By Phil Hecken
While we enjoy the breath of fresh air that is spring training in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues, let us take a trek down memory lane to the spring training days of yore. Some great information exists out there on the history and origins of spring training, and it’s fascinating. A good primer on the Cactus League can be found here. A good source of information as well as the history of spring training can be read here.
Looking back at old spring training photographs provides us with a veritable treasure trove of uni-goodness. Lets have a look-see, shall we?
• In 1935, Babe Ruth was no longer a Yankee. He finished his career with the Boston Braves, and is seen in this photograph wearing a catchers mitt! That same spring, the Babe was reunited for some spring training games with Lou Gehrig. Dig that Braves uni with the Indian Head in between “BRA” and “VES”. Classic.
• Here’s another shot of the Sultan of Swat from his final spring training, still signing autographs for the young boys who idolized him. Interesting duds (and white socks!) on Ruth, along with Miller Huggins and Lou Gehrig in pinstripes, sometime in the 1920s.
• There are a few good players in this picture of the 1982 Angels, and if you had to think of a “first team” for any of them, the Angels likely wouldn’t be it.
• Here’s the Angels and Red Sox from 1963, one of the first Angels spring training seasons, having entered the league only two seasons previously.
• Good shot of Billy Martin from 1953.
• A year before “The Giants Won The Pennant,” Bobby Thompson posed for this shot in 1950.
• Beautiful shot of Dizzy Dean from 1936. Look at that motion. And you wanna see a leg kick? Check out a young Warren Spahn in 1942, while pitching for the Boston Braves. Nice stirrups!
• Much like today, when your playing days are over, you get invited to training camp as a special hitting instructor. Back in 1965, there were some eager students for the Yankee Clipper to teach. Hope they learned a thing or two.
• Years and years ago, the Cubs didn’t train in Arizona — they trained on Catalina Island, off the coast of California. Here they are in the 1920s and again in the 1940s.
• Wonderful shot here of Dodgers rookies hoping to make the trek to Brooklyn, in 1948.
• Here’s a 1959 Boston Red Sox spring training ‘program,’ and here is a rare 1962 Houston Colt .45s press pass. The future Astros began their major league tenure in ’62.
• The caption for this photo reads: “12 Mar 1952, Miami, Florida, USA — Former Negro League and current National League players stand together before a spring training game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves in 1952. From left are Jackie Robinson, George Crowe, Joe Black, Sam Jethroe, Roy Campanella, and Bill Bruton.” Beautiful.
• Here’s a picture of the Milwaukee Braves from 1960.
• It’s hard to tell who’s more stylin’ in this 1978 photograph: peg-legged Bill Veeck or the White Sox player in his softball uniform.
• Nice color photo here of Eddie Stankey and Alvin Dark from the Giants spring training facility in 1951, the year the “Giants Win The Pennant.”
• Great shot of Ferris Fain and Gus Zernial of the Philadelphia Athletics, taken in 1954.
• Check out the cap on the Atlanta Braves’ Frank Thomas from 1966. Love that “Block A.” By the time knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm posed for this 1970 pic, the Braves much more familiar “Script A” was on their lids.
• Fun or calisthenics? Hard to tell, but the 1950 Giants look like they’re having fun.
• Whom amongst us can forget His Airness’ attempt to make the White Sox in the 1990’s, after a moderately successful basketball career?
• I don’t think he knew it at the time, but the great Jack Roosevelt Robinson’s 1956 spring training would be his last. In happier times, here’s Jackie and Pee Wee Reese turning two in 1950.
• The typeface on the 1945 wartime Pirates unis is cool. This is Joe Vitelli and Andy Poklemba in what I believe was a very modified training camp (due to the Second World War). LOVE those zippers!
• OK…this picture is actually NOT from Spring Training. It was taken on the last day of the season in 1954. A reminder of the next time the team would meet.
• Here’s another photograph of Lou Gehrig taken in Florida. Not exactly sure of the date, but “St. Pete” and “Mar” are clear.
• Another beautiful color photograph, this one from Bradenton, Florida in 1964, of the Kansas City A’s Jose Tartabull. This was the second year the A’s wore their green and gold color scheme so beloved by Charles O. Finley.
• Here’s a nice picture of Kid Gleason, also of the Athletics — the Philadelphia Athletics — taken in 1929 in Ft. Myers, Fla. Also taken in 1929, this is Ralph (Cy) Perkins, veteran catcher.
• And here is a picture of the 1952 Philadelphia A’s. More Philly A’s here, in the personage of Sam Chapman, in 1949.
• More recently, the Brothers Alomar pose in 1999 in Winter Haven, Florida.
• It’s obvious who is pictured in this photograph. However, despite his early greatness, Mickey Mantle wasn’t yet “The Mick.” The caption for this photograph tells us where he was in the early stages of his career: “03 Mar 1955, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA — Mickey Mantle, New York Yankees’ top slugger takes his first cuts in the batting cage on the opening day of 1955 Spring Training at St. Petersburg. Observers see Mantle’s battings as crucial in the general effectiveness of the Yanks this year.”
• Who says the players didn’t have fun on official photograph day? Wonder how long it took to assemble the players for this 1930 photograph? In case you’re wondering, that’s the Sox…the Beantown ones.
• Check out the red Chucks on Charlie Hustle in this 1972 shot!
• Beautiful Indians uniforms in this 1931 photograph. That’s manager Roger Peckinpaugh along with star hurler Wesley Ferrell, and that was taken at the Cleveland training camp in New Orleans, Louisiana. LOVE those socks!
• One of the all-time greats was Rogers Hornsby seen here in 1931, when he was player-manager of the St. Louis squad. Here he is again, in 1952 still with the Browns (check out that zipper front jersey), in what would be the Browns penultimate season in St. Louis.
• Speaking of teams who moved on to other cities and changed their names, here are the 1929 Washington Senators in Tampa, Florida. Note the tall gentleman, second from the right. That’s the Big Train, who by this time was managing the club.
• In 1988, Sparky Anderson was riding high as manager of the Tigers. That can’t be comfortable.
• Here’s kind of an interesting spring training juxtaposition. That’s Casey Stengel and the Yankees, with Casey standing beside a hot stove. Hmmm.
• Bad colorization job here. Great player there. Stan the Man in 1960.
• I love this photograph. You probably recognize the batter and catcher. Why is this so cool? Because the Dodgers and Red Sox only met each other in spring training. (and um, oh yeah…that’s Campy and the Splendid Splinter.) Speaking of Ted Wiliams, here he is with the second incarnation of the Washington Senators in 1969.
• The Say Hey Kid is pictured here, along with Ben Cheney, in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1963. More action from Scottsdale featured Mr. Cub in the late 1960’s. Love the mountains in the background.
• Finally, we see an unique photo of Oakland A’s manager Billy Martin. Why is it unique? He’s wearing black cleats. Only in spring training.
(Special thanks to Rick Pearson for the pics of Billy Martin and Ernie Banks.)
And finally, finally … here is a pretty cool old spring training video. It’s pretty short, and worth the watch. *BONUS* footage at the end of the Babe in 1927 at Yankee Stadium. Check out the outfield configuration! They don’t build ’em like that anymore.
Well, there you have it. Great memories from spring training past.
Reminder for all UWers in and around Pittsburgh: Don’t forget the gathering today at 1pm, at Max’s. To everyone going, have a great time! Wish I could be there.
I can’t quite tell, but it looks to me like the A’s pitcher (well, the guy standing on the mound) in the link might be wearing a green cap. He’s definitely wearing white shoes.
For clarification: the player looks to be wearing a green cap with a yellow brim.
And I didn’t quite finish my thought. I was at a spring training game once and I noticed that the Rangers’ players were all wearing blue caps and the coaches were all wearing red ones. Maybe the A’s had a similar setup at the time.
In the DiMag picture, the other Yankees aare Clete Boyer, Tom Tresh, Joe Pepitone and Bobby Richardson
As usual, another link weekend edition of UniWatch!!!
[quote comment=”316688″]In the DiMag picture, the other Yankees aare Clete Boyer, Tom Tresh, Joe Pepitone and Bobby Richardson[/quote]
Think it’s Boyer, Pepitone, Tony Kubek and Richardson.
[quote comment=”316686″]I can’t quite tell, but it looks to me like the A’s pitcher (well, the guy standing on the mound) in the link might be wearing a green cap. He’s definitely wearing white shoes.[/quote]
With that A’s uni set (first worn in ’72), player hats were kelly with light gold visor. Manager and Coaches were white with kelly visor. By then everyone on the A’s also wore white shoes all the time, even in spring training. With the earlier sleeveless set, they often wore black shoes in ST, and once in a while on regular-season muddy days. That photo is from Martin’s first year managing the A’s so I imagine he was being Old School when he could, seeing as he was the boss. Though by the time time the regular season came around he always wore the whites.
—Ricko
dang, will somebody take LI Phil out for a glass of beer once in awhile on the weekend? we need to get him away from the Internet…i’m kidding, you rawk!
[quote comment=”316689″]As usual, another link weekend edition of UniWatch!!![/quote]
I concur.
[quote comment=”316691″]With that A’s uni set (first worn in ’72), player hats were kelly with light gold visor. Manager and Coaches were white with kelly visor.[/quote]
And of course, now I remember that this has been mentioned here (more than once) in the past.
So, uh, link…
I’m gonna get all KINDS of shit for this, but I don’t mind the spring training jerseys at all. Actually kind of enjoy them, in fact. An MLB season is a month-after-month marathon, and separating Spring Training a little isn’t all bad. Plus, there’s a wonderful laid back atttitude to ST, even though it’s serious business. And, while the play is real, the games truly don’t count.
Baseball, being a daily thing, is languid in its pace. Easing into the long, hot summer with a different feel and look for ST is rather appropriate. Maybe even necessary for the sanity of everyone involved.
When I see those BP shirts in games early on in ST, it feels good. It means MLB is getting rolling. Toward the end of ST, though, I get seriously tired of them, because by then I’m impatient for Opening Day. Conversely, I hate the dark alts during the season. That look, it seems to me, should be reserved for ST and BP. It belongs there, with palm trees, fans in shorts and sandals and few, if any, seats beyond the outfield fence.
To me, those shirts are a part of Spring, part of the celebration that baseball, played for real, is right aroud the corner. And that’s always a good thing.
Know what else? Saving the real gamers only for the players actually “Goin’ North” makes them even more special.
—Ricko
Before I get back to what I ought to be doing today, thought I’d address a few things for anyone prepping for softball season.
Looking for wristbands in hard-to-find colors? Check tennis shops. They have more colors than typical sporting goods stores. If they have a logo you don’t like, just turn ‘me inside out. Also some of the teen accessory stores have weird color wristbands…as well as unusual color combinations in striped skater socks, both crewlength and kneehigh.
If you ever get crazy and want to dye shoes, here’s what works. Find the color you want in spray-on shoe coloring at a shoe repair shop. Then go to hardware store and buy a small can of acetone and some ultra fine steel wool. With acetone on the steel wool, gently scrub the shoes. The acetone evaporates quickly, and the steel wool leaves almost invisible abrasions in the finish that allow the spray to adhere much, much better (a shoe repair shop guy told me about that; works great). Mask the shoes with tape, of course.
I’ve mentioned this before, but here’s the best way to get grass-dirt-blood stains out of uniforms: First, buy some Fels Naptha bar soap. Ask for it at supermarket. Wet the spot and the soap, rub the stain til in a cirucular motion til it forms a little paste. Then wash warmest the garment can stand. Amazing how well it works.
(If you live long enough, you learn lots of tricks).
—Ricko
One more note on dying shoes. Be patient. Don’t overdo first coat. Dries quickly.
If you want to make certain areas look clean (the logo, for example) buy fabric paint at Michaels or some such place. Can use acrylic paint if it’s for an area that needn’t be flexible. Be careful, though, because even a thin coat dries as hard as a carp.
—Ricko
[quote comment=”316695″]I’m gonna get all KINDS of shit for this, but I don’t mind the spring training jerseys at all. Actually kind of enjoy them, in fact. An MLB season is a month-after-month marathon, and separating Spring Training a little isn’t all bad. Plus, there’s a wonderful laid back atttitude to ST, even though it’s serious business. And, while the play is real, the games truly don’t count.
Baseball, being a daily thing, is languid in its pace. Easing into the long, hot summer with a different feel and look for ST is rather appropriate. Maybe even necessary for the sanity of everyone involved.
When I see those BP shirts in games early on in ST, it feels good. It means MLB is getting rolling. Toward the end of ST, though, I get seriously tired of them, because by then I’m impatient for Opening Day. Conversely, I hate the dark alts during the season. That look, it seems to me, should be reserved for ST and BP. It belongs there, with palm trees, fans in shorts and sandals and few, if any, seats beyond the outfield fence.
To me, those shirts are a part of Spring, part of the celebration that baseball, played for real, is right aroud the corner. And that’s always a good thing.
Know what else? Saving the real gamers only for the players actually “Goin’ North” makes them even more special.
—Ricko[/quote]
I have no problem with the BP jerseys per se. And I agree with the sentiment about the “real” jerseys being reserved for the players who make the team.
And really, I don’t mind dark alt jerseys.
What I don’t like :
Multiples — do you really need home and away BP/colored alt jerseys?
Contrasting “pit stains”/side panels: it’s not a basketball jersey, fer cryin’ out loud.
Overuse of alt jerseys: Please don’t wear them too often. If you want to designate your alts for a specific day (once a week, max) or to use as a slumpbuster or for the one half of a doubleheader, that’s fine, but don’t wear them for days on end. And under no circumstances should both teams be wearing colored jerseys in a game.
I happen to live in a town where link (I don’t recall seeing that “Sxo” logo before) have nice-looking “regular” uniforms. Unfortunately, they link really like to wear their link a lot. So chances are pretty good that when I turn on the TV, the local nine will be dressed like a T-ball team.
Another great entry Phil.
Anyway, remember when Dallas acquired “the second” Roy Williams? The Washington Capitals might be adding another Nicklas Backstrom to their roster at the trade deadline this year. I would assume that nothing of note would be done to the NOB seeing as one is a forward and one is a goaltender, but you never know.
link
I was a little harsh. Don’t dislike the darks quite that much during the season…as you say, in moderation. And agree about the multiples. Yuck.
As far as side panels, etc., I guess I don’t mind. Just part of “lightening up” for ST. I admit to wondering what they’ve come up with every Spring. Some years are kinda fun, others are just horseshit. LOL
—Ricko
OT – Coast Guard searching for three NFL players off FLA coast
link
Louisville wearing retro uniforms today – road Marquette in their powder blues…
[quote comment=”316699″]Another great entry Phil.
Anyway, remember when Dallas acquired “the second” Roy Williams? The Washington Capitals might be adding another Nicklas Backstrom to their roster at the trade deadline this year. I would assume that nothing of note would be done to the NOB seeing as one is a forward and one is a goaltender, but you never know.
link
link and link are two different people with two different spellings of their names.
Granted, it’s like Shaun, Shawn, and Sean, but there should be no confusion between these two people. Especially on the scoring sheet. ;o)
And it’s one of those dumb ‘white-out’ crowds…
Just some more spring training photos
link
link
link
link
link
link
Never saw the block A on a Braves cap before. By Opening Day that year, they had the more identifiable caps in place. I still long for those striped stirrups!
[quote comment=”316698″][quote comment=”316695″]I’m gonna get all KINDS of shit for this, but I don’t mind the spring training jerseys at all. Actually kind of enjoy them, in fact. An MLB season is a month-after-month marathon, and separating Spring Training a little isn’t all bad. Plus, there’s a wonderful laid back atttitude to ST, even though it’s serious business. And, while the play is real, the games truly don’t count.
Baseball, being a daily thing, is languid in its pace. Easing into the long, hot summer with a different feel and look for ST is rather appropriate. Maybe even necessary for the sanity of everyone involved.
When I see those BP shirts in games early on in ST, it feels good. It means MLB is getting rolling. Toward the end of ST, though, I get seriously tired of them, because by then I’m impatient for Opening Day. Conversely, I hate the dark alts during the season. That look, it seems to me, should be reserved for ST and BP. It belongs there, with palm trees, fans in shorts and sandals and few, if any, seats beyond the outfield fence.
To me, those shirts are a part of Spring, part of the celebration that baseball, played for real, is right aroud the corner. And that’s always a good thing.
Know what else? Saving the real gamers only for the players actually “Goin’ North” makes them even more special.
—Ricko[/quote]
I have no problem with the BP jerseys per se. And I agree with the sentiment about the “real” jerseys being reserved for the players who make the team.
And really, I don’t mind dark alt jerseys.
What I don’t like :
Multiples — do you really need home and away BP/colored alt jerseys?
Contrasting “pit stains”/side panels: it’s not a basketball jersey, fer cryin’ out loud.
Overuse of alt jerseys: Please don’t wear them too often. If you want to designate your alts for a specific day (once a week, max) or to use as a slumpbuster or for the one half of a doubleheader, that’s fine, but don’t wear them for days on end. And under no circumstances should both teams be wearing colored jerseys in a game.
I happen to live in a town where link (I don’t recall seeing that “Sxo” logo before) have nice-looking “regular” uniforms. Unfortunately, they link really like to wear their link a lot. So chances are pretty good that when I turn on the TV, the local nine will be dressed like a T-ball team.[/quote]
I think the Tigers get a pass on the whole “two different BP jerseys for home and away” bit. They are the only team to have a color on their away jersey that isn’t on the home uniform. I think having the navy and white BP jerseys with the orange and navy hat would look goofy.
Sorry, I don’t think anything can change my mind about the BP/ST jerseys and caps, especially the caps. Those lids are beyond terrible, look so rooty-poot. I agree that the whole idea of alts is way out of whack (once a week max, etc.)Anyway,a cancer on the Nats has been exorcised. Buh-bye Jimbo.
[quote comment=”316703″][quote comment=”316699″]Another great entry Phil.
Anyway, remember when Dallas acquired “the second” Roy Williams? The Washington Capitals might be adding another Nicklas Backstrom to their roster at the trade deadline this year. I would assume that nothing of note would be done to the NOB seeing as one is a forward and one is a goaltender, but you never know.
link
link and link are two different people with two different spellings of their names.
Granted, it’s like Shaun, Shawn, and Sean, but there should be no confusion between these two people. Especially on the scoring sheet. ;o)[/quote]
Wow. Thanks Teebz.
I always swore they were spelled the same way. That’s embarassing on my part, lol.
[quote comment=”316706″]Never saw the block A on a Braves cap before. By Opening Day that year, they had the more identifiable caps in place. I still long for those striped stirrups![/quote]
The Atlanta Crackers had been a Braves AAA affiliate. That’s a Crackers hat. My guess is that the Braves started ’66 Spring Training using them and switched to their familiar hat as soon as the first order arrived.
That’s about as plausible as anything.
—Ricko
Fantastic post Phil! I really didn’t know about the Cubs having spring training of the coast of Cali.
I’m probably reading too much into this, but there’s a picture on the lead page of the Philadelphia Inquirer’s sports section of Brian Dawkins signing with the Broncos, Dawkins is holding up an “orange’ jersey – that would be good news.
Opened my sports page yesterday to find a photo from the Bucks-Hornets game Friday night in which New Orleans wore their Buccaneers throwbacks:
link
I think those unis are lovely…but if a team came out with a new uni nowadays with mismatched side stripes and the team name in two different typefaces, how badly would they get crucified?
Actually 1953 was the last year of the Browns in St. Louis.
[quote comment=”316717″]
Actually 1953 was the last year of the Browns in St. Louis.[/quote]
my bad…was trying to do that one from memory…should have checked it first…will fix
thanks
great old baseball photos today.
Interesting column
[quote comment=”316707″]I think the Tigers get a pass on the whole “two different BP jerseys for home and away” bit. They are the only team to have a color on their away jersey that isn’t on the home uniform. I think having the navy and white BP jerseys with the orange and navy hat would look goofy.[/quote]
Well, every rule’s got to have an exception.
Plus, the Tigers don’t have an alt, so even with two BP jerseys, the Tigers don’t exceed the limit of four jerseys.
Just saw this on a soccer website. Oops.
Cool stuff. My grandfather took his Kodak Brownie down to Florida.
With some from the guys at the Crosley Field website, we think it’s from 1953.
Here are some stills from that video. It includes the Reds, Cardinals, Braves, and Yankees. Grandpa apparently was enamored with Big Klu, as there was a good bit of film showing him. Unfortunately, I can’t identify many others.
link
Let’s try this again:
[quote comment=”316718″][quote comment=”316717″]
Actually 1953 was the last year of the Browns in St. Louis.[/quote]
my bad…was trying to do that one from memory…should have checked it first…will fix
thanks[/quote]
The hat in that photo of Hornsby is interesting. I’ve een it before in spring training photos, but only spring training photos. It’s brown with an orange logo. Browns had worn that version of the logo (in orange) only on a pair of two-color hats: brown with orange visor and white with brown visor, beginning in the late ’40s. In the regular season for that final Browns uni, the hat logo was white. The only orange anywhere on the final Browns set was in the “Brownie” patch on the sleeve.
Guess what I’m saying is, that hat Hornsby’s wearing evidently was a “Spring Training Special”.
—Ricko
Sorry…on three hats. Was a gray one with brown visor, too.
[quote comment=”316722″]Cool stuff. My grandfather took his Kodak Brownie down to Florida.
With some from the guys at the Crosley Field website, we think it’s from 1953.
Here are some stills from that video. It includes the Reds, Cardinals, Braves, and Yankees. Grandpa apparently was enamored with Big Klu, as there was a good bit of film showing him. Unfortunately, I can’t identify many others.
link[/quote]
Thanks for sharing Silver Salmon
I friggin’ LOVE Team Japan’s matte finish on their helmets. Not to mention the raised ‘Japan’ decal! I really hope they have the same helmets this year. I can’t believe it, but I am really excited for the WBC!
link
link
Son of a bitch…I hope she throws out the first pitch at the WBC.
link
That photo of Frank Thomas with the block A isn’t real. Someone drew that A on the cap. Come on!
Thanks for the Crackers comment on the ’66 Atlanta hat. Some of us (ahem) are old enough to remember the year the Braves moved down there, and I know they had the script “A” from Opening Day.
As for the A’s Tartabull … Interesting font on that “A.” I’ve NEVER seen that one before! Of course, Philadelphia had at least two different fonts, but I always thought Finley went to the more angular “A” that they took with them to Oakland … and changed only when going to the sleeved jerseys in 1972.
The best thing about the Bill Veeck picture is that you can see the hole in his peg leg that he used as an ashtray. Awesome share!