During the second inning of Wednesday night’s game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox a member of MLB’s security team entered the Red Sox dugout to check that manager Terry Francona was wearing his uniform top under his pullover jacket. MLB vice president Bob Watson had checked Francona before the game started, and as the security official was checking Francona he was trying to relay signs to his club, and Yankee 2B Derek Jeter was on second base.
Francona was not too happy about the whole incident saying, “When Derek Jeter is on second base and I got somebody coming from the league making me go down the runway, I was a little perturbed.” As he should be.
MLB did issue warnings to all managers earlier in the season stating that they needed to wear an official uniform top under the pullover jackets that many had become accustomed to wearing, but checking in the middle of a game? I watch the Tigers and can clearly see manager Jim Leyland’s uniform under his pullover, and I’m sure this security official could have done the same thing.
Major league managers are the only team leaders of the major sports who don the same uniform as their players. There hasn’t been a manager out of uniform since the days of Connie Mack and he hasn’t managed since 1950. It’s a tradition to have the manager wear the uniform, but I don’t think MLB needs to nit pick about something like what is underneath the pullover jacket.
The pullover still needs to be an official one, and needs to have the team’s logo on it so why not let them wear that minus the uniform top if they wish? MLB has other issues to worry about more and should address this issue in the offseason, and quietly because no one really cares about it. Just make a change to the manager dress code and let them wear the uniform top if they wish.
Other News:
- The Detroit Tigers have sent pitcher Andrew Miller back to the minors after a dismal 2/3 inning 5 run game against the Kansas City Royals this week. The team recalled Virgil Vasquez.
- The Texas Rangers have extended the contract of manager Ron Washington through the 2009 season. The team is last in the AL West, but 38-30 since mid-June.
