Sock It To Me

If you enjoy having your face sandpapered by sideways blowing snow, then this is your kind of day here in Maryland, in Virginia, and on the East Coast in general!  To reassure everyone, however, that Spring really will arrive sooner or later, let's talk baseball!  Specifically today, let's talk baseball uniforms.

Perhaps because they were the norm when I was growing up, I much prefer to see baseball players wearing stirrups rather than solid color socks.  Stirrups, as the name implies, are an outer sock with a stirrup in the bottom that is worn over top a white sanitary.

Photos of late 19th and early 20th century ballplayers all show them wearing solid color socks and that got Al Smith and me to wondering how stirrups came about.  It turns out that the dyes used to color those socks were not colorfast and they would leach out and enter spike wounds, often causing infections.  The solution was a white sanitary with a colored sock on top.  The stirrup was used to insure a comfortable fit of the spikes.  A fascinating discussion (well, fascinating if you are into the history of baseball uniforms) from which this information was taken appears on the baseball Hall of Fame website.

The site also notes that in 1966, the Kansas City Athletics were the first to wear colored sanitaries, which, as they note is oxymoronic except that dyes were now colorfast and safe; hence the colored sanitary.  The best looking socks that I ever saw were the ones that we wore at Loch Raven High School which was a purple stirrup over a gold sanitary.  Sharp, very sharp.  I have often thought how good the Orioles' uniform would look with a black stirrup over an orange sanitary.

Stirrups are what all ballplayers should feature on their feet, but one thing is for sure:  The pants-over-the-shoe-top look is the most hideous uniform style in baseball, even worse than the straight-billed-hat look.  I don't want to watch 9 guys who appear to be wearing their pajamas out on the diamond.  Fellas, ditch those slumber party pants and--stirrups or solids--show us your socks.

 

Brandon Sizemore of the Waynesboro Generals demonstrates the proper way a ballplayer should wear his socks.

(In fact, for today, not only check out the socks, check out the short sleeves, green grass, and sunshine!)

Comments

[Melissa Dodge]

Amen brother! At the very least teams should agree if they will all wear their pants down to the shoes or up to show their socks. I can't stand the mixed and matched look. I prefer the sock baring style as it is reminiscent of the good old days. Oh I can't stand the flat brim hats! Remember the time and finesse it took to give your brim just the right curve? I used to mold mine inside of a cup or mug and leave it for a few days. Ahhhh, those were the days!

[JohnLL]

I don't mean to nitpick, Austin- I know how that feels- but I'm 99% positive that isn't Sizemore. Austin Morgan, maybe, but not Sizemore. (I have a picture of B-Size and he's doing the pajama pants thing.)

In my old age, I'm wearing my pants at the knee, and solid socks the rest of the way down. It's just easier.

Keep up the good work! JLL

[Austin]

John, I'm glad you're studying the blog that intently! I labeled this player as "Sizemore" in my notes when my daughter took the photo, but I certainly defer to your knowledge of the players. (Particularly, the Generals!)

And yes, Melissa, I used to stick the bill of my cap between the slats of chair backs to form the brim to my taste.

I appreciate you both commenting so faithfully!