Chicago broke out the leg-baring unis 38 years ago today; is it time to bring them back? [1] Moved into first place in the AL West on July 1 and remained there until August 12. 1959 - Alternate. Even some of the game’s most notoriously ill-designed uniforms – such as the Cubs’ “blue pajamas” of the late ’70s/early ’80s, or the ugly-ass White Sox unis of the 1980s – have made throwback reappearances, so why not bring back the White Sox shorts? Chicago White Sox Chi White Sox Cleveland Indians Cleveland Detroit Tigers Detroit Kansas City Royals Kansas City Minnesota Twins Minnesota. Yeah, you bet the Sox players heard all about it from the Royals. The White Sox have revived it twice as a throwback, in 2003 and 2008. “Players should not worry about their vanity, but their comfort,” Veeck told the press. When the great Minnie Miñoso rapped out his final MLB hit at age 50 in 1976, he did so wearing these pajama-style uniform tops (but he did so in traditional baseball pants). Reggie Jackson hitting three home runs in a World Series game? They also included three below-the-waist options: “Clamdiggers,” pants which came down to just above the ankle; “Knickerbockers,” which were worn tucked into knee-high socks; and “Hollywood shorts” (so named because they were reminiscent of the Bermuda shorts worn by the 1950 Hollywood Stars of the Pacific Coast League), which left the players’ knees completely exposed. As was typical for a man who’d lost a leg in World War II and had the wooden prosthesis that replaced it specially fitted with a built-in ashtray, Veeck approached this challenge with a twinkle in his eye and a talent for thinking well outside of the box. But as with so many pioneering fashion statements, the White Sox shorts were met with much derision upon making their major league debut. 1976-1990. When the colour barrier finally broke in 1947, Veeck now owner of the Cleveland Indians signed Larry Doby therefore breaking the colour barrier in the American League. “I got the nicest thighs you ever saw,” he bragged. It seems to be what baseball fans of the appropriate age who don’t care so much about uniform design think about first when forced into a conversation about uniforms. This conversation has happened multiple times in my life. The mockery didn’t seem to phase the Sox too much, they beat the Royals 5-2, leading some to think those silly-looking shorts could actually be something worthwhile. When asked why the club then switched in-between games, perhaps, leading to the doubleheader split, Richards explained, “it was getting a little chilly out there”. We contacted the team asking if there’d be any chance they’d be brought back and we just haven’t heard back yet (in fairness to them, I just asked like an hour ago). Dan Epstein’s latest book, Stars and Strikes: Baseball and America in the Bicentennial Summer of ’76, is now out via Thomas Dunne Books/St. [1], On April 7 in Toronto, the White Sox played the Toronto Blue Jays in the first game in Blue Jays history. Sure, they regularly top lists of the worst baseball uniforms of all time, but their revival (even for one game) would be a wonderful way to salute the playful legacy of the late, great Bill Veeck, and harken back to a time when baseball wasn’t quite so corporate or serious. “They felt great”, Sox manager Paul Richards said of the shorts following the game, “I think they’d be great in warm weather, they’re alright!”. Finally, on August 8, 1976 – forty years ago today – the Sox took the field for the first game of a doubleheader with the blue shorts, paired with their collared white tops and solid blue baseball cap. Sign up for our newsletter. The White Sox uniform history is a beautiful mess. When three of his players refused to shake Doby’s hand, Veeck kicked them off the team. (Veeck’s wife Mary has often been blamed for their creation, but their son Mike has said that her involvement in their design was “apocryphal at best.”) While the White Sox wore the Clamdigger and Knickerbocker variations throughout the first four months of the 1976 season, few observers thought that they’d ever actually don the shorts. In 1969-70, the White Sox made a stunning uniform change. Becoming the first baseball team to wear shorts in a major league game. Therein lies the faintest hint of possibility. T’was the March of 1976 at the Tremont Hotel in Chicago when Veeck trotted out former Sox stars to model the team’s new uniforms. Other Kansas City players joined in the heckling, but they were forced to eat their words when the White Sox won 5-2, making the Royals the first team in MLB history to lose to guys wearing short pants. Want more Rolling Stone? Bill "Moose" Skowron, Mo Drabowski and Jim K. Rivera show off the White Sox's hot weather uniforms. The Astros rainbows? We’ve got two years to lobby the White Sox to bring back the Bermudas in time for their 40th anniversary. It was as a member of these White (blue) Sox that Bill Melton had the first 30-homer season in franchise history in 1970. “Hell, I’ve got a worse looking knee than any of my players. These are some of the most memorable uniforms in White Sox history, as much for who wore them, as for who didn’t. Long-time Negro League star Satchel Paige, at age 42, was signed the following season, making him the oldest rookie in Major League history. Chicago skipper Paul Richards had the team change back to long pants for the second game of the double-header, citing the unseasonably cool August weather, but the Bermudas had made their mark; the next day, nearly every sports page in the country ran photos of the White Sox in bare-kneed action. The greatest fact on the shorts-wearing White Sox of 1976 is this: they were 8 for 8 in stolen base attempts while wearing those shorts. Jersey Lettering 1901-1902: Home. Two separate incidents saw the team schedule a game wearing the uniform only to have the players refuse to don them just prior to the game. We want to hear from you! “Our fans would love it, as it is something unique in White Sox history, but [I’m] not sure it would work in today’s game.”, Still, Boyer tells me, “Our manager, Robin Ventura, never shies away from topics like this, so you never say never.”. If it’s 95° out, an athlete should be glad to put on short pants and forget his bony knees”, Veeck told the press at the time. If you're looking for Mens Chicago White Sox jerseys, MLBshop.com is what you've been looking for. “You guys are the sweetest team we’ve seen yet!”, Kansas City first baseman John Mayberry was overheard saying to some White Sox players before the game. 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