The Sports Delorean: The Satin Jacket

Baseball is and always has been a game synonymous with the dog days of summer.  Considering that images like 100+ degree fumes radiating off the infield and shirtless monkeys pounding cold ones in the bleachers are intrinsically linked to the sport, it was a longshot that a form of outerwear could become one of its indelible fashion statements of the last 30 years. 

But for those of us who lived through the '70s and '80s, it was common knowledge that, when things got a little nippy in the dugout on an inordinately cool summer night or a tense fall playoff game, there was one thing that was getting yanked out of the clubhouse closet to fend off the cold—a skin-tight satin jacket. 

The classic button-up satin jacket did not discriminate by team, rather it was a prop shared by teams in both leagues, good and bad, rich and poor, ugly and even uglier. It was a constant companion to players, managers and fans alike.

Who cared if it only came in sizes that were guaranteed to choke off your body’s circulation, where else was one supposed to find the elusive mix of comfort, style and material that could serve as a mirror in a pinch?

Fans in St. Louis carry fond memories of the shiny red number that legendary manager Whitey Herzog squeezed into during those October battles throughout the decade of the '80s. Even Whitey’s bobblehead was equipped with Starter’s finest.

Spill a little Busch on it while celebrating a win in the clubhouse? No worries, White Rat, nothing is staining that puppy. Not even jheri curl juice could soak into that slick surface, a fact that saved the equipment manager for the late '80s Toronto Blue Jays from many a sleepless night.

It’s no surprise that when the 1986 Los Angeles Dodgers and their musical dynamo alter ego, the Baseball Boogie Bunch, needed a trademark accessory for their utterly horrific team video (do yourself a favor and watch this), they headed to the local embroidery shop equipped with two dozen pastel colored satins and placed an order to have their name screen-printed on the back. 

Frankly, Pedro Guerrero never looked more manly. 

So no matter how much Alyssa Milano persists, the unfortunate reality is that today’s player would much rather opt for more functional alternatives such as hooded sweatshirts or league mandated Majestic brand jackets to keep them warm on the bench. 

While there are bound to be “throw backs” and imitations popping up all the time, the true satin jacket has gone the way of the jheri curl in Major League Baseball, a relic only to be celebrated in The JSF Sports Delorean.

Or maybe on Pedro Martinez.

(True Pedro’s jacket isn’t the authentic snap up version, but man that jheri curl is nice, isn’t it?)