Here They
Are in All Their Glory!
The
Uniforms of the Baltimore Orioles
Bask in the Tradition. Bask
in the Memories.
Titled “Heaven Is A Game
Of Baseball” and Licensed by Major League Baseball, the
Artwork is available in two framed presentations:
An eye-catching framed-and-matted print
measuring 12” x 21” that sells for only $52 each—which is an exceptional
value for a fully assembled Artpiece of this size. And a dramatic 19” x 39” triple-matted high-quality print (a
Letter of Authenticity is included) that is limited to an edition size of only
299 and sells for the discounted cost of $399.
Please note your Artwork will arrive at your
door in 7 to 10 days when you place your order. And needless to say, there is a 30-day full moneyback
guarantee. In addition, The
Greatest-Scapes pays all shipping costs and any required sales tax!
The Greatest-Scapes also offers the option of
an interest-free Extended Payment Plan for credit card orders. For the $52 framed print, you can pay $26.00
upfront and the balance of $26.00 thirty days later. While the $399 framed Limited Edition can be purchased with an
initial $133, and payments of $133 billed thirty and sixty days later.
To phone in your credit
card order, please call us at 1-800-786-3022 anytime between 10am and 6pm
(Eastern) Monday through Friday. You
can also mail in your order, payable to The Greatest-Scapes, to: The Greatest-Scapes/P.O. Box
5548/Pittsburgh, PA 15206. Please
include your shipping address and specify which Artwork(s) you’re ordering and
how many. And please don’t hesitate to
call us toll-free if you ever have any questions or would like any additional
information.
For your convenience, you can print out our
Order Form.
Click Here for
Order Form
And this Artwork evokes an unmistakably
Classic quality. Indeed, it will look at
home next to a diploma or a work of fine art.
Whether you hang it on a wall or lean it on a shelf or mantle, the
Artwork will make a striking impression.
Please keep in mind, though, the visuals
depicted here on the website simply can not do justice to the detail and
quality of the actual Artwork.
Please note the uniform images shown are
produced from hand-painted watercolor paintings. The publisher chose this route, rather than photographs, because
in many cases original jerseys no longer exist, even at the various halls of
fame. In addition, a more consistent
look and feel for the uniforms is achieved by painting them, and allows for a
higher level of detail than a photograph in some cases.
Here, then, is a detailed description of the
12” x 21” Artpiece that sells for only $52 each. It consists of a 5” x 15” paper print that is housed in a black
frame with a textured black mat. The
black mat has a white groove cut into it, thus adding depth and beauty to the
piece. Weighing approximately five pounds,
the Artwork is covered by crystal-clear glass and includes a “hanger” on
the back to allow for easy hanging. The
black frame—and especially the textured black mat with white groove—makes
this a truly stunning Artpiece.
The above is an example of
the 12” x 21” Artpiece, which depicts the Washington Redskins.
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As for the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artwork,
please note each Artwork is printed on 115-lb Garda Gloss stock and then
mounted to avoid any rippling effects.
As for its matting and framing, the Limited Edition is triple-matted in
an acid-free framing style. The outer
mat is a rich, black textured mat with white core. The middle and inner mat colors have been selected to complement
the team’s colors and the overall framed piece. The matting is framed to create a shadow box effect, giving the
entire framed piece a unique three-dimensional look. The frame is an exquisite solid wood frame finished with a rich
black matte texture, chosen to complement all three mats and the print
itself. Finally, the Artpiece is
protected by high-quality framing glass; the total weight of the Artpiece being
approximately 10 pounds.
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The above is
an example of the 19” x 39” Limited Edition Artpiece,
which depicts
the New York Yankees.
Here then is the history of the Orioles’ Uniforms …
#1A.
1908 The
Baltimore Orioles started out as the Milwaukee Brewers in 1901. After only one
season, and finishing dead last, the team was moved to St. Louis where they
were renamed the Browns. This jersey is a pullover style home jersey. The logo
is an S,T, and L inside a diamond, and the patch on the left shoulder is a
Fleur De Lis. If you notice, there is a center belt loop, which was to secure
the belt buckle off to one side. Players of this era usually wore the belt
buckle to one side so they could prevent injury when sliding into a base.
#1B.
1914 This
pullover style home jersey features a Cadet collar, rather than the more
“formal” collar of years past. In 1909 the Brown’s played in the third edition
of Sportsman’s Park, which they would call home until 1953. In 1920 the other
St. Louis team, the Cardinals, moved into Sportsman’s Park as well. In the time
that the two teams shared diamonds, the Browns fans were forced to watch their
National League counterparts go to the World Series nine times, six of which
they won including one over the Browns in 1944, while the Browns only made it
to the World Series once (losing to the Cards!).
#2.
1938 The
Browns road jersey, (typically, you can tell if a jersey is a home uniform or
road jersey by the color and the lettering. If it’s a darker color, it’s most
likely a road uniform, and if it says the team nickname as opposed to the team
city, it’s probably a home uniform) has a patch on the left sleeve. This patch
was commissioned by Donald L. Barnes, the owner of the Browns (the team was
actually known as the “American League Baseball Co.”) in 1937. The winning
design belonged to Miss Helen Seevers of St. Louis. It is an equestrian figure
that stands atop a baseball that has “Browns” on it. The shield is made up of
stars and stripes, nine stripes to be exact, the same number of players that
take the field for each game.
#3.
1944 During
this time period, while America is at war, the question is raised, should
able-bodied athletes of baseball be fighting for their country overseas? The
commissioner of Baseball and the President of the United States discuss the
game’s role in the war. Both agree that baseball is too important to the
people. It will boost the morale of the entire country, and take their minds
off of the war effort for a short time.
Wartime sleeve patches were worn by all
levels of professional baseball teams. The Health patch was only worn for the
1942 season, part of a health and fitness awareness campaign. The Stars and
Stripes patch, as shown on the left sleeve of this home jersey, was worn from
1943 to1945. It took World War II and the conscription of many star players
from other teams to give the Browns their first shot at the World Series -
against none other than their National League counterparts and Sportsman’s Park cohabitants - the
Cardinals. In a World Series that never left the same ballpark, the Browns went
up 2 games to 1, only to lose three straight, giving the Cards another championship.
This was the only pennant the Browns would ever claim.
#4.
The season began with a bang, with Bobo
Holloman pitching a no-hitter on May 6th in his first Major League start, (this
was his only season in the Majors) and ended with the team being sold to
Baltimore interests in September. This Browns home jersey is a prime example of
“no-frills”, with the exception of the “brownie” face patch on the left sleeve,
which was worn in the 1952-1953 seasons.
(To be honest we know very little about this patch, but we think it has
something to do with a contest that the owner at the time, Bill Veeck Jr.,
ran.I
#5.
1956 When
the Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954, and the name was changed to the Orioles,
a team name long associated with the city of Baltimore. In fact, the New York
Yankees started out as the Baltimore Orioles in 1901 before moving to New York
for the 1903 season - see the New York Yankees’ poster for a picture of the
1901 Baltimore Orioles jersey. 1956 was the first year the Orioles replaced the
team name on their road uniforms with “Baltimore”.
Notice the zipper on this road jersey. During the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s many
teams used zippered jerseys instead of the more traditional button front
jerseys, while a handful of teams wore them well into the 70’s and even the
80’s. The Reds, Yankees and A’s were the only three pre-1977 major league teams
which never wore zippers. The 1937 Cubs were the first team to wear a zippered
jersey, and as far we can tell the 1988 Phillies were the last to wear one.
The patch on the left sleeve of this jersey is
a caricature of an oriole with a ball cap on.
#6.
1966 With
the strength of Frank Robinson’s Triple Crown feat during the regular season,
the Orioles took the American League Pennant, and stormed into the World Series
against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This would be the franchise’s second trip to
the World Series, (the first as the Browns, losing to the Cardinals in 1944).
In a series that featured many great pitchers
and future hall-of-famers, the Orioles swept the Dodgers in four straight. Los
Angeles’ Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale were no match for the Orioles’ Jim
Palmer, Dave McNally and Wally Bunker. The Dodgers scored only two runs to
Baltimore’s five in game one, and didn’t score another in the series. In game
two, 21-year-old Palmer allowed only 4 hits in a 6-0 win. Two days later, game
three starter Bunker, a fellow young gun, threw a three hit shutout to win 1-0.
After Frank Robinson’s homer in the fourth inning of game four, Dave McNally
shut out the bewildered Dodgers, giving the Orioles their first World Series
title, and Frank Robinson the series Most Valuable Player award.
Please note the uniform numbers on the front
of this uniform - this practice started in 1958 for both Baltimore’s home and
away uniforms. Uniform numbers first made their appearance on the front of a
uniform in 1952 - the Brooklyn Dodgers were the first team to wear uniform
numbers on the front of their jersey. The Braves followed suit in 1953, and the
Reds joined in beginning in 1956. The 1916 Cleveland Indians actually wore a
uniform number on their sleeve, but it wasn’t until the ’52 Dodgers that the
number made it to the front.
#7.
1970 After
loosing the World Series in 1969 to the Cinderella New York Mets, the Orioles
made it back to the championship for the second year in a row. They faced
Cincinnati’s young “Big Red Machine” this year and defeated them 4 games to 1.
Brooks Robinson was the force behind the Orioles’ wins, batting .429, with 2
home runs, and collecting 9 hits for the series. As well, his 4 hits in one game
tied the single game record, and his 17 total bases set a new one, making him
the World Series MVP. Pitcher Dave McNally hit a grand slam, the first ever by
a pitcher in the World Series. The road jersey we feature has very little
change from the 1966 uniform.
It’s important to note that the 1969-71
Orioles have to be considered on of the best baseball teams in history - they
are one of only 4 teams in baseball history to win 100 games three years in a
row. In 1969 they went 109-53; in 1970 they went 108-54; and in 1971 they went
101-57. The three other teams to win 100 games three years running were the
1929-31 Philadelphia A’s, the 1942-44 Cardinals and the 1997-99 Braves.
#8.
1976 A
3rd uniform was worn by some Major League Baseball teams, partly to
break up the monotony of having just two to choose from, and partly to sell
more jerseys. The Orioles 3rd uniform is a double knit style that
most of the other teams succumbed to during the 70’s and early 80’s. It was a
pullover style, made of synthetic material. The pants were called
“Sans-a-Belt”’s because the elastic material of the waistline eliminated the
need for a belt.
#9.
1983 The
Orioles have almost dropped the double knit uniform of the 70’s, and have
reverted back to the more classic style uniform with button-down jersey - we
say “almost” because for some reason they hung onto the double-knit pants with
the Sans-A-Belt waistline. In what was called the “I-95 Series”, Baltimore
faced Philadelphia for the World Series. Oriole slugger Eddie Murray blasted 2
homers in game five and starting pitcher Scott McGregor, who took the loss in
game one, turned it around to pitch a shutout, giving Baltimore its third World
Series title (the others being in 1966 & 1970).
#10A.
1991 In
a season where Oriole players and fans said farewell to their beloved Memorial
Stadium, the home of the Birds since 1954, their uniforms go for a clean
classic look, with no piping or stripes on this home uniform. Beginning in
1989, the O’s re-introduced the “swoosh” under the front-of-the-jersey
lettering, a style used in the 50’s and 70’s. Cal Ripken Jr. has a career year
in 1991, hitting .323, with 34 home runs, 144 RBI, winning the American League
MVP, All-Star Game MVP, and Major League Player of the Year honors.
#10B.
1994 In
the year of the 125th anniversary of professional baseball, (as
shown on this third uniform, a pullover style with 2 buttons on the top, and a
commemorative patch on the right sleeve with the Major League Baseball logo and
“125th Anniversary” on it) there was no World Series due to a
disruption of play in August. This is the only time since 1904 that a World
Series was not played.
When play finally resumes the next season,
one of the greatest records in baseball would fall, to an Oriole. On September
6, 1995, Cal Ripken Jr. became baseball’s new “Iron Man”, by playing in his
2131st consecutive game, overtaking Lou Gehrig’s old mark, which was
long thought to be one of sport’s unbreakable records.
#11.
1997 The
Orioles went into the Division Series this year highly favored against the
Cleveland Indians. Unfortunately it was the Tribe that had the last word,
putting the Birds away in a tight six game series to take the A.L. Pennant.
The lettering on the front of this Orioles’
home uniform is predominantly black, while the jersey itself has black piping
around the neck and down the front. The patch on the right sleeve is to
commemorate the 50th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the
color barrier in professional baseball, a patch which all Major League Baseball
teams wore in 1997. In addition, all MLB teams retired his number 42 - the
first time in the history of the big four North American sports (MLB, NFL, NBA,
NHL) that a number has been universally retired.
On the left sleeve there are 2 patches, the
first is the classic Oriole that usually appears on the ball cap, we’re fairly
sure this is the first year that it appeared on the jersey. The patch below it
commemorates the 200th anniversary of the city of Baltimore.
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The Baltimore Orioles: “Heaven Is A Game Of
Baseball”
TRADITION…
MEMORIES… CLASSY…
Order Yours Today … and Revel in it!
800-786-3022
412-781-3022
E-mail:
greatestscapes@hotmail.com