefore, 14 distinct cap designs. But Jackson has worn a lot more caps than that. Even if we leave aside one-off designs like holiday, throwback, and Players Weekend caps, and also disregard spring training and BP caps, we know the following:

• Jackson played for Tampa during the last two years of their Devil Rays incarnation. So in addition to wearing the Rays cap shown in the graphic, he also wore the green Devil Rays cap.

• In addition to wearing the Tigers’ home cap, as shown in the graphic, he wore their road cap.

• I’m assuming he wore some Diamondbacks cap other than the one shown in the graphic, although I haven’t yet found photographic evidence of that.

• In addition to wearing the Cardinals’ red cap, as shown in the graphic, he also wore their navy cap and Sunday cap.

• In addition to wearing the Nats’ red home cap, as shown in the graphic, he also wore their navy road cap.

• In addition to wearing the Braves’ red-brimmed home cap, as shown in the graphic, he also wore their solid-navy road cap.

• In addition to wearing the Padres’ white/yellow-lettered 2016 home cap, as shown in the graphic, he also wore their road cap and throwback alternate cap.

• In addition to wearing the Orioles’ white-front-paneled home cap, as shown in the graphic, he also wore their black cap.

• In addition to wearing the A’s yellow-brimmed home cap, as shown in the graphic, he also wore their solid-green road cap and Kelly alternate cap.

That’s a lot of caps! And it’s safe to say there’s at least one more Blue Jays cap in his future — unless he moves on to yet another team before that can happen. (Did I miss any caps, aside from one-offs like holiday and throwback designs? If so, feel free to post them in today’s comments.)

I don’t even want to think about how many different distinct jerseys, pants, undershirts, socks, belts, and other uniform elements Jackson may have worn, although anyone else who wants to research that is welcome to do so.

Also: According to baseball-reference.com, Jackson has worn eight different uniform numbers during his career. Three of those numbers came while playing for his first team, the Dodgers. His favorite number appears to be 36, which he’s worn for six different clubs.

• • • • •

• • • • •

ITEM! Final Purp Walk countdown: Tomorrow, May 17, will be the 13th anniversary of the very first post that appeared on this website. By longstanding annual custom, that means it will also be Purple Amnesty Day — the one day of the year when I accept orders for purple-inclusive Uni Watch membership cards.

If you’re planning to order a purple-inclusive card, you can order one beginning at midnight Eastern tonight and for the next 24 hours thereafter. (I may allow a few additional hours of leeway for readers on the west coast.)

In addition, I’ve once again collaborated with designer Bryan Molloy for a special one-day Purp Walk merch item (here’s what we offered in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018). I promised I would give you a sneak peek today, and I’m a man of my word, so here it is (click to enlarge):

Deliciously hideous, no? Think of it as a Grape Nehi Sunrise, or something like that. Much like our Tequila Sunrise Deluxe shirt and hoodie, this shirt is fully sublimated with wraparound stripes. Note that it also includes a sleeve “patch” graphic of the Purp Walk 2019 logo (the same one that appears at the beginning of this section).

I will post tomorrow’s blog entry at midnight Eastern tonight. The entry will include a link to a page where you can order the shirt. The shirt will be available for only 24 hours (although, again, I might extend that a bit for west coasters).

But wait, there’s more! Reader Rod Richards has generously offered to sponsor a raffle for a complimentary Purp Walk shirt. To enter this raffle, send an email with your shipping address and shirt size (here’s a sizing chart) to the raffle address by 7pm Eastern tonight. I will notify the winner tonight and will also announce the winner on the blog tomorrow. If I don’t notify you tonight, your only way to acquire this shirt will be to order it tomorrow.

And speaking of Purp Walk raffles, the winner of yesterday’s raffle is Robert Briczinski, who’s won himself a complimentary purple-inclusive membership card, which he can order tomorrow. Congrats to him, and thanks to the anonymous reader who sponsored this raffle.

That’s it. Happy Purp Walk Eve!

• • • • •

• • • • •

Design contest reminder: Time is running out for you to enter our latest design contest, which is to create a set of three uniforms for the girls’ basketball team at Leigh High School in California.

The winning designer will get a cash prize of $375, so this is a good chance to help out a school and make yourself some coin. Full details here.

• • • • •

• • • • •

Membership update: A bunch of new designs have been added to the membership card gallery, including Phil Boyd’s card (shown at right), which is based on the old AFL ref jerseys — a brilliant request.

These cards should mail out early next week. As of this morning, we’re fully caught up on card designs and are ready for tomorrow’s flood of purple card orders.

Speaking of which: You can also order non-purple cards tomorrow (or today, for that matter). Ordering a membership card, purple or otherwise, is a good way to support Uni Watch (which, quite frankly, could use your support these days). And remember, a Uni Watch membership card entitles you to a 15% discount on any of the merchandise in our Teespring shop and our Naming Wrongs shop. (If you’re an existing member and would like to have the discount code, email me.) As always, you can sign up for your own custom-designed card here, you can see all the cards we’ve designed so far here, and you can see how we produce the cards here.

• • • • •

• • • • •

The Ticker
By Lloyd Alaban

Baseball News: Cubs P Yu Darvish did not have the MLB 150 patch on his jersey last night (from Jeremy, who didn’t give his last name). … Padres coach Damion Easley was caught at last night’s game wearing an Opening Day cap (from multiple readers). … Korean pop group NCT 127 threw out the first pitch at last night’s Dodgers game. All members wore custom No. 127 jerseys (from Greg Franklin). … Spotted at a Milwaukee Macy’s: a Brewers cap with the World Series patch on it, in case they made it past the NLCS last season (from @NeymarGarciapara). … The Reds released wallpaper images of some of their players in throwbacks (from @100pctAkronite). … Starter is selling a Mets jacket with a 1986 World Series patch, but with a “New York” script that wasn’t introduced until 1987 (from Eric Wright). … Here is a photo of the 1990s-inspired uniform the Sussex County Miners will wear for 90s Night (from John Cerone). … There’s lots to like in this article documenting the 1940 World Series between the Reds and Tigers, including classic ticket stubs, game programs and footage of some kind of boxing match during warmups (from Brice Wallace). … Cardinals season ticket holders receive their tickets in a retro-inspired envelope (from Jordan Mayblum). … Yesterday we reported on an upcoming collaboration between MLB stadiums and the National Air and Space Museum. We now have details: 15 clubs will place replica statues of Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit outside their stadiums to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing on the moon. … The Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Blue Jays, have released their updated Buffalo wing-themed uniforms (from multiple readers). … Color vs. color for Clemson and Coastal Carolina last night. … Wellington Baseball, the regional governing body of the sport in the Wellington, New Zealand area, has a very Nats-esque logo (from Camryn Brown). … Brook Lopez of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, who’s from Fresno, wore a Fresno baseball jersey to his postgame interview after last night’s NBA playoff game (from Bill Fenbers).

Football News: Here’s a look at the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ uniform under new Canadian Football League uniform manufacturer New Era. The jersey’s design is the same, but a template change has made side panels look different from past Adidas jerseys. For example, note how the white shoulder striping sits much lower on the advertising patches compared to the new jersey (from Curtis, who didn’t give his last name). … Speaking of the Roughriders: Former longtime NFL P Jon Ryan has returned to the CFL and to his hometown by signing with Saskatchewan. Backup QB David Watford gave up his No. 9 so Ryan could wear it (from Wade Heidt). … For some odd reason, a random flyover of Tom Benson Hall of Fame Field in Canton, Ohio, on Google Maps shows the 2016 Sugar Bowl turf (from Greg Enkers). … Reader Ben Schueren found this Bills QB Baker Mayfield jersey on eBay. Mayfield was drafted by the Browns and has never played for the Bills.

Hockey News: A Blues player lost a lace on his skate in last night’s Western Conference Finals game, so an equipment manager subbed the lace with a zip tie (from Jack Wade). … D Moritz Müller of the Germany men’s national hockey team had his No. 91 sweater ripped at the 2019 Men’s World Ice Hockey Championships, so he changed into a No. 53 sweater with no captaincy patch (from Steven Schapansky).

Basketball News: This Knicks fan made a premature (and ill-advised) choice of tattoos (from Kary Klismet). … Here’s a set of Tar Heel blue commemorative soda cans celebrating North Carolina men’s basketball’s 1982 national championship (from James Gilbert). … The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association and the National Federation of State High School Associations have approved several rules regulating high school basketball. The ones relevant to UW readers include: Starting in 2024, jersey numbers can no longer be the same color as the jersey. For 2019, updated rules have been issued on folding or rolling shorts at the waistband, headband width, and “hair-control device” colors (from Jeff Ash). … What happens if the ping pong ball machine for the NBA Draft Lottery malfunctions? Paul Deaver explains per this ESPN article: “The NBA now has a backup ping pong ball machine in case the real machine malfunctions. The NBA’s contingency plan until this season: stuff the 14 ping pong balls into a basketball with a hole cut into the top. I swear, that is a real thing. League officials on hand told me that even with the backup machine, that carved-up basketball remains Plan C in case of a power outage and/or double malfunction. One day, people. One day.” … A hand dryer at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame looks exactly how you’d expect (from George O’Dea). … Cross-listed from the NBA section: Bucks C Brook Lopez, who’s from Fresno, wore a Fresno baseball jersey to his postgame interview after last night’s Bucks/Raptors playoff game (from Bill Fenbers).

Soccer News: A ton of updates from our soccer super-fan Josh Hinton: Here’s every 2019-20 Premier League kit released so far. … And every Premier League winner’s kit since 1990. … New Bayern Munich home kit, and a possible leak of their away shirt. Fans complained about the club adding blue to their recent kits, so Bayern’s front office promised nothing but red and white home kits starting next season (with Jamie Rathjen). … New Borussia Monchengladbach home kit. … New Mainz home kit. … DSC Arminia Bielefeld, a 2. Bundesliga club, announced a retro 1970s kit. … Possible leak of Liverpool’s third kit colors. … Hoffenheim’s new home shirt was teased. … New second shirt for Feyenoord. … New Red Star Belgrade home kit. … New maker’s mark deal for English League One club Shrewsbury. … Ajax debuted their new second kits yesterday. … DC United wore black armbands for MF Júnior Moreno’s father, who passed away recently and was  — among other things — a former coach of the Venezuelan national team (from our own Jamie Rathjen). … Speaking of Bayern: Here’s some of their home kits since 1965 (from @snggugel). … Arsenal and Republic of Ireland F Katie McCabe gave fellow Irishwoman WWE wrestler Becky Lynch a custom Arsenal shirt. The NOB on the shirt is in reference of Lynch’s WWE nickname, “Becky 2 Belts,” since she holds both of WWE’s major women’s titles (from David G. Firestone). … Manchester United’s new home shirt has been revealed (from Charles George).

Grab Bag: Duquesne University unveiled a new look for its athletics program yesterday. … New logos for the Brooklin Lacrosse Club of Major Series Lacrosse. They used to be called the Brooklin Redmen but changed their name in deference to First Nations concerns. … Cross-listed from the soccer section: Arsenal and Republic of Ireland F Katie McCabe gave fellow Irishwoman WWE wrestler Becky Lynch a custom Arsenal shirt. The NOB on the shirt is in reference of Lynch’s WWE nickname, “Becky 2 Belts,” since she holds both of WWE’s major women’s titles (from David G. Firestone). … From @UntilTheNight: “There’s a market in Tzfat, Israel, that sells team-inspired yarmulkes. Some, like the Georgia Tech one, look decent. Others, like the Mets one, on the other hand…” … How loud is too loud for sports officials’ whistles? (From James Gilbert.) … Faculty of Maryland’s College of Journalism have custom terrapin logos for their nameplates (from Griffin Smith). … Here’s how the Disney Channel logo has evolved.