more unis

Here’s an update on my search to find when the Boston / Milwaukee Braves wore large red names on their backs. I’ll tell it in story fashion, as if you weren’t busy…

While attending the September 20th Braves / Phillies game, I made another visit to the Braves museum. Not much has changed in the museum over the past few years, with the exception of new members being added to the hall of fame. My youngest son was enjoying the rail car, and while inside I spied it…a home Eddie Matthews jersey, with smaller than usual numbers…because of the large red “Matthews”, with a tiny black border. There was no card or sign identifying the year.

This past Thursday I returned, during the Clemens/Smoltz playoff game (how could anyone miss that?). Entering the museum, I thought to ask the employees present about the Matthews jersey. I was directed to the lady in charge of the museum. She went off and checked, returning to say the jersey was from 1963, as was the Warren Spahn jersey next to it. The front of the Spahn jersey is displayed, so you can’t see the number on the back. I didn’t think to check for the laughing Indian patch that would’ve been on the ’63 Milwaukee jersey.

The lady said that she relies on the uniforms section of the National Baseball Hall of Fame website. I checked that wonderful resource, but did not see a way to see the player’s backs. The internet had several places that said that the Matthew’s jersey in the Braves museum was indeed from 1963, but I could find no other photos on the internet of Milwaukee Braves with names on their backs (My research was quite limited, though).

Perhaps that Selig fellow in Milwaukee knows something.

The HOF site stated that the ’61 ChiSox were the first team to put names on the backs, using a road Nellie Fox jersey as an example.

I did notice a photo of Milwaukee Brave Roy McMillan, wearing glasses. Seems like in the late 60’s, lanky Atlanta reliever Cecil Upshaw wore glasses his first few years with the club…as did utility player Sonny Jackson, who lately has been a coach for the Giants and Cubs, tagging along with ex-teammate Dusty Baker.