All of the greats have worn uniforms – Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth and Mark Zuckerberg. Here’s five things you never knew about on the field fashion.

You look good in my shirt,

The Last Night’s Game Team

PS – Thank you to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and our friends at Three Sands Clothing who celebrate historic sports teams, games, and events through vintage apparel for the research on today’s post.

FIVE THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW ABOUT BASEBALL UNIFORMS

The first official baseball uniform was made for the 1849 New York Knickerbockers. It featured wool pantaloons, flannel shirts and straw hats. We’re sure dressing like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz while trying to catch a pop fly was no big deal.
In 1882 teams were required to wear different uniform colors to represent the positions on the field. For example, red and white striped shirts and caps were worn by first basemen, while shortstops wore solid red. This experiment didn’t last long and by mid-season this uniform rule was abandoned.
Since most uniform colors were similar, teams began wearing colorful socks or stockings to differentiate one team from another.
A baseball manager (aka head coach) is the only coach in sports to wear the same uniform as the players. It’s not because they think it makes their hips look small but because the role of coach used to be performed by the captain, who was also a player. The manager was actually the one who paid the bills and scheduled the games. As baseball advanced, the role of the captain evolved to a non-playing role and eventually into a manager/head coach as it is today – uniform and all.
Numbers weren’t worn on the back of the uniforms until the 1920s. Instead of wearing a number of the player's choice, the number corresponded to where the player was in the batting order. So Babe Ruth wore #3 because he was the third person hitting in the lineup.

OVERTIME

Oklahoma State head football coach Mike Gundy revealed that his infamous (or famous depending on how you look at it) mullet was worth millions in m arketing value this offseason, elevating the brand of the school. Party in the front, money in the back.

SIDELINE STAT

The LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) is enforcing a new stricter dress code to require players to dress more professionally. The fine for a dress code violation? $1,000. On the new dress code, pro Christina Kim said “Do you really need ventilation for your side-boob? It’s not going to make your score better.” Touché.

COACHES’ CORNER

Nike, the new official apparel provider of the NBA (National Basketball Association), unveiled the jerseys for the upcoming season yesterday. The new jerseys will be lighter and partially made out of recycled plastic bottles. A little different than the flannel and straw hat used in baseball.

Unlike driving in a school zone, it’s time to speed into the NASCAR season. Even if watching cars drive around in an oval at 200 MPH isn’t your thing, read on because we feature more than just the five things. Besides you never know what sport your lunch meeting will be into.

Racing through the day,

The Last Night’s Game Team

Five Fascinating Things to Know About the Daytona 500

The Daytona 500 kicks off the NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) season which runs until November. The race is 500 miles long, hence the “500” after Daytona.
The Daytona race originated on the beach in 1903. Although the race looked a little different than the babes of Baywatch cruising up and down the coast. Check out the photos here.
After the race, the winning car goes on display at the Daytona museum. The driver nor their team are allowed to touch the car, clean it up, take parts off of it, etc. - it as it goes on display as is. The team will not be able to use car at all during the season.
Concussions aren’t only in football. Last year Dale Earnhardt Jr. missed extended time due to the effects of a concussion, but he returns to the notorious track this weekend. Earnhardt’s father, driver Dale Earnhardt Sr., died in a crash on the same track 16 years ago.
NASCAR’s new title sponsor is Monster Energy. The company’s VP of Sports Marketing stated, “Monster, we were built on girls, music and racing. We think that fits with NASCAR really good.’’ We wonder what driver Danica Patrick thinks about that?

Overtime

Mark Zuckerberg, also known as “The Facebook Guy" to University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban, was on campus to visit with the Alabama football team. Zuckerberg spoke their language by saying “Many of the same things go into building a good company and a winning football program -- a focus on recruiting, developing talent and setting high expectations.”

Sideline stat

8-1…the odds from a bookie that the goalkeeper from the Sutton United soccer team in England would eat a meat pie during the game. Once there was no chance he would go into the game, the 322-pound goalkeeper Wayne Shaw decided to take that bet and down a pie during the game. We guess a man’s got to eat. #piegate

Coaches’ Corner

Baseball has been trying to speed up the game, which has a reputation for being slow. This season a new rule will help the cause. An intentional walk used to take four pitches obviously thrown outside of the strike zone to walk a hitter. The new rule states that a signal from the dugout is all it takes to walk the hitter, no pitches needed. Hurry up already!

The Rundown: 5 Things You Never Knew About Baseball Uniforms