Teams will wear ‘MLB 150’ patch on uniforms this year

By Feb 12, 2019, 10:39 AM EST
MLB
10 Comments

Major League Baseball evolved more than it was invented, but generally everyone agrees on 1869 as the date after which baseball was a truly professional pursuit. That was when the Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first all-salaried baseball team. Prior to that teams paid some players, but not all, and majority professional teams would often play fully amateur clubs on the regular.

1869 was 150 years ago and, since people like numbers that are divisible by 5, 10, and 25, Major League Baseball is going to commemorate the occasion:

Major League Baseball Clubs will wear an MLB 150 patch on the right sleeve of their jerseys for the entire season in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first openly all-salaried professional baseball team – the 1869 Cincinnati Red Stockings.  All MLB Clubs will feature an MLB 150 patch on caps on Opening Day, March 28 . . . Throughout the season, MLB will create original content to pay tribute to its history while connecting it to the players and game today.  The season-long recognition will extend across MLB media including MLB Network, MLB.com and MLB Social Media platforms.

Contrary to popular belief, the Cincinnati Reds are not, in fact, the direct descendants of the 1869 Red Stockings. That club didn’t last and, in reality, the Atlanta Braves have the closest claim to their history. The team that eventually became the Braves were founded as the Boston Red Stockings in 1871 by the guy who had started, and then folded, the Cincinnati version of the Red Stockings. Still, the Reds laid claim to that history long ago and the Braves have never seemed too hung up on claiming it. As such, the Reds are the individual team doing the most to commemorate 1869. Throwback uniforms and all kinds of fun stuff can be found at that link.

Just for the record: as a Braves fan I’m totally cool with the Reds laying claim to that history. Baseball and place go hand-in-hand and my view of it is that a team’s history is owned more by its fans than the business entity which owns the trademarks. The Braves moved cities twice and, as far as I’m concerned, can’t now claim some spiritual connection to Milwaukee or Boston, let alone that Red Stockings club that, same owner notwithstanding, has nothing to do with them. Legally and technically speaking that team had nothing to do with the current Reds either, but they do lay valid claim to the history of baseball in Cincinnati, so let your Redlegs flag fly, Reds folks.

Anyway, here’s that 150 patch the teams will be wearing:

The arm patch looks alright. Not a big fan of cap patches of any kind, but that’s not something that’s going to keep me up at night.

New bill to build Athletics stadium on Las Vegas Strip caps Nevada’s cost at $380 million

Associated PressMay 27, 2023, 12:14 PM EDT
D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports
2 Comments

CARSON CITY, Nev. — A bill introduced in the Nevada Legislature would give the Oakland Athletics up to $380 million for a potential 30,000 seat, $1.5 billion retractable roof stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

The bulk of the public funding would come from $180 million in transferable tax credits from the state and $120 million in county bonds, which can vary based on interest rate returns. Clark County also would contribute $25 million in credit toward infrastructure costs.

The A’s have been looking for a home to replace Oakland Coliseum, where the team has played since arriving from Kansas City for the 1968 season. The team had sought to build a stadium in Fremont, San Jose and finally the Oakland waterfront, all ideas that never materialized.

The plan in the Nevada Legislature won’t directly raise taxes. It can move forward with a simply majority vote in the Senate and Assembly. Lawmakers have a little more than a week to consider the proposal before they adjourn June 5, though it could be voted on if a special session is called.

The Athletics have agreed to use land on the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip, where the Tropicana Las Vegas casino resort sits. Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao has said he is disappointed the team didn’t negotiate with Oakland as a “true partner.”

Las Vegas would be the fourth home for a franchise that started as the Philadelphia Athletics from 1901-54. It would become the smallest TV market in Major League Baseball and the smallest market to be home to three major professional sports franchises.

The team and Las Vegas are hoping to draw from the nearly 40 million tourists who visit the city annually to help fill the stadium. The 30,000-seat capacity would make it the smallest MLB stadium.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ prospective move to Las Vegas could take place when owners meet June 13-15 in New York.

The plan faces an uncertain path in the Nevada Legislature. Democratic leaders said financing bills, including for the A’s, may not go through if Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo vetoes the five budget bills, which he has threatened to do as many of his priorities have stalled or faded in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Under the bill, the Clark County Board of Commissioners would create a homelessness prevention and assistance fund along the stadium’s area in coordination with MLB and the Nevada Resort Association. There, they would manage funds for services, including emergency rental and utility assistance, job training, rehabilitation and counseling services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

The lease agreement with the Las Vegas Stadium Authority would be up for renewal after 30 years.

Nevada’s legislative leadership is reviewing the proposal, Democratic state Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager said in a statement.

“No commitment will be made until we have both evaluated the official proposal and received input from interested parties, including impacted community members,” Yeager said.