Baseball Stockings
Baseball Stockings Are Not Socks !
In Early Days The Stockings Color Was The Teams Recognized Signature
Baseball Stockings which a team wore in the early days of baseball truly identified the team. Much of the teams pride and prestige was tied to the colors they proudly displayed by the lower leg covering they gallantly wore going to do battle on the diamond.
The very first organized baseball team suited up as play for pay professionals team name, was not the color of their socks, it was the stirrup designed lower leg cover or hose they wore.
The first professional team the Cincinnati Reds which barn stormed the country wearing their vividly glaring Red Hose soon became well known and recognized instantly being winners as the REDS. Dazzling in color and almost unbeatable in play were these Cincinatti REDS heroes roaring forth bringing Major League Baseball to the world.
The American game of baseball has never strayed far from its roots until most recent of times. Todays teams will even play the game with trouser legs extending over the shoe tops.
The Chicago White Sox, The Cincinnati Reds, The Kansas City Royals and The Red Sox team players now are allowed, by weak sister owners and management, to hide the signature stockings color with rappers britches or trousers dragging over their spikes into the dirt.
Socks should not be confused as being the stockings. Socks are worn to cover and provide protection for the feet sweating inside the leather playing bseball spikes or shoes.
The socks are put on the feet prior to putting on the open stirrup designed baseball stockings which will cover the entire lower legs all the way to the knees.
Our stockings, like the ever continuing change of materials used in the uniforms trousers and blouse (or shirt), have seen significant changes over the years.
The baseball uniform stockings served two real and practical purposes. First and foremost is the need to provide protection covering for the legs.
The early days of playing baseball the game played was not with the benefit of smooth manicured grassed infield with special soft water absorbing dirt on the base paths. Most diamonds were rough gravel worn surfaces raked smooth with hand rakes and shovels.
Sliding at break neck speed toward the base trying to reach it safely ahead of a well thrown peg by the defender was a casualty in the making for the skin of the legs.
You can readily see the use of full lower leg stockings were worn to protect those legs.
Secondly the stockings provided an ideal way to make a signature statement for the team. As a rule and by simple fashion norms the colors would be colored to reflect the chosen team colors.
Color of the stockings complemented their famous baseball cap the team proudly wore during playing of the game and hopefully to vanguish the opponent and showed a signature logo to all their loyal fans.
In many instances the color of the stockings not only represented team colors it would often by there color become a part of the teams name.
The very first professional baseball major league team the Cincinatti "Red Stockings" begin their long and illustrious history wearing red stockings they even to this day wear their red stockings and are known as the "Cincinatti Reds."
The game of baseball has many baseball rules from the basic-baseball-rules to the general rules of baseball but to my knowledge there is no rule which requires wearing of the baseball stockings.
The common practice of today, where the teams do not blouse the trouser legs but wear the trousers down to and covering the top of their spikes, negates the use of stockings.
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