Marc Okkonen's book

[Swiss]

I have this marvelous book about the baseball uniforms of the 20th century, edited in 1993.

Do anyone know if that book will be updated and reedited for these current times?

Thanks!

[NJTank]

I doubt it but this website by the Hall of Fame has all of the unis from taht book and different images uniforms the smae just done differently from 1994 to the present.

http://www.baseballhalloffame.org/exhibits...es/database.htm

[DJSpeedy]

I have this marvelous book about the baseball uniforms of the 20th century, edited in 1993.

Do anyone know if that book will be updated and reedited for these current times?

Thanks!

He does mention MULTIPLE updates in the future in his Foreward, but after 13 years (yes, it was first published in '91, not '93) I don't hold much hope, especially now that the Dressed to the Nines site appears to be continuing his work.

In fact, if you look at the '73 Athletics there, you'll see a change that's not in the book - all yellow and all green uniforms. To me, it appears that Marc O. has made the decision to update the book online.

[CC97]

Marc emailed me a while back saying it will exist only in digital form on the hall of fame site one day.

Of course that turned out to be dressed to the nines, the link tank provided.

[spyboy1]

The "dressed to the nines" site is a half-hearted attempt to continue the work of the book and is truly a sad opportunity lost.

They are only doing the home and away jerseys and none of the alternates at all. NONE.

Heck, the Cubs wear their dark blue solid tops more than the others and teams like the Mets have FIVE different tops they can wear, yet there's no mention of them!

By the time anyone decided to do a COMPLETE record of all uniforms, it's going to be a very, very large job since that web site decided not to simply keep it properly updated every year.

It's a real shame that the most documented sport statistically can't be documented visually by it's own Hall of Fame.

Sad.

JeffB

[Swiss]

Very well replies, pals. I'm been thankful to each one of you.

DJSpeedy, you are right. I checked my book and the URL provided by NJTank. There are two more unis not displayed in the book.

I agree with spyboy1. I made this topic because the nineties were "wild" as far as the uniforms' creativity. So I thought that Okkonen had made more updates of its book but no, I come to find whereupon his (free) link isn't as complete as I hoped.

I think that that link would have to have all the uniforms graphically equals (there is shown brutally the difference between 1994 and 1995 as it is seen now), to add more alternative uniforms and to show better the caps (actually they are small in the link and the book).

Once I imagined that in a near future we can see the uniforms in Web in 3D (with full details) using a sort of Flash. Would be pretty, right?

[slapshot]

I own the Okkonen book. It's not in front on me right now, but I think the original version covered up to 1988. There was a softcover addendum published in 1993/94, and the updated uniforms were printed in it. It wasn't a full version of the book, just the previous 20 or so years (I think).

If you look at the Dressed to the Nines site, you can see the different places on the timeline where a different "model" was used (even with the drop shadow where the images were cut out of the book).

1900-1994 model

1995-2000 model

2001-current (based off MLB Style Guide artwork)

[Gothamite]

That 1995-2000 model is from the style guide. I remember seeing it posted in the County Stadium clubhouse. Ugly - I much prefer the new style guide.

The thing that bothers me about the Dressed to the Nines site is that it's just low-quality scans cut from the book. Maybe he doesn't have any higher-quality artwork, but come on. Given a nice template, the people on this board could create reproductions of the entire spectrum of uniforms in a couple months flat.

Myself, I volunteer to do the Yankees.

[Swiss]

If you look at the Dressed to the Nines site, you can see the different places on the timeline where a different "model" was used (even with the drop shadow where the images were cut out of the book).

That is why I said:

"I think that that link would have to have all the uniforms graphically equals (there is shown brutally the difference between 1994 and 1995 as it is seen now), to add more alternative uniforms and to show better the caps (actually they are small in the link and the book)."

[DJSpeedy]

They are only doing the home and away jerseys and none of the alternates at all. NONE.

Well, I found plenty of alts on there. Just none after 1995.

[spyboy1]

They are only doing the home and away jerseys and none of the alternates at all. NONE.

Well, I found plenty of alts on there. Just none after 1995.

Uh, that's my point.

They aren't keeping up with the project in the way it deserves.

It's especially maddening considering the resources they have at their disposal.

JeffB

[Swiss]

You gave the point. That link is hosted in the Cooperstown HOF website... and with all the nearest resources they could have... the images aren't very satisfied for us.

[rtrich11]

The model they use for the latest updates (shown above) is terrible. I say that because the stitching on the shoulders, the buttons, etc. jump out too much. More than the red piping. Too distracting, and clouds what the unis look like. Do over.

Also, what's wrong with an update after 10 years. That's a long time, it'd be fun to have a printed piece of history, rather than be glued to the computer to view it.

[robbman21]

Hmm....I may be crazy but am I the only one thinking "Board-Wide Project" here with this??We decide on a common template to use based on era(wool/blends/poly),pick a team and go to researching and do this thing right.Who says the HOF has to be the only one with a baseball uniform database?I mean sure it's a project that at mere thought is a massive undertaking and one that you cant go into lightly,but it's something I myself would love the challenge of undertaking.Like I said I may be crazy and totally off my rocker but I think it's something to be considered.

[CC97]

This was something I tried a few years back.

I think the SSUR will eventually be an awesome database, better than that, one day.

[Gothamite]

I already volunteered to do the Yankees.

[robbman21]

And I'll volunteer to do any team(s) that could possibly be done,as long as I knew that others would join me in the effort to complete the MLB uniform history.That said,should we begin where "Dressed to the Nines" leaves-off with alternate uniforms?Considering of course that this ever got off the ground.I think it would be fun searching old pics,newspapers,Sports Illustrated's,library's or anything else trying to get a definitive uniform databse.

[Swiss]

Also, what's wrong with an update after 10 years. That's a long time, it'd be fun to have a printed piece of history, rather than be glued to the computer to view it.

That was what moved me to open this topic.

Guys:

The proposal of make a more accurate and private research is excellent. I want to participate in there (with the Giants or the Red Sox) but I don't know if I could complete all that work because I'm far of the States and I haven't many resources in home.

Ah, don't mind drawing a man like that one from Okkonen. The caps and sleeves (patches) may be magnified, and the back of the jerseys also must to visible.

[Gothamite]

Do you really need to see the entire back? Why not just a square with the number and name, if any, for style?

[Swiss]

I said "back of the jerseys" only... Don't forget that the back of certain jerseys carries pipelines.

But that isn't very important. The caps and sleeves, yes.