July Pickups

[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

I'm always fascinated at the evolution of the Yankee uniform...good stuff!

I'm right there with you, Clyde.

I just want to clarify your post for anybody that might look at Scott's cards, and not quite get your reference (though they might see the Yankee logo on Urban Shocker's uniform), especially considering Scott is displaying three cards from players on the St. Louis Browns of the American League, and the St. Louis Cardinals of the National League.

New York's American League team, before it was known as the Yankees, started out as the Baltimore Orioles (1901-1902). The franchise then moved to New York in 1903, adopting the nickname the Highlanders. They remained the Highlanders though the 1912 season. In 1913, they became known as the New York Yankees. Before they adopted the uniform they wear today, the Yankees made several changes to their uniform early on.

What I find interesting about the Urban Shocker card Scott posted is not that he's in a New York Yankees uniform, as Shocker was a member of the Yankees for two years before becoming a member of the Browns. It's that he is in a Yankees uniform when this card was printed in 1922. Shocker last played for the New York Yankees in 1917. He'd been a member of the Browns for four years by the time this card was printed for public consumption.

But wait, this gets better.

Shocker's Yankee home uniform depicts the classic interwoven "NY" that we are so used to seeing on the Yankee baseball caps. As the Baseball Hall of Fame's wonderful "Dressed to the Nines" uniform database clearly shows, that home uniform was last used in the 1916 season.

So, Urban Shocker's 1922 E121 American Caramel baseball card was printed using a picture of Shocker that was six years old!

Wow.

When I think of the all-time great baseball uniforms, the real classics, the three teams that jump into my mind are the pinstripes of the New York Yankees, the uniform of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the St. Louis Cardinals. There are some others I really like, too, the early 50s to 70s unis worn by the Pittsburgh Pirates are quite nice, but there's something about the Yankees, Dodgers and the current Cardinals uniforms that are just a cut above, in my opinion. And though the NY was last seen on the uniform itself in 1916, I would agree with Raymond that the way the Yankee uniform quickly evolved into the standard it is today is quite interesting, indeed.