Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Ebbets Flannels

For a while I've received the catalog of Ebbets Flannels, a maker of vintage jerseys (minor leagues and Negro leagues). Over the summer, I indulged and bought a Homestead Grays home jersey (Josh Gibson's number on it) and a New York Knights t-shirt.

I wore the latter a lot this summer, including to a few Phillies' games at Citizens Bank Park (the shirt is blue with orange lettering and has the golden lightning bolt on the left sleeve). The shirt drew a bunch of nods from discerning fans, and it was fun to wear. I wore the Grays' jersey to my local mall on Saturday, and I drew hardly a look. Then again, a majority of the crowd consisted of teenagers, and some of them don't know about Jackie Robinson let alone Josh Gibson or Satchel Paige. Heck, you wonder if they've even heard of Franklin Roosevelt or know of the significance of D-day.

The stuff is of great quality, and you should check it out. If you want a vintage Major League jersey, go to the Mitchell & Ness website. I gave a vintage Mickey Mantle jersey as a gift to a friend over the summer, and it went over very well.

I'm not normally one to spend on stuff like this, but every now and then you have to say what the heck and go for it. I'm glad I bought my Grays' jersey -- and for a whole host of reasons.

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