Throwback Tuesday

In case it hasn't been made clear yet, I have a bit of an issue with throwback uniforms.  I like them.  A lot.

There's only one problem with that.  The teams I follow - namely the Pirates and Steelers - don't have a lot of uniform variety to pick from.  In recent seasons, the Astros, White Sox, Angels have both made throwback uniforms part of their semi-regular rotation.  All of those clubs have an array of designs, color combinations, and logo changes over the past few decades that make for a colorful array of uniforms. 

For the Pittsburgh teams, the traditional black and gold can be both a blessing and a curse.  Traditional?  Great.  But it also makes things a bit dull when it comes to throwback uniforms.  Nonetheless, this Jason Kendall card from 2004 Fleer Tradition is one of my favorite Pirate base cards.  The gold on gold combo is one that I don't believe the Pirates have worn at any other time (they wore gold tops and black pants during TBTC games in both 1999 and 2004). 

There hasn't been anything official announced for 2013 throwback games beyond the new Sunday alternates, though that's typical.  Should be fun to see what the Pirates have in store - perhaps some type of retro themed game during their series with the newly AL-defected Astros?

Turn Back the Clock Tuesday

I'm still behind on scanning some new additions, but in the mean time here is a recent non-card pickup that instantly became one of my favorite pieces in my collection.

I've been slowly expanding my collection to include more game used items, and at the top of my wantlist have been the various styles of turn back the clock jerseys the Pirates have worn over the past few years.  The Pirates wore this jersey in the Sept. 9, 2009 game at PNC Park against the Reds, who also wore their late 70's style gray pullovers.

Cedeno started at shortstop in the game, though he put up an unimpressive 0-4 statline with one K.

The jersey is an example of the late 70's mix-and-match jerseys, and thought the Pirates have also worn both the black and yellow tops in TBTC games in recent years, the pinstriped is by far my favorite.  To date, the Pirates have only worn the pinstriped tops twice, in the 2009 game and previously in 2004.

Though Cedeno wasn't a player I was particularly fond of, both because of his inconsistent play and the fact that he replaced my all-time favorite player, Jack Wilson, at shortstop.  Still, this jersey is a rare piece, and looks amazing in person.  I haven't been able to find a photo of Cedeno from, but hopefully I can track one down soon.