After watching three games featuring the new official game caps (I will not call them 59fifty), I'm not so much against them as I thought I would be. The black underbill doesn't look bad on TV, although it still does in pictures. The new fabric of the hats looks nice on TV, a bit more matte. The one thing I do not like is the new dimension to the MLB logo at the back... it now looks like the caps have license plates. I'm not big on the puffiness of the front logos on the caps, and on the back, it just looks silly. (If I could get the old 59fifty with a flat logo on front, that would be my preference.) Also, does the color on the Twins' caps seem a bit lighter (like the Indians' blue) to anyone else, or is it just my TV?
Speaking of the new hats, the American League club of Chicago happened to have their official mugshots taken with last year's grey-underbilled caps. I checked game photos of their series with Cleveland, and their in-game bills are definitely black.
The three starters the Twins will face are Javier Vazquez, John Danks (MLB debut!), and Jose Contreras:
(Vazquez '07, Danks '07, Contreras '07)
Sometimes it seems like the entire team is made up of former Royals, but in reality, it's only three: Jermaine Dye, Mike MacDougal, and Andrew Sisco.
(Dye '07, MacDougal '07, Sisco '07; Dye '97, MacDougal '06, Sisco '06)
Dye hardly looks older after ten years. Sisco finally looks serious in his mugshot.
Former Twin, source of Boof and Liriano and Nathan, and gurrent league gadfly, AJ Pierzynski.
(Pierzynski '02, '04, '05, '06, '07)
The long-hair ban is in effect this year.
Here's Joe Crede, before and after the long-hair ban.
(Crede '06, '07)
I like Mark Buehrle, despite his whining when the Twins won the division. When I saw him sliding on the infield tarps during a rain delay.
(Buehrle '02, '04, '05, '06, '07)
Somehow, Buehrle got around the grooming guidelines.
I found junior high* and senior high** Bobby Jenks mugshots!
(Jenks '94, '98, '05, '06, '07)
*not really
**really
Darin Erstad and Toby Hall(15-day DL) are new to the team.
(Erstad '06 ,'07; Hall '06, '07)
Note the Angels have had black underbills for a few years. Hall looks like a completely different person in going from a full beard to a Spiezio.
Here's a bunch more current vintage ChiSox:
Brian Anderson, Jon Garland, Tadahito Iguchi, Paul Konerko, Juan Uribe, Rob Mackowiak, Scott Podsednik, and Ji
Jim Thome.
(Anderson '07, Garland '07, Iguchi '07, Konerko '07, Uribe '07, Mackowiak '07, Podsednik '07, Thome '07)
I can see why ChiSox fans had a hard time with Anderson's slump last year: he just doesn't look convincing, too nice. Garland looks tired, Scott looks quite perky. I've never paid much attention to Uribe, but in that photo he looks like a Dominican LeCroy, though it could be just a big head.
And no, I haven't forgotten about David Aardsma.
(Aardsma '06, '07)
With Hermanson not photographed this year, Aardsma may be the most interesting subject left.
Buehrle '05 -- WTF? Did he get bit by a vampire?
The whole '05 ChiSox series was washed out. Same with the '06 Tigers (but not as bad). Maybe that's the way to the AL pennant? Hope not, because this year's Twins are vivid.
I don't know... maybe it is just the Chisox uniform, and my intense hatred for the team, but do all these guys live in a trailer park outside the stadium. Really, most of them look like dirt balls.
Ha! Love the King of the Hill shot!
Speaking of vampires, don't you think Mike MacDougal looks like he's missing fangs?
I'm wavering on my earlier premise that all ballplayers look better in a Twins hat. Not so sure about this bunch, AJ included.
I can remember Mark Buehrle pitch legion ball here in St. Charles at the neighboring field on our softball night. Also remember Dennis Tankersley, although I'm not sure he's kicking around any more (last I heard, the Cards picked him up).
btw, it's "Justin" Danks -- he's still a pedestrian pitcher until proven otherwise.
Good stuff. Earlier this year, somebody sent me a high school photo of Sisco -- he looks like the oldest son on Home Improvement.
Every time I've seen the Sox husky closer, I was always puzzled as to why he looked so familiar to me. You solved the riddle, AMR. Bobby Jenks=Bobby Hill.