I adore baseball uniforms’ history. You can see so much evolution both in the sports and in the society regarding how long some pants where, the socks, the skirts in female teams. So obviously, even when the Traveling Seers have one uniform that is pretty much stuck in the 1990-2000 fashion, I have thought about how the team looked in the past, and how they may look in the future.
Maria here is looking sharp with the original Traveling Seers’ uniform. It closed on the front with two rows of buttons, and the socks were long and one color. As photo colors were not invented yet, take my word on the fact that no, the socks weren’t orange. Back then, the team colors were black and white. They had gloves, and some protection for the catcher, but those have been lost somewhere in the Traveling Seer’s warehouse back at Piper’s house.
Hands is from New York, so of course he’d get the first pinstriped uniform that the Traveling Seers used. Pinstripes were introduced to baseball fashion by the Chicago Cubs originally, but the Yankees were the ones who made them famous. There’s a myth about them being added to make Babe Ruth look slimmer, but since they were added BEFORE he joined the team, unless the Yankees had an actual medium in their team, the legend is false.
When the USA finally entered World War II, baseball was left without many of their great players because they went to do the right thing and joined the army. So then the owners decided that since girls were now allowed in factories, it was ok to re-allow them in baseball (For more on why they were banned from playing, check out the first Traveling Seers’ volume 😉 ) Unfortunately, their choice of uniform was… special. Phoenix here has given many a rant about how skirts are the worst possible idea for a baseball uniform, and as cute as they look? She’s right.
Once the war was over, the guys returned to play, and in general girls were told “thanks but no thanks” which was kinda shitty. Not the Traveling Seers, mind you, they kept the women players when they could find them as their new manager wouldn’t have it otherwise, and Spoiler is very happy for that. It was also when the sweatshirts made their appearance and while color photo wasn’t that popular yet, trust me, they were bright orange!
In 1978, the White Sox made history by donning the very first Baseball uniform with shorts. Many people thought they were just a gimmick that would pass and they were right as far as the Sox’s and the professional league went, but the Traveling Seers kept theirs for a lot longer. Sanzo got the chance to model them as everyone agrees he’s got the best legs of the current lineup. And the whole team uses them when trolling the Firsts (who hate the modern uniforms) or when playing in really hot places.
Perhaps it’s because when I started watching (and for a very short time, playing) baseball, but the 1980-1990 uniforms are my favorite. I prefer the more elegant jerseys that have buttons in the front, but the single jerseys like the one Grandpa is wearing here are also really cool. I also LOVE the socks. They are my absolute favorite as they are both elegant and practical when the other team colors are similar to your own.
There haven’t been many changes to uniforms in the past 20 years. The most noticeable (and one I personally don’t like) are the pants, that went for short and just below the knee to show off the socks (And allow freedom of movement and not stepping on the pants when running) to normal sport pants. I know they’re here to stay for a while, so here’s the most modern Traveling Seers’ uniform.
Remember, you can read all about the Traveling Seers every Wednesday at Tapas.