A Look at the Blue Jays Custom Gear and Patches for Players Weekend
Like it or not, Major League Baseball’s Players Weekend is an opportunity for them to show a personality in what is otherwise a traditional sport.
The Blue Jays brought out their little league/softball uniform, which I’m kind of starting to warm up to. Heck, I even gave some of the Blue Jays some hockey nicknames for Daily Hive.
Anyway, one of the features of Players Weekend is that players get the chance to show off some custom cleats, bats, gloves and equipment. Not many Blue Jays took advantage of this option, but Marcus Stroman and Kevin Pillar did.
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First off, Stroman’s mint green cleats are an homage to his favourite gum, Orbit. I’m a 5 Gum Peppermint guy myself, but to each their own.
Sweet mint J's for #playersweekend in the @MLB. Inspired by the 6 pieces of @OrbitGum 'Sweet Mint' gum I chew for every start! @Jumpman23 pic.twitter.com/RI9JncdeO0
— Marcus Stroman (@STR0) August 25, 2017
Due to copyright issues, Pillar wasn’t able to use the Superman moniker the nickname on the back of his uniform, but he did salute the Man of Steel with these spiffy cleats.
And the cleats for #playersweekend #superman #adidasbaseball by @mache275 🔥🔥🔥
To me, the best part about Players Weekend is the custom patches on the player’s uniforms. Here, they have the chance to honour friends or family members who’ve helped them get to where they are today.
Ryan Goins chose to honour his grandmother. Yes, the same grandmother that left Goins with words of encouragement after his rough go during Game 2 of the 2015 ALCS.
A post shared by Ryan Goins (@rgoins2) on
Josh Donaldson picked his Mom Lisa for the name to put on his uniform for Players Weekend.
Stroman’s salute on his jersey is to his “day ones”.
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And if you look closely, Justin Smoak’s patch says “Dad”.
Ryan Tepera gave a shoutout to his Mom and Pop.
Wouldn’t be here for #PlayersWeekend if it wasn’t for my Mom & Dad who taught me to 'Stay Relentless and Dedicated'. Playing for you both! pic.twitter.com/rgWFY0g49Q
— Ryan Tepera (@RTepera) August 26, 2017
Darwin Barney opted to mention his wife: Lindsay.
Tim Mayza’s uniform patch makes mention of his mother and father as well.
https://twitter.com/TimMayza/status/901442173530505216
Ezequiel Carrea’s patch is dedicated to Petra Reyes Asapito Osuna.
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I loved the Players Weekend jerseys, the Jays & others! I hope that the players get to wear them more than just one weekend next season. It was fun for the players and fans. We made a game of matching the correct nickname to the player, a shot for each right answer. The downside, I had to watch the archived games on MLB.com; upside, it was hilarious & fun!