Uni Watch: "Bucs and Crew Throw It Back For Negro League Tribute"

This morning Uni Watch published an article I wrote on the Brewers' most recent Negro League throwbacks. I'll re-print it here as my review of the annual Turn Back the Clock event, but please be sure to check it out on the Uni Watch site.

Bucs and Crew Throw It Back For Negro League Tribute

Brewers & Pirates Negro League Tribute
By Chance Michaels

Last night, the PIttsburgh Pirates held an African-American Heritage Night at PNC Park, including a "Turn Back the Clock" game with the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. As a longtime student of Milwaukee baseball history, I had a keen interest in this game.

You may recall that I first wrote about the Milwaukee Brewers' Negro League throwbacks for Uni Watch back in 2013. The Brew Crew had been honoring their city's one-year Negro National League club, the 1923 Milwaukee Bears, for a while at that point without really knowing what the Bears had actually worn.

To recap: the Brewers' first Negro League throwback was in 2001, against the Tigers in Detroit. The Brewers wore one-off gray uniforms with blue pinstripes and sleeves and the full name "MILWAUKEE BEARS" in blue letters across the chest.

In 2006, they decided to hold their own annual Negro League tribute games, and that's where the Bears got a little fuzzy-wuzzy. Blame the poor contemporaneous coverage of the league in the mainstream (read: white) press, blame the short life of the ballclub, but it quickly became apparent that the Brewers weren't actually quite sure what a Bears throwback should look like. They started with new white uniforms with black pinstripes and caps to match. After a couple seasons, the black-and-whites were replaced with a new throwback, solid white uniforms with royal blue sleeves and piping, and great-looking caps with a cool diamond logo. Three totally different designs supposedly representing the same one-year club.

In 2013, when I last wrote about them, the Brewers had settled (back) on the pinstriped white-and-blacks, and they've worn them ever since. And they've looked pretty good in them. Most of the time. It's a good look, although some details changed over time; sometimes they wore custom black helmets, sometimes their standard navy blue with the decals removed. Along the line, the squatchee went from its original black in 2006 to a more modern-style white, but that seems more like a New Era goof than anything. And finally, earlier this year, we got our first public look at the 1923 photo that convinced the Brewers that they were on the right track back in 2006 after all.

But with all that variation over the years, what we haven't seen is a road version. Well, once. They had a one-off road version in gray with a black cap in Kansas City on June 26, 2006. But not again. Not until last night.

We had our first clue earlier this week, when Lids introduced a new retail Brewers cap, the same as the pinstriped white but in gray. That leak told us that the Brewers were planning something new. A quick look at their opponents' promotional schedules, and it all fell into place.

And so, last night, we had the return of the roads. These new gray throwbacks are pretty sharp. Although these new throwbacks don't have the MLB Batterman logo on the back of the cap or jersey, they do have Majestic and New Era logo creep on the side. Of course, given all the history it wouldn't feel right without just a hint of speculation or guesswork, and the Brewers obliged us. The throwback cap, black in its original appearance, was now gray. And shame about the gray squatchee. Which is historically accurate? We may never know, until the next rare photo surfaces. I don't want to ignore the home team, though; they looked great. I'm a sucker for contrasting pocket flaps.

The Pirates have a long and glorious history of Negro League throwbacks. Of course, it also helps that Pittsburgh also had a long and glorious history of Negro League baseball.

The Pirates have thrown back to the Homestead Grays at least eleven times since 1997, and worn Crawfords unis almost as often.

When they wear Crawfords uniforms, it's more likely to be a pinstriped uniform, but these particular uniforms resemble those worn by the Pirates on June 28, 2014 against the Mets.

And while the Brewers wore their black helmets with white "M"s from previous years, the Pirates opted to sport their customary black-and-gold lids. Shame.

Congrats to the Pirates for organizing this great-looking game. Shame about the final score, but I'm willing to overlook that for the rare privilege of seeing these beautiful road grays in action.

Uni Watch Deputy Editor Phil Hecken also posted some video of the uniforms in action.

Josh Bell isn't scared of Friday the 13th. pic.twitter.com/eOB3kvDSVU

— Pirates (@Pirates) July 14, 2018

.@B_Woody24's 1st MLB home run of his career was far from a close shave! #PitchersRake pic.twitter.com/AGSYTaSjWc

— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) July 14, 2018

Thanks again to Phil and to Paul Lukas for including me. It's always a pleasure.

Confirmed - Negro League Throwbacks This Friday!

After spotting a road version of the Brewers' "Milwaukee bears" throwback caps on Lids, I speculated whether they would be wearing them against the Pirates this Friday. My pal Phil Hecken provides confirmation that they're doing just that, from the Pirates' own website. Here's the schedule of events for the evening, it's the penultimate bullet point in the second list.

Friday, July 13, 2018 -- Pirates vs. Milwaukee Brewers (7:05 p.m.)

• Free Shirt Friday: Tonight, the Pirates popular Free Shirt Fridays continue as the first 20,000 fans, with paid admission, will receive a Pirates tee, presented by AAA Auto Insurance.
• Dollar Dog Night: As a special thank you to the fans, the Pirates announced the Dollar Dog fan value promotion, presented by Sugardale, on select Friday nights at PNC Park. During one of the eight "Dollar Dog" nights throughout the season, fans can visit any North Shore concession stand throughout the ballpark and purchase regular hot dogs for just one dollar each.
• Miller Lite Happy Hour: Tonight, and now every Friday Night home game, the Pirates will host a special Happy Hour, presented by Miller Lite, at the Crow's Nest bar from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Visit the Crow's Nest Bar for half-priced cans of Miller Lite, Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy and Blue Moon.
• Wine Night: Tonight, is a Wine Tasting Night at PNC Park. For just $70 fans receive a ticket in a luxury suite, an invite to a pregame wine tasting in Club 3000, and more. For complete information and to order tickets visit pirates.com/winenights.

African American Heritage Events:

• African-American Heritage Sports Panel: In celebration of African-American heritage in sports, the Pirates are hosting a special panel presentation from 3 to 4 p.m. in the PNC Park Press Conference Room for 200 youth from Penn State Center's C.I.T.Y., Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, and the Pittsburgh Urban BASEball Classic to engage with internal talent from every level of the Pirates organization. Following the event, all participants are invited to watch batting practice and stay to cheer on the Pirates during the night's game.
• Josh Gibson Scholarship: Tonight the 2018 Josh Gibson Foundation Scholarship recipients will be announced during a pregame on-field ceremony.
• Kevin Young First Pitch: In celebration of Negro League Baseball's past, present, and future legacy, Pirates alumni and current Special Assistant to the General Manager Kevin Young will throw an honorary first pitch.
• Negro League Memorabilia Display: The Pirates have teamed up with Carnegie Museum of Art's Teenie Harris Archives to offer fans a Negro League Baseball Memorabilia Exhibit displaying the 1940 Negro League Baseball Championship trophy won by the Homestead Grays, Josh Gibson's 1946 Negro League Baseball contract, and various Teenie Harris film and photo action shots of Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords. The exhibit will be displayed under the Left Field Bleachers and is open to all fans during the Friday and Saturday games.
• Game-Used Bases: Tonight, two sets (6) of Heritage Night game-used bases will be available at the Hunt Auction Kiosk (located behind section 125) or by emailing Pirates Authentics at Authentics@pirates.com.
• Negro League Celebration: As part of the African American Heritage Celebration, the Pirates and Brewers will honor Negro League baseball by wearing the uniforms of Negro League teams from their respective cities, with the Pirates wearing Pittsburgh Crawfords uniforms and the Brewers wearing the Milwaukee Bears uniforms. The jerseys from tonight's game will be authenticated and available for auction at a later date on pirates.com/auctions.
• Season Ticket Holders Catch: After tonight's game, Pirates Season Ticket Holders will have the opportunity to play catch with friends or family in the pristine PNC Park outfield. Tonight's play catch on the field is exclusively for Season Ticket Holders who preregistered for the event.

That's going to be great. To my knowledge, this will be the first time the Brewers have worn gray pinstriped Bears throwbacks since 2006, in Kansas City. and that time was with a black cap:

Here's the leaked cap for the upcoming game.

Then again, there has often been some confusion over what the Bears' uniforms looked like, exactly. The Brew Crew has worn three separate and distinct versions of this Turn Back the Clock uniform, all representing the same single-season 1923 team. I wonder what they came across to change the road cap from black to pinstriped gray, or if they just thought it looked better.

Negro League Road Throwbacks This Weekend?

Found something interesting on the Lids.com website: a gray version of the Brewers' Milwaukee Bears Negro League throwbacks.

Shame about the gray button, though. That still seems to be New Era's nod to modern fashion, not a reflection of the original.

This would seem to indicate that the Brewers will be wearing Negro League throwbacks on the road this season, which they haven't done since 2006. This could be interesting.

Looking at the schedule, it appears that the Pittsburgh Pirates may be doing a Turn Back the Clock event when the Brewers are in town this weekend. They're giving away a Pittsburgh Crawfords Negro League tshirt as part of their "Heritage Celebration".

Could this be a full Turn Back the Clock game?

Milwaukee Bears at the Milwaukee County Historical Society

We begin our look at the artifacts from "Back Yards to Big Leagues: Milwaukee's Sports and Recreation History" exhibit at the Milwaukee County Historical Society with the Milwaukee Bears. The Bears represented Milwaukee in the Negro National League club for just one year, 1923. They have since become well-known thanks to our National League Brewers, who have made "Negro League Tribute Night" an annual event since 2006. Even if there has historically been some confusion about just what the Bears' uniforms looked like.

Here's the exhibit's look at Milwaukee's Negro League history.

A little brief, but then again so is the history.

Here's a closer look at the display:

Excellent photos, though, especially the one of our hometown team.

That's a better look at the photo we first saw earlier this year. This the photo that settled once and for all what the Brewers' throwbacks should look like.

The exhibit also a replica jersey, made by Ebbets Field Flannels.

Ebbets Field is one of our favorites, but I'm a little confused by this one. Each of the Bears throwbacks have been double-knit polyester, not this classic flannel. Was it made as a potential prototype? I've asked Ebbets, we'll see what they say.

Next up - the Milwaukee Badgers. Our very own NFL team.

Rare Photo - the 1923 Milwaukee Bears

The short-lived Milwaukee Bears club has long been a source of curiosity.

The Brewers have worn three different throwback uniforms honoring the one-year Negro League club.

2001	2006, 2013-present	2009

They also wore a gray road version of the black-and-white in 2006.

So which is it? Seems very unlikely that a short-lived team could have had so many uniforms; given the economics of the league it's far more likely the Bears would have eschewed home-and-roads entirely for one single uniform.

I remember when the black-and-whites were brought back in 2013, I asked the Brewers why they had ditched the blue-and-cream "BEARS" uniforms for a return of the pinstripes. I was told that they had come across new photographic evidence indicating that the club had been right back in 2006. Now, we get a look at one of those photos.

Frankly, I prefer the 2009 uniform. At least the cap. But I'll always opt for an historically accurate throwback. And now we can say with confidence that when the Brew Crew take the field at Miller Park wearing their black pinstripes, they're paying a proper tribute to one of the clubs that prowled old Borchert Field.

Turning Back the Clock to... 1923

Last Saturday, the Milwaukee Brewers welcomed the Miami Marlins to Miller Park for the Eighth Annual Negro League Tribute Game. The Brewers' new 1923 Milwaukee Bears throwback uniforms made their debut.

The visiting Marlins wore throwback uniforms to 1956, with the modern addition of a patch reading "28" on the right sleeve, honoring Hall of Famer Satchel Paige, who was a member of that team.

I don't know what that year was selected (the previous two Brewer Turn Back the Clock events involved matching years: the 1913 Brewers against the 1913 Cardinals and the 1948 Brewers against the 1948 St. Paul Saints (Twins). There is an interesting connection, albeit one that seemed to go relatively unremarked during the game. The Miami uniforms were from Bill Veeck's tenure in charge of the Marlins (he was also responsible for bringing Paige to Miami). Veeck, as we all know, was a seminal figure in Milwaukee baseball history.

The grounds crew got into the act, replacing the Brewer logo on the mound with a block "M".

It proved to be a fantastic game, and not just because the Brew Crew managed to break their 0-2 losing streak in Turn Back the Clock games. Both teams looked absolutely amazing.

I absolutely love the pinstriped Bears uniforms, and the visitors looked equally sharp. If the Marlins were really so keen on making orange a primary team color when they changed uniforms a couple years ago, this is the set they should have adopted.

Not to mention that swinging marlin sleeve logo – oh, baby!

That's where the Veeck lineage really shines through.

Not content with just old logos, the unis had the baggy fit common to the period. In his radio call, Bob Uecker joked that starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo (who was pitching a masterful game) would start requesting that looser cut in all his uniforms.

In addition to the throwback cut, the Marlins' uniforms had another detail worth noting; embedded in the fabric was a textured pattern resembling vintage flannel.

I don't yet know who manufactured the uniforms, except that it wasn't Majestic. Their exclusive deal with Major League Baseball not only gives them right of first refusal to supply throwbacks, it ensures that no other manufacturer's logo can be placed on jerseys or pants. These were unmarked, and not for period authenticity. A faux-flannel texture was originally developed by Under Armour, and supplied to some of their college baseball teams three years ago.

The Brewers have in the past turned to AIS to order their Negro League throwbacks, and perhaps they did again. We'll see when game-used jerseys start showing up on the collectibles market.

There were a few small changes from the earlier incarnations of this uniform: the 2006-2008 version had a white "M" on the helmets. This year, they were blank (as they were on the 1913 and 1948 throwbacks).

In fact, both teams wore their regular batting helmets, although neither matched the throwback color scheme. This was particularly noticeable on the Miami helmets, black and emblazoned with their contemporary logo.

The Brewers' navy was close enough to go unnoticed, especially once they stripped off the front logo:

All the regular identifying details on the back (including the MLB batterman logo) were left on. If anything, it shows how dark the Brewers' navy is, that it could pass for black.

Most of the Twitter traffic during the game, to say nothing of message boards and Deadspin, revolved around a curious uniform malfunction across the chest of Brewer manager Ron Roenicke:

That wasn’t the biggest problem, to my eye. New Era made a small but crucial alteration to the Bears’ caps, swapping out the black squatchee for a white one. Somehow I missed that when the first caps hit the shelves.

Violates my First Law of Cap Aesthetics; a contrasting brim should always have a matching squatchee. Throws the whole thing out of balance when they don't match. Look at the publicity photo issued in 2006:

So much better.

Still, it's hard to be picky with a great pair of throwback unis (not to mention a Brewer win). If these are the Bear uniforms we see going forward every season, I’ll be a very happy Brewer fan.

---

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this article was previously published on Uni Watch.

Greetings from "Milwakuee"

The Brewers and Marlins are playing their Milwaukee Bears throwback game now. Full recap to come but just had to share this tidbit:

That's Brewer skipper Ron Roenicke with the creative spelling.

We've been having a lot of fun with this on Twitter:

And, of course, it didn't take too long for the rest of the InterWebs to pick up on the chatter:

We'll see what else this game has in store.

Return of the Pinstripes?

Reader Michael Mastauskas sent in an interesting tip via Facebook - could we be seeing a new return to pinstripes in the Brewers' near-future?

No, not those. These pinstripes.

This black-and-white cap was spotted by Michael in a Lids store in Milwaukee. It's also on Lids.com:

According to the tag, the Brewers will be wearing this cap in 2013. This appears to be an honest-to-goodness leak; it hasn't yet made it to the Brewers' online shop.

The cap belongs to this uniform, the Brewers' "Milwaukee Bears" 1923 throwback, worn every year in a Negro Leagues Tribute Game:

At least, it's what the Brewers used to wear in those games. From the event's inception in 2006 through 2008, they took the field in the black-and-white pinstripes. In 2009, however, the throwback was re-designed in cream and royal blue:

And now, they appear to have switched back to the pinstriped throwbacks. I haven't seen any announcements to that effect, but I can't think of any other reason why this cap would surface now.

So which of these two uniforms is historically accurate? We don't know.

I originally thought that the new 2009 overhaul was the result of some new information about the old club, but this move obviously makes me question that assumption.

The Milwaukee Bears were a Negro National League team that played only one season at Borchert Field before disbanding. That brief tenure, combined with the spirit of the time, means that there is a distinct lack of information about the club today. I'm not aware of any of their uniforms surviving, nor have I even seen a photograph. I suspect that the uniforms the Brewers have worn are a combination of conjecture and wild guesses.

So why the change back to an old version of the throwback uniform? Perhaps the Brewers felt the old style had become stale after four seasons. Perhaps blue and white jerseys with "BEARS" proudly splashed across the front weren't huge sellers in Milwaukee. The city name would certainly seem more popular at the cash register.

Shame; I loved the old blue cap, which was never commercially available outside of Milwaukee. Classic, yet distinctive, the kind of logo our National League Brewers could adopt with pride.

This year has seen greatly increased distribution of these sorts of one-off caps into the nationwide retail market, and I was really hoping that I'd finally be able to pick one up.

The Brewers play their 8th Annual Negro Leagues Tribute Game at Miller Park on Saturday, July 20th. This is traditionally a popular game, but tickets are still available - you could see these throwback uniforms in person!