As we are now in the full swing of the season of giving, and Christmas is only a week away, let’s take a look at some baseball uniform accessories that transform one from ball player to bad ass.
As our video game created player shows, given the choice, we will always add unnecessary accessories to our uniform. There are just so many options to put on a pair of arms, legs, and a head that if nothing else, make you look intimidating to the other team in a, “He must be good at baseball, because extra stuff means extra talent” kind of way.
Let’s start from the feet and move up...
Shoes:
These are not as much an accessory, as a must have. However, the fact that there are many different options makes them an accessory to your uniform.
Growing up there were only the Big 3 brands to go for in baseball. Either you rolled with the swooshes, the stripes, or the Reebok combination-of-the-two-type-of-thing.
The simple understanding is this: The flashier the shoes, the more intimidated you were by the players speed. Any sort of hologram, fluorescent colour, or whiteness was taken as a sign of intimidation on the base paths, because man did those shoes look sweet when blurred by a quick 1,2, step.
The darker and more simplistic the shoe, the more intimidating the player’s power was. Under the same understanding as the flashy shoes, these players did not have doubles speed, but they stuck around by playing Jose Bautista with the bat and ball. It wasn’t about flash for the Johnny Cash of shoes, it was about Brawn, and he is able to hit the ball into a burnin’ ring of fire 400 feet away.My Personal Selection: White Reeboks
Socks:
The age old question, and arguably the most important decision for a baseball player: “Do you roll with high socks?”
This really shouldn’t even be a question. For all of us Blue Jays fans out there we remember the days of “all hustle” Reed Johnson, and his high socks patrolling the field. Since then, they have become synonymous with hustle and heart. As Fred Lewis put it this season, “Hustle is Old School.”
To this day, I don’t know what that means exactly, but I interpret it in this way based on the way Reed Johnson played:
“Don’t f*ck with a guy in stirrups.”
Amen.
My selection: I was nearly 6 feet tall when I was 12. It was a choice of stirrups or flood pants for me, so stirrups, forever and always.
Batting Gloves:
Along with your shoes, these were your other major branding decision. You could rock the classic Franklin gloves. They came in a variety of colours, and the white on them would become stained with tar, leather, and dirt, the mark of a true ball player.
Some players went the trendy route, and got Nike mitts. When they first came out they were dark, sleek and simple. These gloves could let your bat do the talkin’. Their other main sell, was that Griffey had them......No further reasoning needed. Nike wins, because if you were a child in the ‘90s, you did as Junior showed.
Honourable Recognition: No batting gloves. Doing this shows an equal amount of hustle and heart as the high socks. As well, bare handing the bat gives off the image that you don’t need any help, that you’re going to mash this baseball no matter what. Just like intimidating powerhouse sluggers Vladdy Guerrero, Moises Alou, and umm.... Gregg Zaun.
Wristbands:I would like to cross over sports and thank Allen Iverson for convincing us that there is no such thing as necessary symmetry amongst limbs. Wristbands were reason to experiment with some flash above your glove hand, or the look of a powerful and steady arm on your swing follow through.
Special thanks: Goes to Josh Hamilton for looking as all our video game created players do, and having 3-5 wristbands on at any given time. Well played Josh.
Sunglasses:
In speaking of cross over sports, there is one thing which Baseball and Wrestling have in common...
...Yep, these are still awesome.
In Conclusion:
What we add to our uniform, is what allows us to break away from traditional moulds. They are an expression of our own individual personality, a story as to how you will come out and play this game before the first pitch has even been thrown.
So whether you are roaming the field in life, in the 2K series, or he Show, remember, it's about looking good, and playing better.
