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Category: History

Revealed: The Story Behind the Dodgers’ Red Numbers

The red uni numbers on the front of the Dodgers’ jerseys, which the team began wearing in 1952, are among the most unusual uniform elements in all of Major League …

Gold on the Brain

Dressed to the Nines shows that the 1969 A’s wore green caps with a white “A” logo. So I perked up when reader Roger Faso recently pointed me toward this …

Hale, Hearty, and Full of Unresolved Questions

As most of you probably know, all MLB teams wore “Health” patches in 1942. This was the logo of the Hale America initiative, which was basically a “Shape Up!” fitness …

What’s Round on Both Ends and High in the Middle?

Got a note yesterday from reader Kevin Mueller, as follows: My father played football at Ohio University 1964-1967, and was a grad assistant for a couple years after. While going …

Uni Watch Book Club: ‘Willard Mullin’s Golden Age of Baseball’

When I was maybe 13 or 14 years old, my much older brother went up to our parents’ attic, poked around in an old box, and came out with a …

Another Battle in the White War of ’67

I’ve written before about the “White War” of 1967, which found the Washington Senators protesting the Kansas City Athletics’ use of white shoes by wearing white accessories of their own. …

Birds on a Bat – An Interview with Gary Kodner, St. Louis Cardinals Designer

By Phil Hecken Today I have another really special article for you fine readers. Like many guests whose stories I feature on here, the story of this began with a …

Where the Phillies Wore Blue and Yellow for Swedish Heritage

By Morris Levin The Society for American Baseball Research (“SABR”) is hosting the SABR 43 National Convention this weekend in Philadelphia. SABR publishes for the convention a journal of research …

When The Bears are Welcome in Milwaukee

By Phil Hecken If there is one thing the Milwaukee Brewers are famous for this season, it’s keeping the fans entertained with a dizzying array of uniforms and jerseys. In …

Proving a Point

By Phil Hecken As you probably know, some articles on Uni Watch are weeks in the making, others months. Today’s feature is literally two years in the making. Back on …

Happy Kitty, Sad Kitty

Yesterday I mentioned that I’d never seen the cartoon tiger logo in the center of this 1980s Tigers placemat. As several readers quickly explained, the cartoon tiger was a staple …

Cubs & Turks Party Like It’s Nineteen-Aught-Nine

By Phil Hecken Yesterday afternoon/evening, the Seattle Mariners, playing as the Seattle “Turks” and the Chicago Cubs, playing as, well, the Chicago Cubs, put on a wonderful *historical* turn-back-the-clock game. …

The Civil War’s Enduring Impact

[Editor’s Note: Today we have a guest entry from Thomas Juettner, who’s interested in the ways our nation’s most wrenching war continues to affect uniforms and team names. Enjoy ”” …

History Lesson via Nameplate

Photos by Tim Haney; if slideshow doesn’t work, click here Thirty years ago, when I was in college, we had an on-campus nonprofit record store that was staffed entirely by …

A Brief History of The Brickyard, and the Greatest Spectacle in Racing

By Phil Hecken It’s Memorial Day weekend here in the States, and aside from the knowledge that MLB teams will be wearing flag desecration Amateur Pacifist getups on Monday (a …