As a manufacturer of custom made baseball uniforms and a long time coach and fan of the great game of baseball there is a movement afoot that I find very interesting. Our company has been approached several times in the last year or two about manufacturing “vintage” style uniforms; like those worn by baseball players in the late 1800s.

Apparently this is not just a phenomenon but a growing movement in the US. There are sanctioned leagues and organizations whose members must at least dress like the “old time” players and in some cases even use the authentic equipment and original rules. As I have researched this I can assure you that baseball is a much different game when played with this inferior equipment and with the rules that the game was originally played with. I would actually love to see some of the young men that I coach give this game a try with equipment and uniforms like the ones I describe. I have a feeling that I would hear a lot less complaints about Read more »

Here’s a quick post to announce a new section of our website. We recently split our Baseball Page into multiple pages and created a new sub-section of the site, just for baseball. The baseball sub-category contains pages specific to each of the different parts of a baseball uniform. We have created a page for each of the following baseball uniform components.

• Button-down Baseball Uniform Tops
• Pull-over Baseball Jerseys
• Baseball Pants

We hope to add additional components to the baseball section of our site in the future. So if you have any suggestions on what else we should include in the baseball section or would just like to provide us with some feedback on our new structure, please feel free to add a comment or email us with your thoughts.

I have been asked more and more this year, particularly in the last several weeks, if the lousy economy and all of the depressing financial news has affected our business. As the President of a company that manufactures athletic uniforms you would think that like most other businesses the answer would be a resounding yes. That is not really the case however. Our business is stable and even up in many areas.

As I consider this phenomenon it has occurred to me just exactly how Read more »

As I write this I am watching a Major League baseball playoff game and will later be watching the NFL Monday night game. I watch these games on my flat screen television with all the accompanying remote control devices nearby. To those of you who are middle age like me I’m sure you remember the days when we actually had to walk to our television sets to change the channel. And I wonder why I have trouble managing my waistline these days.

While enjoying the technology that is bringing the games to my family room it has occurred to me how much technology has changed the games themselves. In the baseball game a simulated “box” that indicates each batter’s strike zone can be superimposed on the screen as well as Read more »

Can the design of an athletic uniform and the fabric that it is constructed of actually affect an athlete’s performance? I don’t think that there is any doubt anymore that the answer to that question is yes; maybe in subtle ways but still yes.

The first and most obvious aspect of a uniform is the material that it is made of. Today, lightweight, comfortable and breathable fabrics are in. Heavier weight, bulky and uncomfortable materials are out. This is particularly true in many of the “secondary” sports but is even gradually taking place in “mainstream” sports like football and baseball. Even the “old school” coaches in those sports are realizing that athletes can perform better when they Read more »

Over many years in the custom athletic uniform business, our jobs as salespeople have transformed into more of a consultancy. Gone are the days when our customer service people speak to a customer, he or she orders item A, and we produce and ship the order. Not so long ago we offered only a handful of fabrics, basically two methods of uniform decoration and most importantly; just several dozen different styles.

We Now Support Thousands of Uniform Styles

Boy have things changed. Read more »

Uniform Characteristics Have Evolved Over Time

When speaking with a customer the other day it occurred to me how our customer’s perceptions have changed over the years regarding custom athletic uniforms. Not so long ago, when showing samples to a potential customer, it was not uncommon at all for that customer to ask if we had anything “heavier” available. “Heavy” meant quality and durability and was considered just plain better at that time.

In addition to selling the heaviest, most durable fabrics that we could source we would take a similar approach when decorating them. When screen-printing, we would purposely apply as heavy a deposit of ink as was feasible in an effort to further promote that heavy, quality look. Likewise, with tackletwill (sewn-on lettering) we would use the heaviest, professional grade twill and actually still do till this day.

Optimal Athletic Performance is a Driving Force

With the popularity of apparel from companies like Under Armour however our uniform customers are now asking us for just the opposite. “Do you have anything lighter” is something we now hear frequently. I have even had customers tell me . . . Read more »

I had tryouts for my 2009 summer baseball team this weekend - ALREADY - and it has occurred to me how much things have changed over the years. For the record, the players that I coach are now high school juniors and seniors.

When I started this coaching odyssey some twenty years ago baseball was a much different game. At that time, it was a mainstream sport. Soccer was played in the fall only and lacrosse was a “secondary” sport. When I registered my own sons for baseball at the local recreation council back then we needed to arrive several hours early to make sure that we were far enough up in line to get a spot. That same recreation council no longer has a baseball program today. Read more »

To those of us in the athletic uniform business this is a very challenging time of the year. In some years, upwards of 25% of our annual business can be due for delivery within this 30 day time period. While the rest of world is seemingly throttling back in anticipation of the long Labor Day weekend the employees of our company are scrambling in the impossible task of trying to keep all of our customers happy.

Everyone is scrambling to push out orders!

With back to school comes football, men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, men’s and women’s volleyball and other Read more »

As I was watching the Olympics on TV this weekend it has occurred to me that I just can’t get into them like I used to. When I was young I could watch the games for hours on end and I found the competition to be fascinating. Back then, or so it seemed, I could identify at least in some way with all of the sports that were televised. I vividly remember some of the epic battles in boxing, gymnastics, track and field and even swimming.

The athletes back then were true amateurs and there were many compelling behind the scenes stories. For some reason it just doesn’t seem the same anymore. Many of the athletes, although technically amateurs, are already multi-millionaires from the various endorsements that they have received. In addition, the networks now feel obligated to televise events that I have absolutely no interest in. I’m sure these are important to the athletes and their families but I simply have no interest whatsoever in Read more »